MJUSD
DIVISION 6000
INSTRUCTION
ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION

CERTIFICATES OF EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT

The priority for special education services and supports for students with disabilities should be to facilitate the student's meeting the District requirements for a standard diploma, when appropriate. Students with disabilities should be encouraged to complete the District course of study and pass required examinations, with or without accommodations or modifications, as specified in District policy and/or State law. If the student required accommodations or modifications to examinations required by District policy and/or State law which are not approved by the test publisher, the District shall follow procedures for waiver of the test requirements as appropriate.

If the student's individual needs require an alternative course of study that does not meet the requirements for a standard diploma, the parent/guardian and student should be notified by the end of the freshman year of high school that the student's program will lead to a certificate of achievement rather than a diploma. This notification may be part of the development and/or review of the individualized transition plan (ITP).

Upon completion of the student's course of study as indicated on his/her IEP and ITP, the District shall certify that the student is eligible for a Certificate of Educational Achievement when one (1) or more of the following criteria has been met:

1. the student has satisfactorily completed an alternative course of study approved by the Governing Board of the District and specified in the student's IEP;
2. the student has satisfactorily achieved his/her IEP goals and objectives during high school as determined by the IEP team; or
3. the student has satisfactorily attended high school, participated in the instruction specified in his/her IEP, and has met the objectives of the student's individualized transition plan.

Students who earn a Certificate of Educational Achievement instead of a diploma may be eligible for special education and related services through age twenty-one (21).