Delaware HB 287 and the DAAS — How the Alternate Diploma Replaced the Certificate of Performance

What HB 287 Changed

Before April 2018, Delaware students with significant cognitive disabilities who couldn't meet the 24-credit standard diploma requirements received a "Certificate of Performance." The certificate carried a stigma — it wasn't recognized as a diploma, and on job applications, holders couldn't check the box for "high school diploma." Automated applicant tracking systems screened them out before a human ever saw the application.

House Bill 287, signed in 2018, replaced the Certificate of Performance with the State of Delaware Diploma of Alternate Achievement Standards starting with the Class of 2019. The DAAS is legally recognized as a diploma. On employment applications, DAAS holders can check "high school diploma" — a small change on paper that removes one of the most common automated barriers to employment.

How the DAAS Differs From a Standard Diploma

The standard Delaware high school diploma requires 24 credits across specific academic sequences: 4 in English Language Arts, 4 in Math (including Algebra II and Geometry), 3 in Science (including Biology), 3 in Social Studies (including U.S. History), 2 in World Language, 1 in Physical Education, 0.5 in Health, 3 in a Career Pathway, and 3.5 in electives.

The DAAS has no state-mandated credit requirements. It's awarded to students who meet the individualized objectives in their IEP but cannot complete the standard academic curriculum. These students take the DeSSA-Alt alternate assessment rather than the general DeSSA assessment.

The critical legal distinction: receiving a standard diploma terminates FAPE. The school district's obligation to provide special education and transition services ends the day the student graduates with a regular diploma, regardless of age. The DAAS does not terminate FAPE — a student who receives the DAAS can continue in school-based transition programs through the end of the school year in which they turn 22.

Accommodations vs. Modifications — Why It Matters for the Diploma Track

This is where families often get confused: accommodations and modifications sound similar but have opposite effects on diploma eligibility.

Accommodations change how a student accesses the curriculum without altering the learning standards. Extended test time, preferential seating, text-to-speech software, a separate testing room — these don't affect credit eligibility. A student with full accommodations can still earn every credit toward a standard diploma.

Modifications change what the student is expected to learn. Reduced reading level on assignments, simplified math problems, alternative grading criteria — these alter the academic standard itself. When modifications alter course content or credit expectations, the student may no longer meet standard-diploma requirements. The IEP team must then clarify the appropriate diploma and assessment pathway; the DAAS track is tied to the alternate-assessment pathway.

The IEP team should clarify this distinction at every annual review, starting when the student enters high school. Parents need to understand what each accommodation or modification means for the diploma pathway, because the difference between the two tracks affects not just the credential but years of additional FAPE eligibility.

What the DAAS Does and Doesn't Do

The DAAS does:

• Let graduates check "high school diploma" on job applications
• Preserve FAPE eligibility through age 22
• Qualify students for CTP programs like the University of Delaware's CLSC
• Qualify students for community college admission (Delaware Tech uses Accuplacer placement, not diploma type)

The DAAS does not:

• Meet military enlistment requirements (all branches require a standard diploma or GED)
• Qualify for standard Title IV federal student aid; some DOE-approved transition programs may provide limited federal aid
• Signal academic equivalency to four-year universities with competitive admissions
• Include state-mandated course or credit requirements

Making the Decision

The diploma decision should be an active, documented choice made at the IEP table — not something that happens by default because a student was placed on the alternate assessment without understanding the implications. Parents should ask: does my child need the additional years of school-funded transition services that the DAAS preserves? Would earning a standard diploma now, with fewer transition supports, produce better or worse adult outcomes?

The Delaware IEP Transition to Adulthood Guide includes a diploma decision worksheet that walks through the factors — military goals, college plans, employment readiness, need for continued vocational training — so families can make this choice with full information rather than pressure.

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