April Special Education Newsletter: Year-End Transitions and IEP Reviews

April is when year-end transition planning for students with disabilities becomes urgent. IEP annual reviews are wrapping up, summer service eligibility needs to be determined, and families are starting to think about what September will look like. Your April newsletter gives them the information they need to navigate all of it before the school year ends.

Explain year-end transition planning for your students

Students with disabilities often need more transition preparation than their peers when moving to a new grade or school. Tell families what you are doing to support that transition on the school side: sharing information with receiving teachers, arranging building visits, updating transition pages in IEPs. Then give families two or three specific things they can do at home. "For students moving to a new school in September, visiting the building before summer and identifying one familiar adult they can go to helps. We will also schedule a meeting with the receiving program teacher before the school year ends so your child has a familiar face waiting for them in September."

Communicate annual IEP review wrap-up information

By April, most spring annual reviews are complete or scheduled. A brief note for families acknowledging that the spring review window is nearly closed, with contact information for families who have not yet scheduled, is useful. "If your child's annual IEP review has not yet been scheduled and you believe it is due before the end of the school year, please contact me immediately. Annual reviews must be completed before the anniversary date."

Introduce extended school year services

Many families do not know that students with IEPs may qualify for extended school year (ESY) services in the summer if they are at significant risk of regression. April is the right time to explain what ESY is, how eligibility is determined, and what families need to do to request a determination. "Extended school year services provide continued instruction over summer for students whose IEP team determines that a break would result in significant regression. If you believe your child may qualify, contact me by April 28 to begin the determination process."

Give families summer skill-maintenance activities

A two-and-a-half month school break can cause regression for students with disabilities who depend on structured skill practice. A brief section with two or three low-effort, embedded maintenance activities helps families who want to support their child without running a summer school at home. For a student working on reading comprehension: "Ask your child to tell you what happened in whatever they watched on TV that day, in order. That is summarizing and sequencing, the same skill we practice in school." Embedded in daily life and genuinely useful.

Preview the final weeks of the school year

Tell families what the last few weeks of school look like in your classroom. Any schedule changes, field trips, end-of-year activities, or celebration events that differ from the normal routine need advance notice for students who rely on routine. "The last week of school includes a class celebration on June 18 and an early release day on June 19. I will send a visual schedule home the week before so students know what to expect."

Remind families about medication and records pick-up

Any medication or original documents stored in the nurse's office or your classroom need to be picked up before the last day. Remind families of the deadline and the process.

Close with genuine appreciation for the year

Families of students with disabilities put in significant effort alongside you throughout the year. An April closing that genuinely acknowledges that partnership sets a tone that carries through the summer and into September.

Daystage makes your April special education newsletter easy to send with summer service information, transition guidance, and year-end logistics all in one place for your IEP families.