How to Read an IEP: Colorado
Understanding Extended School Year & Transition Services and Planning
Colorado IEP Guide: Transition Services and Plan
What are transition services and plans?
This is the part of the IEP where the team discusses the student’s plan for transitioning from high school into higher education or employment. Generally, this section is either blank or missing entirely from IEPs for younger students but, beginning at age 16, it is a required part of students’ IEPs and will appear in all high school students’ IEPs. In this section, the team has to list what the student’s goals are for after high school, how they will get there, and any transition specific services they need. It also often includes the courses a student will take throughout high school, with a list of the courses they expect to take each year and how many credits they need for graduation.
Where in the IEP are transition services and plans found?
Varies widely! You might not even see it in younger students’ IEPs. It is always labeled transition but can be literally anywhere in an IEP.
How does transition planning vary across states and districts?
So much! The placement can vary and how the questions are phrased– and whether it appears on younger students’ IEPs at all. All districts will have both evidence of transition assessments and goals for older students, but the phrasing of them can vary a lot!
What does the IDEA law say about transition planning?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act says the IEPs need to include goals for life after high school and supports to help students get there for students who turn 15 or older during the course of their IEP.
What IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.320(b)
(b) Transition services. Beginning not later than the first IEP to be in effect when the child turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team, and updated annually, thereafter, the IEP must include—
(1) Appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills; and
(2) The transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.
This IEP comes from the Colorado department of education. See the full IEP here.
POSTSECONDARY TRANSITION PLAN
This section to be completed for each IEP, starting when the student is 15 (or earlier if appropriate), but not later than the end of 9th grade, and updated annually. ECEA 4.03(6)(d)
Projected date of graduation/program completion: __________________________________
Projected type of completion document __________________________________
Measurable Post-School Goals (from Section 6: Measurable Post-School Goals): ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(ii)
This section to be completed for each IEP, starting when the student is 15 (or earlier if appropriate), but not later than the end of 9th grade, and updated annually. ECEA 4.03(6)(d)
Measurable post-school goals must be based on current age-appropriate transition assessments.
Education/Training Goal:
Employment Goal:
Independent Living Skills Goal (when appropriate):
Planned Course of Study: ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(iii)
The class schedule must be multi-year (through exit), specific and individualized, and directly linked to the postsecondary goals. The planned course of study must address all post-school areas that are identified for the student.
Transition Services and Activities ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(iii)
Describe the activities provided by the adults in the school and in the community that will enable and promote the student’s progress toward meeting annual and postsecondary goals.
Include special education, general education, related services, services from other agencies, and services provided by families, as appropriate for student’s needs. Transition services must be specific and individualized and must state what the adults will provide.
Education/Instruction and Related Services: ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(iii); ECEA 2.51(1)(b)
Career/Employment and other Post-School Adult Living Objectives: ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(ii); ECEA 2.51(1)(b)
Community Experiences: ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(ii); ECEA 2.51(1)(b)
If appropriate, Daily Living Skills and/or Functional Vocational Evaluation ECEA 4.03(6)(d)(ii); ECEA 2.51(1)(b)
Agency Linkages
What agency linkages, if any, have been made? Written parental consent must be obtained prior to inviting any agency or organization that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services.
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A IDEA 300.320(c) Transfer of rights at age of majority.
If the student will turn 20 during the course of this IEP period, student and parent(s) have been informed of the transfer of rights at the age of majority (21).
NOTE: Graduation with a regular diploma will permanently end entitlement to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and the Colorado’s Rules for the Administration of the Exceptional Children’s Educational Act. Therefore, after graduation this student will no longer be entitled to receive special education and related services from a school district or other local education agency. At the end of the regular school-year semester in which the student turns 21, s/he would no longer be eligible for special education services.
What do I look for in the IEP to know if it is good?
