Understanding Extended School Year (ESY) Services in Your Child's IEP

Jessica Meneses
Oct 22
4 min read

As a parent, you may have heard whispers about Extended School Year (ESY) services, a service often portrayed as an exclusive program for students with the most profound needs. However, ESY is a crucial, legally mandated component of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) designed to help students with disabilities continue making adequate progress toward their goals. If your child has an IEP, it’s essential to understand what Extended School Year is, what it isn't, and how to advocate for its consideration at each and every IEP meeting.

What Exactly is Extended School Year (ESY)?

ESY services are special education and related services provided to a student with a disability beyond the normal school year. This is most commonly carried out during the summer break, but it can also occur during any extended break from the regular school schedule.

The primary purpose of ESY is not to provide childcare, summer school, or enrichment. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), ESY is a required component of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) when necessary. It is specifically designed to:

Prevent Regression: Stop a student from losing critical skills or knowledge gained during the regular school year.
Ensure Maintenance: Help a student maintain mastery of their current IEP goals.
Support Progress: Ensure a student can make progress on specific goals and objectives without significant loss of skills during extended breaks in instruction.

Debunking the Myths: Who Is Eligible?

The law requires that the need for ESY be determined at least once annually for ALL students with an IEP, ages 3 through 21, based on the child’s individual circumstances. It is crucial to know that ESY eligibility is legally NOT determined by a child’s disability category, the severity of their disability, or policies that have been developed by a school district that predetermine a program that has been uniquely designed to meet each student's unique needs.

Who Should Receive ESY Services?

The decision about whether a student needs ESY services is made by the entire IEP team which includes parents, who are equal members! This decision must be based on data and the central question: Does the student need ESY services in order to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education?

While state standards may vary, the core factors that the IEP team must examine include:

1. Regression/Recoupment

This is the most common criterion. The team must ask:

Regression: Will the student likely suffer a significant loss of critical skills during the break?
Recoupment: Will the student encounter challenges in regaining (recouping) those lost skills when they return to school?

If the data shows that the student will take an unreasonable amount of time to regain skills lost over the break, ESY services are likely warranted to ensure that they continue making adequate progress.

2. Breakthrough Opportunities/Critical Skills

This factor focuses on maintaining momentum and is an extremely powerful advocacy tool. The team must consider:

Emerging Mastery: Is the student on the cusp of a breakthrough learning opportunity at the start of a school break?
Critical Skills: Is the student working on foundational, critical skills (like self-help, communication, or a new behavioral strategy) that, if interrupted, would significantly jeopardize their ability to progress toward their goals?

If continued services are necessary to firmly master an emerging critical skill, ESY may be required for the student to continue receiving FAPE.

3. Other Individualized Factors

The team can also consider a student's rate of progress, their ability to generalize skills, and the severity of their disability—but only as part of the overall, data-driven determination that is individualized to each student.

ESY in Action: Individualized Service Delivery

If your child qualifies, the IEP team will meet to determine the unique needs of the ESY program. It is important to note that the ESY program will focus only on the goals that are most crucial to help the student maintain certain skills or attain a critical new skill. It may not address every goal in the annual IEP. Services should be delivered in the student’s least restrictive environment and can be delivered one-on-one (1:1), in small groups, or even in a community setting. The frequency, duration, and setting for ESY must be determined individually. While often in the summer, it can also be provided as added instruction during winter or spring breaks, or even as additions to the regular school day if that is the right fit. Schools must provide transportation to and from ESY services when determined necessary as part of the IEP.

Advocacy Tips for Parents

Demand Data-Driven Discussion: Insist that the team consider all factors (Regression, Recoupment, Breakthrough/Critical Skills, and Other Individualized Factors) based on documented progress data, not opinions.
Focus on FAPE: Reiterate that ESY is not a special add-on, but a legally required support if its absence would prevent your child from making progress.
Propose a Program: Be ready to discuss the specific services (e.g., 1:1 specialized instruction, speech therapy) and the precise frequency/duration that you believe is necessary.