The RCT Examinations shall remain available until the student graduates or reaches the age of twenty-one (21). This provision of law applies only to students with disabilities who are entitled to attend school pursuant to Education Law Section 3202 or 4402(5).

Students with Disabilities Entering Grade 9 after September 2011

The option to take the Regents Competency Test (RCT) will not be available for any students entering Grade 9 beginning in September 2011 and thereafter. The student's grade level is based on the grade in which the student was enrolled during the school year (September to June) prior to September 2011. While the RCT safety net ends with the class of students that entered Grade 9 during the 2010-2011 school year, the local diploma option remains available to all students with disabilities provided they earn a score of 55-64 on one (1) or more required Regents examinations.

Local Diploma Compensatory Option

         As of October 31, 2012, the Board of Regents has provided an additional option for students with disabilities to earn a local diploma. This option is known as the Local Diploma Compensatory Option.

         To earn a local diploma using this compensatory option a student must: 

a)      Score between 45-54 on one (1) or more of the required Regents exams, other than on the English Language Arts (ELA) or the mathematics exams, in which case the lower score(s) can be compensated by the higher scores;  

1.      A score of at least 55 must be earned on both the ELA and mathematics exams; 

2.      A score of 65 or higher on a single examination may not be used to compensate for more than one exam; and 

b)      Obtain a passing grade that meets or exceeds the required passing grade by the school, for the course in the subject area of the Regents examination in which he or she received a score of 45-54; and 

c)      Have a satisfactory attendance rate in accordance with the District's or school's attendance policy for the school year during which the student took the examination in which he or she received a score of 45-64, exclusive of excused absences; and 

d)      Not already be using a passing score on one or more Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) to graduate with a local diploma. A student may not use the compensatory score option if he or she is using a passing score on one (1) or more RCTs to receive a local diploma. 

A student meeting all of the necessary components listed above, using the compensatory option, may be issued a local high school diploma.

High School Individualized Program (IEP) Diplomas (Available through June 30, 2013)

         Each individualized education program (IEP) diploma awarded shall be accompanied by a written statement of assurance that the student named as its recipient shall continue to be eligible to attend school until the student has earned a high school diploma or until the end of the school year of such student's twenty-first (21st) birthday, whichever occurs first.

         Students will no longer be awarded an IEP diploma after July1, 2013 pursuant to the addition to Commissioner's Regulations in Section 100.9(g). Students who are currently on track to receive an IEP diploma prior to June 30, 2013 must be given prior written notice that students continue to be entitled to a free appropriate public education until the end of the school year in which the student turns age twenty-one (21) or until the receipt of a regular high school diploma.

         The Superintendent shall report to the State Education Department, within fifteen (15) days after the June graduation, the total number and the names of the students awarded IEP diplomas that school year.

Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential

Beginning with the 2013-14 school year and thereafter, the Board of Education or the trustees of a school district shall, and the Principal of a nonpublic school may, issue a skills and achievement commencement credential to a student who has taken the New York State Alternative Assessment for students with severe disabilities.

Prior to awarding the skills and achievement commencement credential, the governing body of the School District shall ensure that: 

a)      The student has been recommended by the Committee on Special Education (CSE) to take the alternate assessment in lieu of a required State assessment; 

b)      Such student meets the definition of a student with a severe disability as defined in Section 100.1(t)(2)(iv); and 

c)      The student has been given appropriate opportunities to participate in community experiences and development of employment and other instructional activities to prepare the student for post-secondary living, learning and employment. 

         The credential option may be issued at any time after a student has attended school for at least twelve (12) years, excluding kindergarten, or has received a substantially equivalent education elsewhere, or at the end of the school year that the student turns twenty-one (21) years of age.

The skills and achievement commencement credential shall be similar in form to the diploma issued by the School District except the credential must contain a clear annotation on it that it is based on alternate academic achievement standards.

         The credential shall be issued with a summary of the student's academic achievement and functional performance as defined by Commissioner's Regulations Section 200.4(c)(4).

         If the student receiving the credential is less than twenty-one (21) years of age, the credential shall be accompanied with a written statement of assurance that the student receiving the credential is eligible to attend the public schools without payment of tuition until the student has either received a regular high school diploma or until he/she turns age twenty-one (21), whichever occurs first.

Information regarding graduation requirements, including the local diploma option and the appeals process, may be found at:  http://www.p12.nysed.gov/part100/pages/1005.html