Extended School Year

Extended School Year (ESY) means special education and/or related services provided beyond the normal school year of the school for the purpose of providing Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) to a student with disabilities.

These services are distinct from enrichment programs, summer school programs, and compensatory services and are not just an extension of time or duplication of regular school year services.
 
Purpose
ESY services are provided to a student when the educational benefits gained during the regular school year are significantly jeopardized by a break in service.

ESY is necessary to enable a student to benefit from instruction received during the regular school year when the lack of ESY services would thwart the goal of maintaining the meaningful progress gained during the regular school year.
 
Determination
ESY services are a result of an individual determination of the IEP team and focus on critical skills and are not based upon a category of disability.

While the need for ESY services is the exception rather than the rule, it is the responsibility of the IEP team to consider the need for ESY for every student.

The team must make their determination 45 calendar days before the end of the school year. The team must also plan what data will assist them in the determination and document it on the IEP.