Diploma Options for Students with Developmental Disabilities
IF YOUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT HAS DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES…
Senator Darren Soto would like to hear from YOU.
Senator Darren Soto would like to hear from YOU.
Senate Bill 1512, sponsored by Senators Stargel, Thrasher, Gardiner and Galvano, became the law in 2014, eliminating the option for students with intellectual disabilities, who cannot pass the FSA to obtain a ‘special diploma’. Curricula have been changed so that students with documented disabilities must now take the same subjects and lessons and in the same time frames to learn as mainstream students at the same grade level. There are also multiple changes due to the academic requirements.
Most high school seniors, who were enrolled in the special diploma option since the 10th grade, will likely not earn a diploma this year. Current sophomores and juniors, who were also enrolled in a special diploma program, have had these options taken away from them as well.
Excerpt from (Link):
The Repeal of the Special Diploma in Florida and Standard Diploma Options for Students with Developmental Disabilities:
Students no longer have the option to earn a special diploma and are now forced to earn a standard diploma, which many may not have the potential to complete… Parents, students, and educators must be made aware of what this Standard Diploma means and what outcomes they can expect.
The Standard Diploma Option for Students with Disabilities Pathway was originally intended to provide students with the most significant intellectual and developmental disabilities an employment competency pathway for accessing a Standard Diploma. However, initial discussions regarding implementation include not permitting a modified curriculum and requiring a level of paid employment that Diploma Options for Students with Developmental Disabilities | The Opt Out Florida Network: