How to Read an IEP: Maryland
Understanding Extended School Year & Transition Services and Planning
Maryland 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!
This IEP comes from the Maryland state department of education. See the full IEP here.
TRANSITION: To be completed annually beginning at age 14, or younger if determined appropriate.
STUDENT PREFERENCES AND INTERESTS:
The postsecondary goal(s) are to be based on the student’s interests, preferences and age appropriate transition assessment(s).
Date of Annual Student Interview: ____ (MM-DD-YYYY)
Discussion of student’s interests, preferences and age appropriate transition assessment(s):
POSTSECONDARY GOALS (Outcomes):
Postsecondary goal(s) are to be recorded here. At least one goal must be indicated for training and/or education.
Employment (required): ______________________________________
Training: ______________________________________
Education: ______________________________________
Independent Living (if appropriate): ______________________________________
COURSE OF STUDY:
The student is enrolled in courses that will prepare him/her for a career or postsecondary education in the career cluster selected below.
☐ Arts, Media & Communication
☐ Business Management & Finance
☐ Construction & Development
☐ Education, Training & Child Services
☐ Health, Bioscience, & Medicine
☐ Information Technology
☐ Engineering, Scientific Research & Manufacturing Technology
☐ Environmental, Agricultural & Natural Resource Systems
☐ Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
☐ Law, Government, Public Safety & Administration
☐ Human, Consumer Services, Hospitality & Tourism
The student is enrolled in the following Functional and Skill Development Activities:
☐ Job Sampling & Employment training
☐ Supported Employment
☐ Activities of Daily Living
Discussion to support decision:
PROJECTED CATEGORY OF EXIT:
The student will exit with:
☐ Maryland High School Diploma
☐ with 2 credits of Foreign Language
☐ with 2 credits of Advanced Technology
☐ with 2 credits of Career and Technology Program
☐ Certificate of Program Completion at the end of the school year the student turns 21
☐ Certificate of Program Completion prior to the end of the school year the student turns 21 (Parent and student choice)
PROJECTED DATE OF EXIT:
The student is participating in a ______ year program and is projected to exit/graduate school ___________ (month, day, year)
At exit the student will receive a Maryland Summary of Performance (MSOP) that includes academic achievement, functional performance, accommodations, and progress on postsecondary goals.
Have the student and parents been informed that rights under IDEA do not transfer to students with disabilities on reaching age of majority, except under limited circumstances, as described in Education Article §8-412.1, Annotated Code of Maryland?
☐ Yes ☐ No ☐ N/A
TRANSITION ACTIVITIES
TRANSITION SERVICES/ACTIVITIES:
Transition services are a coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability that is designed within a results oriented process that will facilitate the student’s progression from school to postsecondary activities.
ACADEMIC:
Responsible Party: ___________________
Progress Report 1 Date: ______
Progress: ☐ Completed ☐ Partially Completed ☐ Not Yet Initiated
☐ Not Completed (Reason: ☐ Family Choice ☐ Student Choice ☐ Student’s Schedule ☐ Other: ________________)
Description of Progress: _______________________________________Progress Report 2 Date: ______
(same fields as above)Progress Report 3 Date: ______
(same fields as above)Progress Report 4 Date: ______
(same fields as above)
EMPLOYMENT TRAINING:
Responsible Party: ___________________
Progress Report 1 Date: ______
Progress: ☐ Completed ☐ Partially Completed ☐ Not Yet Initiated
☐ Not Completed (Reason: ☐ Family Choice ☐ Student Choice ☐ Student’s Schedule ☐ Other: ________________)
Training involved: ☐ Career Exploration ☐ Unpaid Work Experience ☐ Paid Work Experience
Description of Progress: _______________________________________Progress Report 2 Date: ______
(same fields as above)Progress Report 3 Date: ______
(same fields as above)Progress Report 4 Date: ______
(same fields as above)
TRANSITION AGENCY LINKAGE
AGENCY LINKAGE:
Annual data student and parent were anticipated a copy of the Maryland Transition Planning Guide for Individuals with Disabilities (MM-DD-YYYY)
Adult Service Agency
| Agency | Anticipated Services for Transition | Signed Consent for Communication | Signed Consent for Referral (student referred by the LSS to) | Signed Consent to invite Agency Representative(s) to IEP Team meeting | Agency Representative(s) Invited to IEP Team meeting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division of Rehabilitation Services (DORS) | ☐ Yes: Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) ☐ No | ☐ Yes: Date ______ ☐ No: (select reason) | ☐ Yes: Consent Date ______ ☐ No: (select reason) | ☐ Yes: Date ______ ☐ No: (select reason) | ☐ Yes: Date ______ ☐ No ☐ N/A |
| Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) | ☐ Yes ☐ No | ☐ Yes: Date ______ ☐ No: (select reason) | Agency does not have a referral process | Agency does not have a referral process | Agency does not have a referral process |
| Behavioral Health Administration (BHA) | ☐ Yes ☐ No | ☐ Yes: Date ______ ☐ No: (select reason) | Agency does not have a referral process | Agency does not have a referral process | Agency does not have a referral process |
| Division of Workforce Development & Adult Learning Maryland Department of Labor (MDL) | ☐ Yes ☐ No | ☐ Yes: Date ______ ☐ No: (select reason) | Agency does not have a referral process | Agency does not have a referral process | Agency does not have a referral process |
Reasons for Decisions:
Yes: Student meets the initial eligibility criteria for the agency published in the Maryland Transition Planning Guide for Individuals with Disabilities
No: Student does not meet the initial eligibility criteria for the agency published in the Maryland Transition Planning Guide for Individuals with Disabilities
Services are not anticipated for this student for all remaining columns for the agency
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.
Maryland 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.
This IEP comes from the Maryland state department of education. See the full IEP here.
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EXTENDED SCHOOL YEAR (ESY)
The IEP Team should determine if any of the factors below will significantly jeopardize the student’s ability to receive some benefit from the student’s educational program during the regular school year, if the student does not receive ESY services. ESY services are the individualized extension of specific special education and related services that are provided beyond the normal school year of the public agency, in accordance with the IEP, at no cost to the parents.
☐ ESY Decision Deferred
When considering ESY, answer YES or NO and document the decision:
1. Does the student’s IEP include annual goals related to critical life skills?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
1a. Is there a likely chance of substantial regression of critical life skills caused by the normal school break and a failure to recover those lost skills in a reasonable time?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
1b. Is the student demonstrating a degree of progress toward mastery of IEP goals related to critical life skills?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
2. Is there a presence of emerging skills or breakthrough opportunities?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
3. Are there significant interfering behaviors?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
4. Does the nature and severity of the disability warrant ESY?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
5. Are there other special circumstances that require ESY?
○ YES ○ NO
Discussion to support decision: _____________________________________________
After considering all of the above questions, will the benefits that the student receives from his/her educational program during the regular school year be significantly jeopardized if the student is not provided ESY?
○ YES, student is eligible for ESY service.
○ NO, student is not eligible for ESY service.
Document basis for decision(s): _____________________________________________
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!
