With the winter break fast approaching, now is the time to collect data to inform your ESY decisions. Use data to drive ESY decisions. When data does not indicate that a child needs ESY services, talk to parents who are looking for help over the summer about what other options are available to them in the community.
By collecting data before and after breaks, you can look to see if a student has regressed over the break and whether that regression is limiting the student’s access to their FAPE. In addition, you can determine whether the student has a significantly long recoupment rate to acclimating back to school and learning. Though regression and recoupment is not a required criteria for eligibility for ESY, it still provides a solid purpose to data collection.
Focus on the data, but be sensitive to parent needs and requests. Sometimes they really may just need someplace for their child to go for the summer. Discuss the ESY request, including eligibility for ESY is based on need not benefit, discuss data collected and get the parent’s opinion about whether the student qualifies for the service.
If the student does not need ESY for FAPE, help the parent to understand other options available in the community. There may be community summer programs, other summer school options, or camps that they may want to explore on their own.
Students are NOT automatically eligible for ESY every year because they were eligible the year before or even for the past 10 years. ESY eligibility is determined annually based on the student’s current IEP. Data is required to make these decisions. Take the opportunity before the break to collect data.
–LRP Sped Connections Newsletter