These are pretty all over the place! Generally, you want to see that there was an age appropriate transition assessment where the student was asked about what they want to do after high school. You should also see measurable transition goals. These are often something like the ones in the Arizona sample IEP; “1. Kyra will meet with Vocational Rehabilitation Services before she graduates to develop a career and independent living plan. 2. Kyra will apply to rent an apartment so that she may live independently. 3. Kyra will enroll in Mohave Community College to get her basic requirements for an AA degree.” You should see that there is both a current assessment and meaningful goals related to that assessment.
Teachers, the only thing to look for here is the student’s goal. It gives you a sense of what the student is planning after high school– which can tell you what the student is into and whether college is in the picture or not.
When and how should I get help?
It depends on who you are. If you are a parent, you have the right to show the IEP to anyone you want to get their thoughts on it– and the right to bring someone who has “knowledge or special expertise regarding the child” to the IEP meeting. To learn more about parents’ rights in IEP, visit our page on the rights hidden inside district procedural safeguards.
If you are a teacher at the school and are worried about the quality of the IEP goals, feel out the case manager. If you hit resistance, try meeting with a service provider at the school an administrator, or a special education teacher that you are more comfortable with– but try the case manager first to get a sense of what is going on.
Here is what IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.321(a)(6) about bringing people to meetings:
‘‘(vi) at the discretion of the parent or the agency,
other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate; and
other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate; and
What are the disclaimers?
This website is not a lawyer or an educational advocate. Nothing on this site is, nor is intended to be, legal advice. The information here is for informational purposes only.
If you are worried about your student or child’s IEP, please reach out to a real, live human.
Many law schools have free educational law clinics for special education. Many larger districts employ ombudsmen to bridge the gap between parents and schools. Many regions and states have parent centers that can help parents connect to other parents and find resources in their community. All of those are free, as is talking through the paperwork with a friend. Educational advocates are often paid professionals with special expertise who can also help. While we are happy to address general questions about the IDEA law or IEP process, please note that any communication via email is for informational purposes only and cannot be treated as legal advice. You can email questions to rose@spedhelper.org.
Colorado IEP Guide: Extended School Year
What is extended school year (ESY)?
ESY is summer school for students with disabilities. Typically, programs will run on a half day schedule for one month over the summer– something like nine to noon, Monday to Thursday.
Qualifying for ESY is a team decision but the criteria should be whether the student will regress over summer without IEP services.
In general, the only students who qualify for this are students with more significant needs for whom a break without school can cause significant regression. This might be a child with Autism who without the routine of school over the summer will have a lot of challenges managing in the fall or a child with really, really significant learning challenges who will regress over the summer. Only a small fraction of students typically get ESY– although any parent can request it and see what happens.
ESY is taught by whoever the district can find and generally consists of activities like making ants on a log and recess with a lot of supported communication from a speech pathologist. So don’t expect it to be like a hard hitting summer school– it’s a routine of going to school made as fun as the staff can pull off.
Where in the IEP is ESY?
Sometimes there is an ESY box on the special factors page. If not, it can literally be anywhere in the IEP. To be annoying, most districts don’t spell out ESY and the page never states that it is extended school year. If you think your child needs it, hunt for it. If not, ignore it.
How does ESY vary across districts and states?
Extended school year is part of IDEA. That means that every single district in the United States is required to offer it. Some try to hide it and will never mention it and some will offer it readily– and some have programs so bad it is a waste of your child’s time. But all of them are legally required to have an ESY program. However, there is no rule about what ESY needs to look like, how many days per week it needs to meet, or how many hours per day. ESY has to exist under the law– but everything else from who goes to how long it is to what happens during it (other than the delivery of basic IEP services) can vary widely across districts and states.
What does the IDEA law say about ESY?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act says that students with disabilities should be able to receive services beyond the school year if the student needs it as part of their free and appropriate education– and districts can’t put limits on who gets ESY by things like disability category.
What IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.106:
300.106 Extended school year services.
(a) General.
(1) Each public agency must ensure that extended school year services are available as necessary to provide FAPE, consistent with paragraph (a)(2) of this section.
