Education Services
New Jersey schools could grant an alternate diploma
An Assembly bill would let New Jersey schools grant an alternate diploma to students with the most significant cognitive disabilities starting in the 2027-2028 school year, and it would keep special-education services going until they turn 21.
New Jersey schools could grant an alternate diploma to some students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The bill also says special-education services would continue until the school year a student turns 21.
- Districts could issue a new alternate diploma for some students with disabilities.
- The diploma would start with the 2027-2028 school year.
- Special-education services would continue until the school year a student turns 21.
- Students could still work toward a state-endorsed diploma.
- In New Jersey, some students with the most significant cognitive disabilities could leave high school with an alternate diploma instead of being forced into a one-size-fits-all finish line
In New Jersey, some students with the most significant cognitive disabilities could leave high school with an alternate diploma instead of being forced into a one-size-fits-all finish line. The proposal from Assemblywomen Verlina Reynolds-Jackson and Linda S. Carter would give school districts that option for students in the state’s alternate assessment program starting in the 2027-2028 school year.
The diploma would have to be standards-based and aligned with the requirements for a state-endorsed diploma. It would be awarded by the end of the school year in which the student turns 21.
Services would keep running
The bill is designed to recognize achievement without ending support too soon. Receiving an alternate diploma would not terminate a student’s right to a free appropriate public education, or FAPE, under an individualized education program, known as an IEP, until the school year ends in which the student reaches 21.
Students in the alternate assessment program would also not be blocked from trying for a state-endorsed diploma. The IEP team would still decide what courses and services come next for each student who receives the alternate credential.