ES-Why?

I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built up on the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think.

- Anne Sullivan

Helena starts summer school tomorrow. Or, should I say, Helena starts her extended school year (ESY) tomorrow.

ESY is one of those three letter acronyms that is really a four letter word. Kind of like IEP.

The Individuals with Disabilities and Education Act, better known as IDEA, mentions that ESY services must be made available in order to ensure a free and appropriate public education (Section 300.106).

How states choose to implement ESY? Well, that's a whole other question. Because while IDEA, in defining ESY, states that ESY services extend beyond the normal school year, be free for the parents, and delivered in accordance with the child's IEP, it also states that it must be administered in accordance with the standards of the individual state education agencies. And those standards could vary greatly.

Most states use the regression-recoup methodology. Simply put, ESY is based on whether the child will regress in their skills during periods beyond the normal school year, and would take more time than normal to recoup those skills after returning to the normal school year. There are other factors that many states consider (and in fact there are many Federal Court decisions which lean toward the consideration of many other factors), but some school districts still lean heavily on the regression-recoup criteria.

When we first moved to Montana, we were involved in a dispute with the school district over ESY for Helena. At first they didn't want to offer it, citing the regression-recoup criteria. But then they relented - maybe it had something to do with the lawsuit they were fighting with another parent. And admittedly, what they offer us even this year seems like the bare minimum to at least say they offer something - about 12 hours total contact time the entire summer (4 hours on social skills and SLP skills, and 8 hours on reading comprehension). Still, it's better than nothing - though just barely.

Fortunately, we have a little girl who likes to take her own initiative.

In addition to her 12 hours of ESY Helena will, by her choice, be doing the 5th grade Math Camp at the University of Montana, spending a week by herself with her grandparents (she just got back from that), and learning how to ride her bike - she took a fall when she was 5 and has been tentative ever since, but when I let Olivia ride her bike that set her off and now she's determined to learn how to ride!

In retrospect, maybe 12 hours of ESY is just enough for her. I wouldn't want school to interfere with her busy summer schedule.