How to Read an IEP: Vermont
Understanding Extended School Year & Transition Services and Planning
Vermont IEP Guide: Transition Services and Plan
Vermont 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 Vermont agency of education. See the full IEP here.
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!
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 Vermont agency of education. See the full IEP here.
Post-Secondary Transition Plan
Student Name: _____________________
IEP Meeting Date: ___ / ___ / ___
Current Grade Level: _______________
Expected Date of Graduation: ___ / ___ / ___
Student Invitation
Evidence student was invited to the IEP meeting and date of invitation: ______________________________________
Outside Agencies
Outside agencies such as Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) can continue to support the student after they graduate with regard to employment or post-secondary education; however, they must be enrolled with VR.
If not already enrolled in VR services by grade 12, the student should enroll in order to receive continuing supports related to achieving post-secondary education. It is critical that these key connections are made prior to graduation by inviting the proper outside agencies to the IEP meeting that addresses the Transition Plan. Examples of agencies who the IEP team could invite to the meeting include VT Developmental Disabilities Services, Department for Children and Families, Department of Labor, VT Student Assistance Corp.
Identify evidence that outside agencies were invited (with parental consent) and date of invitation: ______________________________________
Describe the coordinated interagency linkages and responsibilities including pre-employment transition services (services provided or paid for from another agency): ______________________________________
Assessment Summary for Transition Planning
Transition Assessments refer to an ongoing process of collecting data on the individual’s strengths, needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living, and personal and social environments. Assessment data serve as the common thread in the transition process and form the basis for defining goals and services to be included in the Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Examples of transition assessments: see the VT AOE website under Secondary Transition
| Date | Transition Assessment Tool | Summary of Results |
|---|---|---|
Strengths of the student as indicated by formal or informal transition assessments: __________
Needs of the student as indicated by formal or informal transition assessments: __________
Preferences of the student as indicated by formal or informal transition assessments: __________
Interests of the student as indicated by formal or informal transition assessments: __________
Postsecondary and Annual Goal Definitions
Measurable postsecondary goals: A postsecondary goal is a statement of the desired outcome for the student after leaving high school.
Measurable annual transition goals: Goals that address the skills that the student will be focusing on during the life of the annual IEP necessary for the student to reach his/her postsecondary goals. Annual goals must be measurable. Taking or passing a course should be listed as a transition service, not as a goal.
Postsecondary Goals
A. Education and Training (REQUIRED):
Within one year of graduation, _______ (student name) will __________ (goal)
B. Employment (REQUIRED):
Within one year of graduation, _______ (student name) will __________ (goal)
C. Independent Living (When appropriate):
Within one year of graduation, _______ (student name) will __________ (goal)
Annual Goal(s) for Education and Training (Required):
Progress Review Date: _______ Progress Review Date: _______ Progress Review Date: _______
Annual Goal(s) Independent Living (if there is a Post-Secondary goal):
Progress Review Date: _______ Progress Review Date: _______ Progress Review Date: _______
Are postsecondary goals updated annually? ☐ Yes ☐ No
Transition Services
It is recommended that a cumulative record of transition services be maintained.
Describe the transition services for each domain below. Transition services enable and promote the student’s progress toward meeting annual and post-secondary goals. List the transition services the school is providing during the current IEP to help the student meet their post-secondary goals. Common examples include: job coaching, career exploration visits, transportation training. See the VT Indicator 13 Technical Assistance Sheet for more examples.
Transition services for education and training (required):
Position(s) responsible: ______________________________________
Start date: ___ / ___ / ___ End date: ___ / ___ / ___
Transition services for employment (required):
Position(s) responsible: ______________________________________
Start date: ___ / ___ / ___ End date: ___ / ___ / ___
Transition services for independent living (as appropriate):
Course of Study:
A description or narrative of coursework necessary to achieve the student’s desired post-secondary goals, from the student’s current to anticipated exit year. If the student ever moves this helps the new school implement appropriate courses.
| School year | Grade level | Courses to be taken |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 9 | ||
| Grade 10 | ||
| Grade 11 | ||
| Grade 12 |
Note: At least one course must be included to help reach post-secondary goals
If the student will be reaching age 17 during the duration of this IEP, they and their parents must have been notified, in writing, that parental rights will transfer to the student upon reaching the age of 18.
Has this notification, in writing, been provided?
☐ Yes
☐ No
If not completed in writing, please specify how they were notified: ______________________________________
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.
