ESE Advisory Council

The ESE Advisory Council explores ways to improve services for students with various disabilities as well as gifted learners.

This group includes district staff, representatives from various support agencies, and the families of children who participate in Exceptional Student Education programs. Meetings are open to the public, and all are welcome to attend. For more information or to get involved in the ESE Advisory Council, call (863) 535-6485 or contact [email protected].

ESE Advisory Council Minutes

ESE Advisory Summer Activities 2021

Upcoming Events

No events available.

Extended School Year (ESY)

ESY is individualized to the unique needs of each student.

  • Not all students will require ESY – The IEP team considers the individual student’s needs
  • ESY is dependent on the student’s needs and goals as defined in the IEP the types of services, the number of weeks, days per week, and hours per day are based on each student’s unique needs.
  • The school district may not force the student into a fixed-length or one size fits all program
  • All services are dependent on the child’s unique needs

Extended School Year Services (ESY)Services must be provided if need is demonstrated in

  • Academic skills (or, for pre-K students, developmentally appropriate pre-academic skills)
  • Communication
  • Independent functioning and self-sufficiency
  • Social/emotional or behavioral skills, as they relate to critical life functions.
  • If an IEP team determines that a student needs an extended school year (or any other special education or related services), an administrator cannot override the team’s decision.
  • The amount and type of services must be appropriate to meet IEP goals.

When during the year should ESY be considered?

  • The IEP committee decision to provide ESY services may be made at any point during the year
  • ESY must be considered at least at one IEP meeting every year
  • If a child’s IEP has already taken place, parents may request another meeting to consider ESY.
  • A determination of ESY needs must be made early enough to allow parents to appeal a denial of ESY services before the break in services occurs.

Documentation of ESY

  • A new or different IEP does not have to be developed for ESY
  • Goals for ESY services should be specific to the needs of the student during the period in which services are provided
  • Typically, goals, including benchmarks and short-term objectives will be an extension of those on the current plan.
  • New goals may be necessary in some instances.

What ESY criteria is inappropriate?

ESY is NOT

  • Child care
  • Respite care
  • Intended to maximize educational opportunity or potential growth
  • Based on the specific area of disability, level of service, or type of classroom placement
  • One size fits all
  • The desire or need for other programs or services that while they may provide educational benefit, are not required to ensure the provision of a free appropriate public education.
  • A longer school day.

Factors

  1. Regression – whether the student reverts to a lower level of functioning as evidenced by a measurable decrease in skills or behaviors which occurs as a result of interruption in educational programming.
  2. Recoupment – whether the student has the capacity to recover the skills or behavior patterns in which regression occurred to a level demonstrated prior to the interruption of educational programming.
  3. Whether the student’s difficulties with regression and recoupment make it unlikely that the student will maintain the skills and behaviors relevant to IEP goals and objectives.
  4. The extent to which the student has mastered and consolidated an important skill or behavior at the point when educational programming would be interrupted (emergent skill).
  5. The extent to which a skill or behavior is particularly crucial for the student to meet the IEP goals of self sufficiency and independence.
  6. The extent to which successive interruptions in educational programming result in a student’s withdrawal from the learning process.
  7. Whether the nature of the student’s disability is severe, such as autism/PDD, developmental disorder, Intellectual Delay, severe multiple disabilities.

Decision Making Process

Reliable Sources of Information

  • Progress on goals in consecutive IEPs
  • Progress reports maintained by educators, therapists, and others having direct contact with the student before and after interruptions
  • Reports by parents of negative changes in adaptive behaviors or in other skill areas
  • Medical or other agency reports indicating degenerative-type difficulties, which become exacerbated during breaks in educational services
  • Results of tests

Information on the IEP

  • Description of the type and amount of ESY services (reference IEP goal)
  • Projected beginning dates and anticipated duration of service (i.e. June 5 – 30, 4 weeks)
  • Frequency ( e.g.: 1 time a week for goal of speech and language)
  • Location (Elementary school)

New Prior Written Notice must be issued if

  • Proposing to add ESY services to an IEP that previously did not have it
  • Deleting the provision of ESY services from an IEP that previously did have it
  • Refusing to initiate the provision of ESY services requested by the parent
  •  

ESY Service Delivery Models

  • The IEP team must determine the appropriate service delivery model based on the needs of the individual student.
  • LEAs ( the schools) are not required to create new programs merely to provide ESY services in integrated settings if they do not provide services at that time for non-disabled children.

Parent Strategy Making the Case for ESY Consideration

  • Prepare for the Annual IEP
  • Talk to your child’s teachers, therapists, aides and outside experts
  • Review a copy of the annual IEP
  • Review progress monitoring reports to see whether or not child is progressing
  • Write a summary of your concerns and your child’s needs and goals
  • Include any independent evaluations or reports
  • Make informed decisions toward goal progress for ESY

Polk County Public Schools ESY Services

  • The District strives to provide individualized ESY services to all ESY-eligible students, including services outside of the District’s typical ESY schedule where necessary to ensure FAPE. If necessary ESY services cannot be provided within the District’s typical schedule, individual arrangements will be made to provide the additional or different services to the student.
  • To advance this goal, an alternative or additional IEP team meeting may be scheduled to discuss ESY to allow greater focus on ESY services and to facilitate the arrangement of those services which are outside of the typical schedule.
  • It is important to remember that the District’s typical ESY schedule does not limit the ESY services that may be provided. The starting point is always the individual needs of a student, and the District is committed to arranging other or different ESY services where a student needs services outside the typical ESY schedule for FAPE.

How do I request an ESY determination?

Reach out to your child’s school and request an IEP meeting.