(2) Extended school year services must be provided only if a child’s IEP Team determines, on an individual basis, in accordance with §§300.320 through 300.324, that the services are necessary for the provision of FAPE to the child.
(3) In implementing the requirements of this section, a public agency may not—
(i) Limit extended school year services to particular categories of disability; or
(ii) Unilaterally limit the type, amount, or duration of those services.
(b) Definition. As used in this section, the term extended school year services means special education and related services that—
(1) Are provided to a child with a disability—
(i) Beyond the normal school year of the public agency;
(ii) In accordance with the child’s IEP; and
(iii) At no cost to the parents of the child; and
(2) Meet the standards of the SEA.
This IEP comes from the Colorado department of education. See the full IEP here.
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EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR DETERMINATION IDEA 300.106
NOTE: Complete the ESY Data Documentation, using the information and guidelines in the Extended School Year Guidance Manual, and maintain in the student’s special education record.
Criteria/Inquiry:
Did the student experience severe regression on his/her IEP goals and objectives?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ No Information
Did the student require an unreasonably long period of time to relearn previously learned skills?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ No Information
Do predictive factors indicate the need for ESY services?
☐ Yes ☐ No
Decision: Is the student eligible for Extended School Year Services?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ To be determined by: _____________
If yes, attach documentation for each question and record services on service summary in Section 13.
Identify which goals will be worked on during the Extended School Year Below:
What do I look for in the IEP to know if it is good?
If the child qualifies for extended school year, there needs to be a box checked on the IEP and information entered about what goals will be worked on. If you want your child to get something out of ESY, prepare to be organized. ESY teachers are almost never the regular school year case managers and ESY programs are infamously disorganized. You will want a copy of your child’s IEP and, if possible, a binder of stuff for them to work on that you can hand deliver to the ESY teacher. For real. Sometimes it takes all of ESY for the teacher to get access to the IEP. I subbed a month once and never got IEPs. I used to hand deliver all of my students’ IEPs to their ESY teachers along with every piece of work I wanted them to do over the summer– and they prayed they would do at least a fraction of it.
Note that it is up to the team if a student will qualify. The criteria is supposed to be whether a student will regress but a lot of students who regress academically over the summer will not be offered ESY– districts tend to focus on students with significant communication or social needs. If you want your student to have ESY, push for it! But you also need to know that you aren’t getting credit recovery summer school or services with your child’s case manager– you are most likely getting something much more laid back!
When and how should I get help?
It depends on who you are. If you are a parent, you have the right to show the IEP to anyone you want to get their thoughts on it– and the right to bring someone who has “knowledge or special expertise regarding the child” to the IEP meeting. To learn more about parents’ rights in IEP, visit our page on the rights hidden inside district procedural safeguards.
If you are a teacher at the school and are worried about the quality of the IEP goals, feel out the case manager. If you hit resistance, try meeting with a service provider at the school an administrator, or a special education teacher that you are more comfortable with– but try the case manager first to get a sense of what is going on.
Here is what IDEA says in 34 C.F.R. § 300.321(a)(6) about bringing people to meetings:
‘‘(vi) at the discretion of the parent or the agency,
other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate; and
other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate; and
What are the disclaimers?
This website is not a lawyer or an educational advocate. Nothing on this site is, nor is intended to be, legal advice. The information here is for informational purposes only.
If you are worried about your student or child’s IEP, please reach out to a real, live human.
Many law schools have free educational law clinics for special education. Many larger districts employ ombudsmen to bridge the gap between parents and schools. Many regions and states have parent centers that can help parents connect to other parents and find resources in their community. All of those are free, as is talking through the paperwork with a friend. Educational advocates are often paid professionals with special expertise who can also help. While we are happy to address general questions about the IDEA law or IEP process, please note that any communication via email is for informational purposes only and cannot be treated as legal advice. You can email questions to rose@spedhelper.org.
