Transcript Extended School Year ESY - Area Special Education Cooperative

Navigating
Extended
School Year
(ESY)
By: Judd Fredstrom – Area
Special Education Coop
Extended School Year
• “ESY” refers to special education services that are provided to a child with
a disability beyond the normal school year of the district, in accordance
with the child’s IEP, and at no cost to the parents of the child.
– School districts are required to provide ESY services to a child if the IEP
team determines the services are necessary during a break in
instruction in order to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education
(FAPE).
Verification Documentation
• The IEP team must document their determination regarding whether or
not the child needs ESY services in order to receive FAPE.
• You will find this documentation on the IEP services section of SpEd Forms.
• Documentation must include the projected initiation date, duration,
location and frequency of services.
Sources of information for
IEP team determination:
• Prior observation of the student’s regression and
recoupment over the summer.
• Observation of the student’s tendency to regress
over extended breaks in instruction.
• Experience with other pupils with similar
instructional needs.
Minn. R. 3525.0755, subp. 4(A), (B) and (C)
Other Factors to Consider:
• Student’s progress and maintenance of skills during the regular school
year
• Student’s degree of impairment
• Student’s rate of progress
• Student’s behavioral and physical problems
• Availability of alternative resources
• Student’s ability and need to interact with nondisabled peers
• Areas of the student’s curriculum which need continuous attention
• Student’s vocational needs
Minn. R. 3525.0755, subp. 5(A)-(H)
SpEd Forms IEP
Services Page
• SpEd Forms provides an optional guide for the IEP team to use in
evaluating the need for ESY:
Regression/Recoupment
•
•
•
“Level of performance” refers to a child’s progress toward annual IEP goals
immediately prior to a break in instruction as seen in the progress measurements.
“Regression” refers to the significant decline in the performance of a skill or
acquired knowledge, specified in the annual goals as stated in the child’s IEP that
occurs during a break in instruction.
“Recoupment” refers to a child’s ability to regain the performance of a skill or
acquired knowledge to approximately the same level of performance just prior to
the break in instruction.
Minn. R. 3525.0755, subp. 2(A), (B) and (C)
Examples:
Sample of Noncompliance
• The IEP indicates ESY services are not needed despite progress reports in
the file that document a significant regression and subsequent significant
recoupment time in reading skills that occurred over a holiday break.
Sample of Compliance
• The IEP documents ESY needs in the area of math skills, based on progress
measurements taken prior to and after an instructional break. The IEP also
includes the appropriate frequency, duration and location of ESY services
to adequately address the child’s math needs.
ESY – Self-Sufficiency
• The IEP team must determine a pupil is in need of ESY services if services
are necessary for the pupil to attain and maintain self-sufficiency because
of the critical nature of the skill addressed by an annual goal, the pupil's
age and level of development, and the timeliness for teaching the skill.
Minn. R. 3525.0755, subp. 3(B)
• “Self-sufficiency” refers to the functional skills necessary for a pupil to
achieve a reasonable degree of personal independence as typically
identified in the annual IEP goals for a child requiring a functional
curriculum.
Minn. R. 3525.0755, subp. 2(D)
Self Sufficiency
Minn. R. 3525.0755 subp. 2
• Self-sufficiency needs may apply to any disability category.
Unique Need
Minn. R. 3525.0755, subp. 3(C)
•
Clarification:
– This statement allows that an IEP Team may determine ESY services are necessary, based
on the unique needs of the child, for reasons OTHER than a significant regression in skill
or knowledge or self-sufficiency needs.
– The “unique needs” under which ESY services are based must be documented in the
special education file.
ESY Service
Delivery Models
• The ESY services delivered are to be designed to meet the individual
student’s needs in achieving critical goals.
• As such individual students may require ESY services delivered using
different methods.
• The IEP team will choose the appropriate deliver model.
Skill Maintenance Activities
• These are written descriptions of activities for parents or other caregivers
to provide for the student on a regular basis over the summer break.
