ESY during summer break

ESY during summer break...

Does everyone know what ESY is? It's 'like' summer school for special ed. The IEP goals a student works on during the school year are carried over into the ESY program. It is only for a few short weeks and this year in Broward it is possible it will only be for 4 days instead of 5 days per week.

The PRIOITY GOALS that will continue to be worked on from the IEP are the things to be discussed at the ESY IEP meeting...this determines what supports and therapy services will be provided. Be sure to keep the speech and writing goals if you want to make sure your Child continues to receive ST & OT services. READING and WRITING are skills things that always need to be worked on...but your Child may need the Social Skills to continue to be worked on during ESY. It is individual and what is most important to you 'the parent'.

Some students get just 2 weeks or 3 weeks or the full 4-8 weeks of ESY, however long ESY actually goes on for. The amount of weeks and times a student attends ESY depends on what the IEP team decides would be best for a particular student. The amount of 'therapies' the student receives during the regular school year are provided during ESY but many times at a much reduced time...the therapy times can not be MORE THAN what is provided during the school year...and many times is way LESS THAN. If everyone would look up the policies in place in the your State and your District, I believe it specifies that the therapy times do not have to be drastically reduced but can not be MORE THAN. This seems to always be the bone of contention at the ESY IEP meetings...how much therapy will our Child actually receive during ESY.

If you want to know more about ESY and what it all about and what it is suppose to 'look like'....be sure to read your State Special Ed Rules and your local school district policies and guidelines for this program. Reading Federal, State and Local Special Ed Rules is a good practice all of us should be doing anyway!

My daughter has attended the ESY Program here in Broward for the past 4 years. I have even gone a couple of times to OBSERVE the class she was in so that I was confident that it was the right thing to provide to her. I have always been delighted and impressed with what I observed. Taking the time to get to know the ESY Program is a good thing if you want to have your Child attend. Don't say yes or no to something if you truely don't know anything about it.

ESY is a good thing for our students that need that extra so they don't forget or loose skills that were gained from the school year.

How many of you have your ESY IEP coming up? Read all you can get your hands on knowing as much as you can about this 'support' that is available to our Children.

ESY is a good thing!