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Extended School Year (ESY)

EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR SERVICES Printer friendly version

• Regression and Recoupment–The IEP team must determine whether, without these services, there is a likelihood of substantial regression of critical life skills caused by a school break and it is expected that the student will not recover those lost skills within a reasonable amount of time following the school break (e.g., six to eight weeks after summer break).
• Degree of Progress–The IEP team must review the student’s progress toward the IEP goals and objectives targeting critical life skills and determines whether, without these services, the student’s degree or rate of progress toward those goals or objectives significantly jeopardize the student’s receipt of educational benefit from his or her educational program during the regular school year.
• Emerging Skills and Breakthrough Opportunities–The IEP team reviews all IEP goals targeting critical life skills to determine whether any of these skills are at a breakthrough point. When critical life skills are at this point, the IEP team needs to determine whether the interruption in services and instruction on those goals or objectives during the school break is likely to significantly jeopardize the student’s receipt of educational benefit from his or her educational program during the regular school year.
• Interfering Behaviors–The IEP team determines whether the student demonstrates any interfering behavior(s) such as stereotypic, ritualistic, aggressive, or self-injurious behavior(s) targeted by the IEP goals which substantially jeopardize the student’s receipt of educational benefit from his or her educational program during the regular school year. The team also determines whether the interruption of programming for these interfering behaviors is likely to significantly jeopardize the student’s receipt of benefit from his or her educational programming during the next school year.
• Nature and/or Severity of the Disability–The IEP team determines whether, without ESY services, the nature and/or severity of the student’s disability is likely to significantly jeopardize the student’s receipt of benefit from his or her educational program during the regular school year.
• Special Circumstances or Other Factors–The IEP team determines whether, without ESY services, there are any special circumstances that will significantly jeopardize the student’s receipt of benefit from his or her education program during the regular school year.

ESY services may be delivered through a variety of settings and methods, examples of which might include classroom instruction, a parent-guided home program with progress periodically monitored by the teacher, and/or consultative or supervisory support from staff members within community settings.

While ESY services could be provided at any time of the year, as determined to be required by the IEP team to provide FAPE, most students who are eligible for ESY receive services during some portion of the extended summer break. ESY services could be provided in combination with existing summer school intervention programs, if such programs are available and are appropriate for the individual student. However, the division is not required under the least restrictive environment provisions of IDEA to create a general education setting for delivery of ESY services.

Summary:
ESY services are uniquely designed to provide FAPE to certain students with disabilities. Therefore, it is necessary to emphasize that these services:

• Are available to any student who receives special education services if it is required to ensure that the student is provided FAPE.
• Must be discussed at each annual IEP meeting, while recognizing that it may be necessary to convene an IEP addendum at a later time if additional data is needed to make decisions regarding ESY.
• Must ensure that the individual needs of the student are addressed and that the services are provided based on those needs. IEP teams should identify the specific goal(s) and/or objective(s) from the current IEP that require services since all goals may not be affected.
• Vary in type, duration, and amount in order to meet the unique needs of the student.

For further information, see the Virginia Department of Education Technical Assistance Resource Document: Extended School Year Services, December 2007:
http://www.doe.virginia.gov/special_ed/regulations/federal/extended_schoolyear_services.pdf

ESY Program ProfileSummer Services web site >

Individualized Education Program information >