Washington Graduation Pathways for IEP Students: WA-AIM, CIA Phase-Out, and HB 1599 Explained

Washington overhauled high school graduation requirements for students with disabilities, and the changes left a lot of families confused — particularly parents who heard their child could pursue a "CIA diploma" and then discovered that option no longer exists. If you have a teenager with an IEP and you're trying to figure out which graduation pathway applies to them and how the IEP needs to reflect it, here's what the law actually says.

The CIA Is Gone: What HB 1599 Changed

For years, students with IEPs in Washington could pursue the Certificate of Individual Achievement (CIA) as an alternative to a standard diploma. The CIA allowed students to graduate by passing off-grade-level state assessments, which sounded like a reasonable accommodation but had a significant downside: it was not a standard diploma, meaning it did not confer the same postsecondary access as a regular graduation credential.

HB 1599 changed that. The legislation phased out the CIA as a graduation pathway for students with disabilities. For the Class of 2022 and later, the CIA is no longer an option. If your child's IEP team or school counselor mentions the CIA as a current pathway, they are describing an obsolete option.

This is not just procedural housekeeping. It reflects a significant shift in how Washington approaches graduation for students with disabilities: the goal is a standard diploma through available pathways, not a certificate that closes doors.

Graduation Pathways Available to IEP Students: Class of 2026

Washington requires all students — including those with IEPs — to meet one of the state's established Graduation Pathways to earn a standard diploma. For the Class of 2026, there are six primary pathways, and most students with IEPs have options across multiple categories.

State Assessment (Smarter Balanced): A student earns this pathway by scoring at or above the standard on the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) — a minimum score of 2548 in ELA and 2595 in Math. Students whose IEPs include testing accommodations take the SBA with those accommodations in place.

Alternate Assessment (WA-AIM): This pathway is specifically designed for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. The WA-AIM (Washington Access to Instruction and Measurement) evaluates students against alternate achievement standards, not general education grade-level standards. To meet this pathway requirement, a student must score at least 104 in ELA and 103 in Math on the WA-AIM. The WA-AIM uses performance tasks administered twice per year rather than a single high-stakes test. Eligibility for WA-AIM participation is determined by the IEP team and requires that the student have a significant cognitive disability as documented in their IEP.

Dual Credit Courses: Passing state-approved college-level coursework — including Running Start, College in the High School, or AP courses — in both ELA and Math. This is accessible to some students with IEPs who are on a standard academic trajectory with accommodations.

CTE Sequence: Completing a Career and Technical Education sequence totaling 2.0 or more credits that leads to an industry-recognized credential. The sequence must be in a state-approved CTE pathway. For many IEP students, this is a realistic and meaningful option that aligns with transition goals.

Bridge to College Courses: Passing a "Bridge to College" transition course that allows direct placement into credit-bearing college coursework. This is an option at participating high schools and community colleges.

Performance-Based Pathway: Created by HB 1308 in 2023, this pathway allows students to demonstrate college and career readiness through real-world, applied experiences rather than a standardized test. Students can qualify through a documented portfolio of hands-on experiences, locally approved projects, or alternative means validated by the district and state. For students whose strengths are practical and applied rather than test-based, this pathway has real potential.

There is also an ASVAB pathway: earning an AFQT score of 31 or higher on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery qualifies as a graduation pathway for students interested in military service.

How the IEP Must Connect to the Graduation Pathway

Here is where the practical advocacy comes in. Washington requires that transition planning be embedded in the IEP no later than the year the student turns 16 — though proactive teams start at 14. That transition plan must identify post-secondary goals and the services, courses of study, and graduation pathway that will get the student there.

The IEP team is legally required to align the student's program with one of Washington's graduation pathways. If your teenager is in 10th or 11th grade and the IEP doesn't specify which pathway is the plan, that's a gap. Ask at the next IEP meeting: Which graduation pathway is this IEP designed to support? What data do we have that this pathway is realistic given current performance? What needs to change if we're off track?

For WA-AIM students specifically, IEP teams must annually document that the student continues to qualify for alternate assessment participation. This determination cannot be made unilaterally by the district — it requires IEP team decision-making with parent involvement. If the team proposes placing your child on the WA-AIM pathway, you are entitled to a full explanation of what that means for diploma status and postsecondary options.

High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP) Integration

Every high school student in Washington must complete a High School and Beyond Plan (HSBP), which maps out postsecondary goals. For students with IEPs, the HSBP cannot exist in isolation. The transition goals in the IEP must connect to and support the HSBP goals. If these two documents are misaligned — the HSBP says the student plans to attend community college, but the IEP transition goals are focused on supported employment — that's a discrepancy worth raising at the IEP meeting.

The HSBP conversation is also where graduation pathway gets locked in. If the student's HSBP identifies a CTE pathway as the route to a diploma, the IEP needs transition services and course-of-study planning that actually supports completing that CTE sequence.

Practical Steps for Parents of High School Students with IEPs

If your child is in 9th grade or higher and has an IEP, these are the conversations to have now:

Ask which pathway is being planned for. Don't assume the team has thought this through. Ask directly: "Which graduation pathway is this IEP aligned to, and how will we know if we're on track?"

Request the course-of-study documentation. Washington IEPs must include a statement of the student's courses of study that supports their transition goals. If that section is vague or missing, request that it be completed with specific courses for each remaining year.

Verify WA-AIM eligibility decisions annually. If your child participates in the WA-AIM, this cannot be an automatic continuation from year to year. The IEP team must re-examine the eligibility criteria each year. If you believe your child should or should not be on the alternate assessment, bring data and ask for the team's documented reasoning.

Don't let the CIA confusion derail planning. Some families have been told for years that their child was on a CIA track and are now scrambling to figure out what that means. The answer is: the CIA no longer exists. The IEP team needs to identify which current pathway applies and plan accordingly. If that conversation hasn't happened, initiate it in writing before the next IEP meeting.

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