in the military, and have jobs that require a high school diploma. General Education students can only obtain the local diploma by appealing 2 regents exams. Students with disabilities must still have the appropriate number of credits to graduate. Students who have an English as a Second Language are also able to obtain the local diploma simply by scoring 55 or higher in all 5 regents examinations required for high school graduation. The safety nets include: · Low Pass option: Which students must earn at least 55–64 on a required regents exam to qualify for a local diploma. Students who score 52–54 can appeal that score. This option is available to all students with disabilities or with an English as a Second Language program. · Compensatory option: Students who score 45–54 on a required regents exam, but scores 65 or higher on another regents exam is able to compensate the 45–54 score using the 65+ score. The compensatory option may not be used to compensate the English Language Arts or math regents exams, but the student may use the English Language Arts and math regents to compensate another regents exam scored 45–54 as long as they scored 65 or higher. This option is available to all students with disabilities only. Alternative public schools During the 1990s, some alternative assessment schools were founded in parts of New York in an attempt to provide a way for students to graduate from high school without taking any Regents Exams. Usually, the substitute graduation assessment consisted of a review and grading, by a panel of teachers, of an academic portfolio – a collection of the student's best work from all his or her years at the school. From such a "portfolio examination" would be issued a "Regents equivalency" grade for the areas of Math, English, History, and Science, and a "Regents Equivalency" diploma would be awarded to the student at commencement. Students enrolled in these schools do, however, take the English Language Arts Regents exam as a part of the New York State school accountability system. Private schools Though all public schools are required to follow either the Regents Exam system or some form of alternative assessment, private schools need not. The vast majority of private schools do use Regents exams and award Regents diplomas, but some, usually academically prestigious private schools, do not. These schools' argument is that their own diploma requirements exceed