Title I of the 2015 reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), allows for the inclusion in graduation accountability of a diploma option for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who participate in alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS).

NCEO and the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT) recently jointly published a Brief, Considerations for Developing State-Defined Alternate Diplomas for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities. It describes the criteria that must be met for a State-defined alternate diploma to meet federal requirements for inclusion in the Title I Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate (ACGR).  According to ESSA, State-defined alternate diplomas must be:

• Standards-based
• Aligned with State requirements for the regular high school diploma
• Obtained within the time period for which the State ensures the availability of a free appropriate public education (FAPE)

The Brief includes considerations for states contemplating the development of a State-defined alternate diploma, and recommends steps for those deciding to adopt a State-defined alternate diploma.