• The activities will be written by the student's current school year service
providers.
• Examples might include:
– parent directed activities to involve the student in when grocery
shopping, guidelines for parents to follow when reading to the
student,
– suggestions of community activities
– other guidelines for parents to assure necessary skill practice.
Skill Maintenance
Packets/Kits
• These are school materials prepared and organized for the parent or
caregiver to use on a regular basis over the summer break.
• The materials will be prepared and directions written by the student's
current school year service providers.
– Examples might include: worksheets, flashcards, books, computer
software, writing assignments, reading assignments, fine motor
activities, and/or social skill activities.
Licensed Staff
Telephone Consultation
• Service would typically be in addition to use of skill maintenance activities
and/or packets.
• A licensed special education provider would be available for phone consult
regarding use of the activities or packets at specifically scheduled intervals
throughout the summer break.
• Licensed staff telephone consultation could be available to the parent,
caregiver, or to some community agency or facility working with that
student.
Licensed Staff InPerson Consultation
• This service would involve planned and pre-scheduled consultation
sessions provided to parents, caregivers, or a community facility or agency.
• The licensed special education provider would schedule consultation
sessions throughout the summer to assist parents and caregivers in
providing skill practice opportunities to the student.
– Examples might include: arrangements for summer rec. staff to
schedule consultation with a D/APE teacher when new activities are
planned.
School Based Services
• The IEP team can determine that ESY services need to be delivered
directly to students in designated schools.
• The ESY student is transported to the designated school by the school
district.
• The student will attend the school for a specified number of hours each
week and be instructed in those goal areas designated by the IEP team.
• School based services could be required when consultation, work packets
and regular practice of skills will not be sufficient to allow the student to
receive an appropriate education.
Let’s Look at
Some Examples
• A 13-year-old student with developmental cognitive disabilities who has
almost learned the critical life skill of crossing a street safely and, if not
provided with ESY, would lose significant progress and have to begin anew
in the fall.
• ESY for this student might include 45 minutes per day for 4 weeks of
community-based safety instruction, aimed at maintaining the streetcrossing progress.
Examples Continued
• A student with autism who recently has met a social/behavioral objective
on his/her IEP that is designed to decrease the frequency of self-injurious
behavior but is likely to resume the self-injurious behavior to the previous
level unless he/she receives ESY services to maintain the target behavior.
• ESY for this student might include 3 hours per day for 4-5 weeks of
instruction, aimed at maintaining the social/behavioral objective.
Another Example
• A 10-year-old student with developmental cognitive disabilities and
cerebral palsy who has been learning to use an augmentative
communication device since last fall. Using task analysis, a six-step
procedure was developed. It has taken the student six months to
independently master the first two steps. Because of the critical nature of
this skill and the time involved for new learning, ESY is recommended.
• ESY for this student might include 1 hour per week for 4 weeks of speech
therapy, in addition to consultation with the parent.
And Another
• A 20-year-old student with developmental disabilities who recently
obtained paid, supported employment in the community and would likely
lose the position at this critical transition to adult services without ESY
services
• ESY for this student might include 5 hours per week for 4 weeks of onsite monitoring and support
A Final Example
• In late spring, a fifth-grade student with a specific learning disability has a
breakthrough in reading decoding skills.
• ESY for this student might include 3 hours per day, 3 times a week for 4
weeks of special education instruction to maintain the breakthrough
skills.
ESY In Review
• As part of the development and content of an annual IEP, the team must
discuss ESY needs at each annual IEP and/or periodic review. An
Extended School Year (ESY) is not the same as summer school. ESY is a
mandatory extension of special education services to learners with a
disability over the summer months to retain skills and thus allow for
benefit from a "free appropriate public education".
• The IEP team will look at three areas of possible student need:
– Prevent Significant Regression
– Attain or Sustain Self-Sufficiency
– Address Unique Needs