Alaska Performance Scholarship and Students with Disabilities

The Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) represents one of the most tangible post-secondary opportunities available to Alaska high school students — and one of the most underutilized for students with disabilities. Understanding how the scholarship works, how disability-related pathways interact with APS eligibility, and what planning needs to happen in the IEP to protect scholarship access is essential for any family thinking about post-secondary options.

How the Alaska Performance Scholarship Works

The APS is a merit-based scholarship available to Alaska high school graduates who meet specific academic and assessment requirements. It is tiered: the amount of the award depends on academic performance, with higher-performing students receiving larger awards. The scholarship can be used at University of Alaska campuses, Alaska community colleges, and approved vocational and career education programs.

To be eligible, students must:

1. Graduate from an Alaska high school (or earn a GED/equivalent)
2. Complete specific coursework requirements (math through pre-calculus, English, science, and other core subjects)
3. Meet minimum score thresholds on college readiness assessments: ACT, SAT, or WorkKeys
4. Maintain a minimum GPA

The scholarship is renewable for up to four years of post-secondary study, with GPA requirements to maintain eligibility.

How IEPs and Special Education Interact with APS Eligibility

The scholarship's requirements create a tension for students with IEPs, particularly those on modified or alternate academic pathways. Here is how it breaks down:

Standard diploma pathway: Students with IEPs who graduate with a standard diploma — including those who used substitute courses under 4 AAC 06.078 — are fully eligible for the APS, provided they meet the coursework and assessment requirements. The substitute course provision allows the IEP team to design courses that meet Alaska's credit requirements through a different format or pacing — but the courses still need to align with state content standards. If your child's substitute courses are designed to parallel the standard graduation requirements, APS eligibility should be preserved.

Alternate assessment pathway (Certificate of Completion): Students who exit through the alternate assessment pathway (DLM) and receive a Certificate of Completion rather than a standard diploma do not qualify for the APS as structured. This is an important consideration when the IEP team is discussing alternate assessment placement — it affects post-secondary financial access, not just the diploma itself. Families should have an explicit conversation with the IEP team about whether the alternate assessment pathway aligns with the student's actual post-secondary goals.

Students with IEPs pursuing standard diplomas: If your high schooler is pursuing a standard diploma with IEP supports, their APS eligibility depends primarily on:

• Whether their coursework meets the APS credit requirements
• Whether they can achieve the minimum assessment scores (with accommodations)
• Whether their GPA meets the threshold

Testing Accommodations and APS Assessment Requirements

The APS accepts ACT, SAT, and WorkKeys scores. Each of these is administered by private testing companies (ACT, College Board, and ACT again for WorkKeys). School-based IEP accommodations do not automatically transfer to these assessments — each testing company has its own accommodation approval process.

For the SAT: College Board processes accommodation requests through their Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) program. Documentation requirements include evidence of the student's disability and evidence that the accommodation has been in regular use for at least six months. The school's SSD coordinator typically submits requests online. Approvals can take 7 weeks or longer.

For the ACT: Similar process through ACT's accommodation request system. Requests require disability documentation and evidence of current use.

Timing is critical: These requests should be submitted no later than six months before the student plans to test. For most students, that means accommodation requests should begin during sophomore year if they plan to test in junior year. IEP teams doing secondary transition planning should build this into the timeline explicitly.

If a student's accommodation request is denied by the testing company, there is an appeals process. The school's special education coordinator or counselor should help navigate appeals, but parents may need to prompt this — it does not always happen automatically.

DVR and Post-Secondary Planning for Students with Disabilities

The Alaska Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) is one of the most underutilized resources in Alaska secondary transition planning. DVR provides pre-employment transition services (Pre-ETS) for students with disabilities starting at age 14, including:

• Job exploration counseling
• Work-based learning experiences
• Counseling on enrollment in post-secondary education programs
• Workplace readiness training
• Self-advocacy instruction

DVR can also fund post-secondary training, college tuition assistance, and adaptive equipment for eligible individuals. The DVR process starts with an application and an eligibility determination — it is separate from the school IEP process but ideally connected to it.

Alaska regulation 4 AAC 52.145 requires IEPs to include a transition plan by the first IEP after the student turns 16. That plan must include measurable post-secondary goals in education, employment, and (where appropriate) independent living. DVR should be invited to transition IEP meetings — the school is responsible for issuing that invitation. If DVR has not been included in your teenager's IEP meetings, request their participation in writing before the next annual review.

DVR has regional offices throughout Alaska. Their toll-free number is (800) 478-2815.

Practical Steps to Protect APS Access

During middle school IEP planning: If post-secondary education is a goal, the IEP team should plan the high school course sequence early to ensure it aligns with APS requirements. Identify which courses will be standard versus substitute, and document how substitute courses map to the required content areas.

At the start of high school: Confirm that the student is on a diploma track that preserves APS eligibility. Review the alternate assessment decision — if DLM placement was made in elementary school, is it still appropriate given the student's goals?

Sophomore year: Begin the accommodation request process for SAT and/or ACT. Consult with the school's SSD coordinator to understand what documentation is required.

Junior year: Target test dates. Ensure accommodations are approved before the testing window.

Senior year: Confirm the student has met all graduation requirements, including the specific coursework APS requires. Check GPA calculations.

The Alaska IEP & 504 Blueprint covers Alaska secondary transition planning in detail, including the DVR referral process, transition goal requirements under 4 AAC 52.145, and how to build a high school IEP that keeps post-secondary options open rather than inadvertently closing them.

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