TIPS FOR A SMOOTH ESY SESSION (EVEN IF YOU HAD NO TIME TO PLAN)

It seems like the school year just ended, and Extended School Year (ESY) is already sneaking up on us. It’s okay to feel behind. The truth is, there’s not always a lot of time to prepare for ESY, and you’re likely still trying to wrap up the school year. Here are a few tips for a smoother ESY session with little time to plan.

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Focus on Relationships First

There’s a good chance that you’ll have some new students during extended school year. Just like the beginning of the year, it’s important to start by building relationships with students and their families. You can start this before ESY even starts by introducing yourself to families and visiting the student in their current school, so they can meet you.

Keep the Schedule Visual and Predictable

With less time to teach routines and procedures, and less time to build rapport, it’s especially important to have a structured day that's clearly explained to students. Even if a student doesn’t need a visual schedule in their current school, adding one for ESY can be helpful in setting up structure and routine, and teaching students what is expected. Even a super simple visual schedule can decrease anxiety and boost engagement.

Keep the structure and schedule as consistent as the school year. If students are used to 30-minute rotations, try to keep the timing the same during summer. Have extra First/Then charts and token boards on hand in case students need them. Having visuals available for staff lanyards can be helpful to de-escalate students and minimize verbal prompting.

Pick a Weekly Theme and Stick With It

If you have to work through the summer, you might as well make it fun! Pick a weekly theme and use it to guide your ESY activities. Select a book, craft, and a few center activities related to your theme to make planning easier and more cohesive.

For elementary or middle school students, you can use summer themes such as camping, the zoo, the ocean, dinosaurs, etc. For older students, you may try themes related to transition or functional skills, like hygiene, nutrition, community places, friendships, etc.

Repetition across the week supports comprehension and student communication. Tie in some core vocabulary words for your AAC users for an extra communication boost.

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Use One Core Activity Across the Week

You don't need to reinvent the wheel for ESY. You can select a book for the week and create a predictable routine each day. This not only saves time and effort, but it also allows for deeper engagement with the text. For example, take a book about the ocean. Start with a shared reading session. Next, dive into key vocabulary and create a word wall. Next, engage students with sequencing or retelling activities to boost comprehension. Wrap up the week with a fun craft to integrate art into the theme.

Tag Team With Paras (Even If They’re New)

For ESY, you're on limited time, especially for para training. Keep expectations clear and simple. Use visuals for prompting, keep data sheets consistent, and make sure para duties and roles are clearly laid out. Use a mini cheat sheet, especially for new students, with tips and tricks, qualifying IEP goals, and schedules. A para communication binder can be helpful to make sure everyone is on the same page, even when there's no time for regular meetings and training.

Let Data Collection Be Just Enough

ESY is not the time for perfection. Focus on meaningful data, not perfect data. Instead of trying to fit in all the things every day, pick 1-2 goals to target each day and collect data on those. Remember, the purpose of ESY is to maintain skills, so we have to have data to show that students maintained.

Keep your data sheets simple. Now is not a time for a whole new system! Simple tally sheets or digital data may help your paras track progress quickly.

You’re Already Doing Enough

Showing up and keeping it consistent is enough. ESY can be fun and way more relaxed than the school year, but structure and schedules are key. These are our students who need it the most. And remember, save what works during the school year to make ESY easier. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

How are you streamlining your ESY planning?