The discussion about whether your teen will earn a high school diploma or earn a certificate of completion should be started in middle school with your IEP team. Students with an IEP can take longer than 4 years to earn their high school diploma. Even if your child is on a certificate track, that does not exclude them from taking general education classes. Check out the infographics below to see which track might be best for your teen. They can always try for a diploma, and if it’s too rigorous, they can switch to a certificate track, but it’s really difficult to start with the certificate and then move to a diploma track.
To view the Hawaii Department of Education’s graduation requirements, click here.
Want to see more on this page? Email us at SPIN@doh.hawaii.gov and let us know what kind of resources would be helpful to you.
