AIE lays out practical-studies diploma for students with disabilities; task force raises federal and equity questions

AIE (the Office of the State Superintendent analytic team) presented a proposed practical or "applied" studies diploma aimed at students with disabilities who have not been able to complete the regular diploma pathway. The presentation framed the diploma as a credential intended to support employment and workforce training and to reduce the number of students leaving school without a meaningful credential.

Christy Weaver Harris, AIE policy manager, told the task force the practical studies diploma was designed for students who are at risk of dropping out or who would otherwise leave school with a certificate or no credential. AIE emphasized federal constraints. "ESSA defines a regular high school diploma as the diploma earned by the preponderance of students that's fully aligned with state standards," she said, adding that the adjusted cohort graduation rate (ACGR) counts students who earn a regular diploma for federal reporting. AIE cautioned that making the practical studies diploma count as a regular diploma would require full alignment to state academic standards and could therefore limit flexibility for IEP teams.

AIE also noted technical limits on alternate assessment populations: under federal guidance, participation in alternate assessments and related alternate diplomas is typically limited to a small share of students (commonly 1% thresholds are referenced), and turning the practical studies diploma into an alternate diploma that counts toward ACGR would restrict eligibility to students who meet the most significant cognitive disability definitions and participate in the alternate assessment.

Task force members and parent advocates pressed AIE on several points: whether employers and colleges would accept the diploma, whether community colleges (including UDC) would require ability-to-benefit assessments for admissions, and whether the diploma should be limited to students with IEPs or be offered to other populations such as over-age or newcomer students. AIE said colleges and employers vary: some community colleges do not accept similar applied diplomas for automatic admission and instead use ability-to-benefit assessments; acceptance would likely require formal agreements.

Members also asked for evidence that a practical studies diploma would reduce dropout rates. AIE cited roughly 300 students leaving without credentials in recent years as the problem the diploma seeks to address but acknowledged that root causes vary and that further research and stakeholder engagement are needed.

Several members urged AIE to explore alternatives that preserve more options to access the standard diploma, such as allowing IEP teams more course flexibility, using flexible demonstrations of mastery (portfolios, work-based assessments), and ensuring strong implementation investments (training, partnerships with employers and postsecondary institutions). Bridget and others recommended caution about creating multiple diploma tiers that could entrench tracking; Sally suggested endorsements might be a less risky way to preserve rigorous options while expanding pathways.

Next steps: Task force members asked AIE to return with clearer language on eligibility, the alignment required for ACGR accounting, and implementation supports, and to consider whether the diploma should be broadened beyond IEP students or remain limited and carefully defined.