If my child is on alternate curriculum, will they be able to get a diploma?

Adjusting expectations on the grade level content standards and assignments to have less breadth, depth, or complexity would be considered a modification, which doesn't necessarily mean a student is on a certificate track.

With an alternate curriculum, however, students may have “an out of the box curriculum” that isn’t always aligned to the gen ed content standards. As Dr. Solone explains, “Alternate curriculum is designed for students with the most significant disabilities that is aligned with the alternate achievement standards, but often times has a different book, comes out of a box, doesn’t always have content in social studies, science, and doesn’t expose kids to all of the different content standards.” Students who are taking alternate assessments don’t have to be on an alternate curriculum, but in order to qualify they will have to be students who need modifications to their curriculum that are aligned with the state standards. (You can learn more about alternate and modified curriculum here).

As Ricki Sabia explains, “Students must work on — participate and make progress in — the enrolled grade-level, general ed curriculum. Modifications, accommodations, and adapted materials are allowed, but based on individual needs, not some lock-step alternate curriculum for all students who take alternate assessments.”

Dr. Pelangka tells us that when students with significant cognitive impairments are not working toward the general education standards, they are unlikely to graduate with a diploma. Dr. Pelangka believes that parents should be made aware of this as early as when modifications to curriculum are first recommended for their child. Parents should be given the information they need to understand what each path means. The earlier the decision that modifications are necessary, the larger the gap may be in terms of a student’s ability to access the general education curriculum. As the years progress, the academics only become more rigorous.

Note that "alternate curriculum" is not the same as California's new alternate pathway to a high school diploma for students with cognitive disabilities. You can learn more information in our full article High School Graduation Options for Students with Disabilities.