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What is ESY? Extended School Year is the provision of an individualized instructional program beyond the normal school year to minimize the loss of previously mastered critical skills for special education students who have demonstrated significant regression/recoupment problems in critical skills. The focus of ESY is, therefore, the maintenance of previously mastered critical skills. 2

What ESY is NOT... Not a summer school program to teach new skills. Not a tutorial program for students showing slow progress. Not an enrichment program. 3

Who is Eligible for ESY? Any student receiving special education services should be considered for ESY. However, the IEP committee, on an individual basis, determines if a student will receive ESY services based upon the following criteria: 1) Data exists indicating the student has exhibited significant regression on previously mastered critical skills addressed in the student’s current individualized education plan (IEP) within the first eight weeks of school, 2) Data exists that strongly indicates the student may exhibit significant regression on previously mastered critical skills addressed in the student’s current individualized education plan (IEP) in the absence of ESY services. 3) When you have reviewed the goals and objectives and overall programming for a student on your case load and data indicates that no regression/recoupment concerns exist, document the information on the “No Regression/Recoupment Concerns Form”. Please keep a copy of the form for your records and give one copy to your diagnostician or high school special education supervisor. 4

Critical Skills Not all IEP objectives are critical skills 5

What is a Critical Skill? A skill is critical when the loss of that skill results in any of the following actions during the first 8 weeks of school: A. Placement in a more restrictive instructional arrangement B. A significant loss of a mastered skill necessary for the student to progress in the general curriculum C. A significant loss of self-sufficiency in self help skill areas as evidenced by an increase in the number of direct service staff and / or amount of time required to provide special education or related services D. A loss of access to community-based independent living skills instruction or an independent living environment provided by non-educational sources as a result of regression in skills E. A loss of access to on-the-job training or productive employment as a result of regression in skills 6

The loss of a previously mastered critical skill will result in…….. Placement in a more restrictive instructional environment The child will need more time in the special education setting:  more resource time  more speech  more related services (e.g. OT, PT, psychological services) The loss must impact the student in such a way that an IEP meeting will be required to increase his or her special education time. 7

The loss of a previously mastered critical skill will result in…….. Significant loss of a mastered or prerequisite skills necessary for the student to progress in the general curriculum  Example: In May, the child had mastered certain skills. It is now 6-8 weeks into the new school year and the student is still performing significantly below the level of mastery demonstrated in May. You have spent over 2 months going over the TEKS the student appeared to have mastered in May. Above information extracted from: Texas Education Agency: Extended School Year Services for Students with Disabilities 8

The loss of a previously mastered critical skill will result in…….. A significant loss of self-sufficiency in self-help skill areas  an addition to the number of direct services/therapy the student is receiving  an increase in the amount of time/minutes of direct services/therapy the student is already receiving  the student is less independent and requires additional level of paraprofessional or teacher support to complete self-help skills previously mastered Above information extracted from: Texas Education Agency: Extended School Year Services for Students with Disabilities 9

The loss of a previously mastered critical skill will result in…….. Loss of access to community-based independent living skills  Due to regression in skills, the student no longer qualifies for the group home or independent living environment. Above information extracted from: Texas Education Agency: Extended School Year Services for Students with Disabilities 10

The loss of a previously mastered critical skill will result in…….. Loss of access to on-the-job training or productive employment  Regression on previously mastered job skills is so severe that it results in loss of on -the – job training or employment. Above information extracted from: Texas Education Agency: Extended School Year Services for Students with Disabilities 11

List of Critical Skills 12 When analyzing data for students in PPCD, LIFE Skills or others with significant skills deficits, the following is a list of critical skills to be considered: This list is not all inclusive. Please use the Critical Skills Assessment to assist in determining other applicable skills. BEHAVIOR Maintaining impulse control Interacting appropriately with peers and/or adults Behavior which may be manifested by beginning a task, beginning a transition, or being given a directive COMMUNICATION Communicating wants and needs on a daily basis (the use of assistive technology should also be considered) Expressive Language Receptive Language

List of critical skills continued… SELF-HELP Toileting Feeding MOBILITY *Adaptive equipment to maintain muscular control *Adaptive equipment necessary to maintain mobility * Regression may not occur for ESY to be considered due to the severity of the disability. 13

List of critical skills continued… 14 When analyzing data for students in Resource or less restrictive programs, the following is a list of critical skills to be considered: Reading IEP goals and objectives that address decoding skills IEP goals and objectives that address the student’s ability to obtain meaning from text (comprehension) Writing IEP goals and objectives that address the students ability to communicate through written text Math Basic skills needed to complete advanced mathematical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division One to one correspondence Counting to complete mathematical operations Recognize and comprehend number value needed to complete mathematical operations

Determining if an IEP objective is a critical Skill Use the Critical Skills Action Chart below to determine if IEP objectives are critical skills 15

Documenting student need for ESY Record the identified critical skills objectives on the ESY Student Data Summary Form. Analyze the student data for the first 8 weeks of the school year for each IEP objective that is identified as a critical skill (be consistent on data collection methods). Compare the student’s performance level on each critical skill for the first 8 weeks of the school year to the student's end of the prior school year mastery performance level for each objective. Based upon your analysis of the data, determine if the student has recouped skills demonstrated at the end of the prior school year performance level. Complete additional ESY information as requested on the ESY Student Data Summary Form. Turn the completed ESY Student Data Summary Form to the designated ESY contact person on the campus. 16

ESY Data Sources In considering a student’s need for ESY services, the IEP Committee must consider information/data from a variety of sources including, but not limited to, the following: IEP data (must be compared to end of last school year) Reading level (must be compared to the end of last school year) Benchmarks (must be compared to the skills demonstrated at the end of last school year) Informal/formal assessments Behavior data (must be compared to data from the end of last school year) Independence/self-help skills (must be compared to skill level demonstrated at the end of last school year) Information provided by the student’s parent/guardian 17

ESY Student Data Summary Form This form is to be used as a tool to summarize student data and should be presented, along with the student’s raw data, to the ESY Campus Team for ESY consideration. 18

Key Points to Remember ESY is not intended to maximize educational opportunities for a student with disabilities. ESY is not required for the convenience of the school or parents and, therefore, cannot serve as a day care or respite care service. ESY is not required solely when a student fails to achieve IEP goals and objectives during the school year. The focus of ESY should be on those specific, critical skills where regression, due to an extended break, has occurred or that data strongly indicates may occur. 19

Key Points to Remember ESY services are an IEP Committee decision. Recommendations for ESY services are based on current school year data Remember that all student’s regress, but what campus staff need to focus on is the recoupment of skills and the time it takes to recoup critical skills. Significant regression is recognizable: Did you have multiple staffings on the student at the start of the year? Was an IEP meeting held to adjust goals and objectives due to loss of skills? Were services changed or added? Were additional supports from the district needed?

Key Points to Remember Fear of regression is a statement frequently associated with a need for ESY services, but please know that there should be data that supports the reason the fear exists. Listen to parents. Parents are part of the IEP committee and they bring valuable data to the table to be considered. It is not appropriate to determine as an IEP Committee that ESY services are not needed and then provide parents with the phone number to ISC to call and appeal. Remember that recommendations for ESY services are provided based solely on the data that the campus has provided.

Key Points to Remember If data exists that supports a recommendation of ESY services, but the family does not want the service the campus should still follow and complete the ESY documentation process. This includes having an IEP meeting to recommend ESY services. The parent can sign to refuse ESY Services.