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Extended School Year Services

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Extended School Year Services (ESY)

If your child needs services beyond the regular school year in order to make reasonable progress, the school system must provide these services. The school system must consider six different criteria in making the decision about whether your child qualifies for ESY. If your child meets any one or more of these criteria, your child should be found eligible for ESY.

  • Regression/recoupment of critical life skills: This factor looks at whether your child will or is likely to regress (lose skills) if he or she does not get ESY, or if it will take your child a long time to recoup (get back) skills he or she has lost during the break from school
  • Degree of progress: How much progress has your child made during the school year? If not much, your child may be eligible for ESY.
  • Emerging skills/breakthrough opportunities: Is your child in the process of gaining a new critical life skill such as reading, toilet training, walking, etc.? If so, your child should qualify for ESY.
  • Interfering behavior: Does your child have behavior that interferes with his or her ability to make educational progress?
  • Nature and/or severity of the disability.
  • Special circumstances: For example, if your child would be at risk of moving to a more restrictive placement unless ESY services are provided.

The decision about ESY services must be made at your child's annual IEP review meeting or at a meeting in time for you to challenge a decision not to provide services so that the issue can be resolved before the summer. ESY must be individualized to meet your child's needs, and must be provided in the least restrictive environment.

Remember: ESY services are not just an extension of time in school, they are not automatic, and they are not enrichment programs. ESY services are individualized services designed to give your child the ability to meet certain objectives in his or her IEP that cannot be achieved without education time beyond the regular school day.