Do states have an appeals process available for their exit exams?
States increasingly have options available to students who need an “alternative route” to show what they know and are able to do relative to graduation standards. These alternatives are designed to allow the student to earn a standard diploma, and are variously called waivers, appeals, options, variances, and a host of other terms. These options may be available to all students, or only to students with disabilities. They may or may not require that the student first fail the exit exam. States have a variety of criteria that must be met for a student to enter a process to earn a standard diploma through avenues other than taking and passing the regular exit exam.
