Summing it all up for summer 

Shannon Sankstone

As the summer sun shines, I find myself looking back to the rainy days of the Pacific Northwest, to a school year that left me drained and determined.

My own child just wrapped up a tough final year of middle school. And as someone who taught middle school for 15 years, I can confirm that knowing how the sausage is made doesn’t make it any easier to digest. 

But I digress. Also, I’m hungry. 

This column kicks off a three-part series designed for parents who are looking back, and looking ahead. As the school year ends, many of us shift from survival mode to strategy. What worked? What didn’t? What does my child need next year? 

Let’s start with the bridge between school years: Extended School Year (ESY). 

Stopping the summer slide 

ESY isn’t summer school. It isn’t enrichment, tutoring or learning new material. It’s a special education service that helps eligible students maintain skills outlined in their Individualized Educational Programs (IEPs), such as academic or behavioral goals, that they’re at risk of losing over long breaks. 

Eligibility 101 

In Washington, most IEPs are written in IEPOnline, an example is here. On page 14 of that template, there's a section where the team checks whether the child qualifies for ESY. But what goes into that decision? 

Here’s what the IEP team should be asking about your child, not “kids like yours.” 

1. Nature and severity of the disability: Two children with autism may have vastly different summer learning needs. One may retain skills with ease. The other may regress significantly without support.
2. Will your child lose critical skills over break? Look at past IEP goal data, especially from summer to fall. A pattern of regression supports eligibility.
3. How long does it take to relearn lost skills?  If your child struggles to “catch up” each fall, that’s recoupment, and another data point in favor of ESY.
4. Is your child working on an emerging skill? If a progress report lists a skill as “emerging,” and that goal has been in place for a while, that’s a strong case for ESY. If the goal is brand new, eligibility is less likely. 

Advocacy strategies: Turn that frown upside-down 

If your answers point to “yes,” your child should qualify for ESY. But if the district says no, don’t give up. Get strategic. 

• Document everything. Progress reports, old IEPs, email threads. If you have data, you have leverage. 

• Find the “emerging skill.” If a goal is marked “emerging,” email the school team (and CC the special education director). Request ESY in writing and attach the progress report as evidence. 

• Show regression and recoupment. Compare last spring’s reports to this fall’s. If your child lost ground, that’s documentation. 

• Consider the disability’s impact. If your child needs support with life skills like toileting, communication or self-care, ask for an IEP meeting to reconsider ESY based on severity and functional needs. 

Still a no-go? 

Here’s the part no one loves to hear: Most students with IEPs don’t qualify for ESY. That’s OK. I mean, do you really want your child in a highly structured program they don’t need?  

But some kids need something. Not full ESY. Not unbridled freedom, either. Something in between. 

Options to consider: 

• Summer school (especially for elementary students with academic challenges). 
   

• Online support programs to reinforce reading, writing, or math. 
   

• Community programs (library literacy events, YMCA, sensory-friendly camps). 
   

• Real-world skill building aligned with your vision statement. Ask your child what they’d like to learn this summer. Cooking over a fire pit? Fishing? Drawing anime characters? Go forth and hunt that opportunity! 

ESY decisions can feel murky, rushed, or just plain wrong. But with data, documentation and an understanding of the criteria, you can advocate for what your child needs, and get creative when systems fall short. 

Your homework 

Look through all those papers! If you have a well-organized IEP binder, then this will be a breeze. Check for progress, regression, recoupment, and, especially, that little checkbox on page 14. Take all that documentation and consider what your child needs: ESY? A community program? Unstructured, wild abandon?  

Next time

We’ll dig into another end-of-year document you’ve probably already tossed in a pile: progress reports, and what they actually tell you. 

This column is written by Shannon Sankstone, she is an Olympia-based special education advocate and the owner of Advocacy Unlocked. She may be reached at ShannonSankstone@theJOLTnews.com.