I struggle with the weekly task of qualifying a student for ESY (Extended School Year) on a weekly basis. Will ESY benefit the student or do they not require ESY? Some cases personally I do not think ESY benefits the students at all. It is usually twice a week and the students do not get much out of it. I personally think that the students benefit more from summer school, because it reteaches the student some concepts they did not master during the school year. Now I do have very low students who I recommend for ESY, but that is mainly because I do not think they will get the support at home and they did not fail a class therefore would not qualify for summer school.
Who else has experienced positives and negatives in regards to ESY?
We just had our ARD meeting where we wanted to have our son in ESY, that is until we were told just how wonky it was. Honestly how does that on and off schedule help a child especially a child on the spectrum. That schedule does way more harm than good in my opinion. So now I am faced with the next few months of total unknown on what to do with my soon to be 4 year old who is on the spectrum who thrives on structure, consistency and of course routine. I have debated leaving my job as a preschool teacher where I work 8 hours a day and staying home with him to continue to work one on one with our current IEP goals to make sure there is no loss of skills and plan a few social gatherings where he can interact with typical peers however with our financial uncertainty still in the balance from my husband's military retirement and awaiting VA benefits to kick in that might not be an option. I am just scared of putting my child in day care for 8 hours a day 5 days a week in a class of 24 kids and 2 teachers and praying for the best on that out come. I am really trying to help myself and other families find a much better way.
ReplyDeleteJamie there are many other options out there for your child. Students with disabilities strive in structure and the more you can give your child structure the better off he or she will be.
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