[1][2] The services are designed to support a student with a disability as documented under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to maintain the academic, social/behavioral, communication, or other skills that they have learned as part of their IEP or Section 504 accommodation plan.
[4] In order for a student to receive ESY services, the student must have evidenced substantial regression and recoupment issues during the previous IEP year and/or there is evidence of emerging skills which are often referred to as "breakthrough" skills.
The focus of the services provided to the student as part of an ESY program are generally not upon learning new skills or "catching up" to grade level, but rather to provide practice to maintain previously acquired or learned skills.
By tracking how long it takes to recover a skill, parents can provide data for a discussion about whether additional services are necessary.
[1] Another study found that students with IEPs and those receiving summer ESY services had significantly higher academic achievement.