Abstract

Nontraditional high school completion or exit documents are becoming increasingly publicized as more states adopt testing requirements for graduation. Research has shown that students who do not grad-uate from high school with a standard/traditional diploma often experience negative consequences, such as (a) limited admission into college or the military, (b) ineligibility for federal financial aid for postsecondary training, and (c) denial of employment opportunities (Bowers, 2004; Johnson & Thur-low, 2003; Zafft, Hart, & Zimbrich, 2004). Although research is beginning to explore the diploma op-tions available in each state, there is a paucity of research surrounding students who receive nontraditional completion certificates. This study examined the relationship between alternative high school completion documents and graduation testing. Using preexisting data sets from the U.S. De-partment of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, this study profiled students with dis-abilities in the United States who earn nontraditional exit certificates in contrast to those who earn standard diplomas. Understanding how students with disabilities exit public education will lead to as-sessment of the impact each exit option has on students ’ postschool outcomes and the implications for society as a whole. Dorn, 2003; Thurlow & Esler, 2000). For the purposes of this