How significant curriculum adaptations affect grades and promotion

Terms used

• ACS — ACS stands for adaptación curricular significativa, a plan that changes the goals your child is taught and graded against.
• ESO — ESO is compulsory secondary education in Spain, for ages 12 to 16.
• FP Básica — FP Básica is a basic vocational training course for pupils who may not finish ESO, leading to a Título Profesional Básico.
• Pruebas libres — The pruebas libres are regional exams that let you earn the ESO title without attending classes.

Key rules

• Grading: Your child is graded against their adapted goals, and the report usually shows this with an asterisk or ACS.
• Promotion: A significant adaptation does not block promotion; the teaching team decides together.
• ESO title: The title is possible but not guaranteed, and the teaching team decides case by case under regional rules.
• Review: The plan is reviewed at least once a year, and you can ask for a review in writing.

The short answer

A significant adaptation means your child is judged against their own adapted goals, not the standard goals for their year. It does not block promotion by itself. It can, however, make the ESO title harder to reach, and that affects which routes are open after school.

How grades work

Your child's subjects are assessed against the goals written in their adapted plan. The teaching team does the assessment. The teacher of each subject leads, with support from the orientation department.

Grade reports usually mark adapted subjects, often with an asterisk or the letters ACS. The mark shows the grade refers to the adapted curriculum, not the standard one. Each region and school sets its own notation, so ask the tutor how it will look on your child's report.

Promotion and repeating a year

The teaching team decides on promotion together. It looks at progress against the adapted goals and at your child's overall development.

Repeating a year is meant to be exceptional. It is allowed once in primary and up to twice in ESO, with a limit on the total across the stage. It should come with a support plan, and it is considered mainly when it is expected to help your child.

Some regions let pupils with specific educational needs stay an extra year in a stage. Ask the school whether yours does.

The ESO title

The title (Graduado en ESO) goes to pupils who have reached the competences and objectives of the stage. The teaching team judges this as a whole, not by counting passed subjects. So a pupil with an adaptation can get the title in principle.

In practice, if your child's adapted goals are far below the ESO competences, they often leave without it. They then receive a certificate of schooling or of studies completed. The teaching team and orientation make the decision, under regional rules. Ask the orientation department before the last year of ESO what to expect.

Routes without the title

Not having the title does not end your child's options.

• FP Básica: a basic vocational course, usually for ages 15 to 17. Your child needs to have finished the first cycle of ESO (in some cases, the second year). It needs the teaching team's proposal and your consent. It leads to a Título Profesional Básico, which gives access to intermediate FP.
• Adult education: your child can earn the ESO title this way from age 18.
• Free tests: the regional pruebas libres let your child sit the exams for the ESO title directly.
• Access test: the prueba de acceso to intermediate FP is available from age 17.
• Programs for significant needs: these include Programas de Formación para la Transición a la Vida Adulta and special-education vocational programs.

Age limits, availability and program names vary by region.

Can the adaptation be removed?

Yes. The plan is reviewed at least once a year, and in practice at each evaluation. Orientation and the teaching team can lower it to a non-significant adaptation, or withdraw it, once your child can follow the ordinary curriculum. This is rare in later years, because gaps in the curriculum build up.

If your child is progressing, ask for a review in writing and keep a copy. The school decides, and you have the right to be heard first.

The checklist and questions below give you what to ask the school.

Checklist

• Ask the tutor how promotion is decided for your child and which adapted goals the team will judge progress against.

• Ask the school what support plan comes with any proposal to repeat a year, and whether repeating is expected to help your child.

• Ask whether your region allows an extra year in a stage for pupils with specific educational needs.

• Ask the orientation department, before the last year of ESO, how likely your child is to get the ESO title and what happens if not.

• Ask which routes are open in your region without the title, such as FP Básica, adult education, free tests or the access test for intermediate FP, and the age limits for each.

Frequently asked questions

How will a significant adaptation show on my child's grade report?

Adapted subjects are usually marked on the report, often with an asterisk or the letters ACS, to show the grade refers to the adapted goals. The exact marking depends on your region and school. Ask the tutor how your child's report will show it.

Does my child get the ESO title if they have a significant adaptation?

Yes, it is possible, but only if the teaching team decides your child has reached the stage's competences and objectives overall. The decision looks at the whole picture, not just a count of passed subjects. If adapted goals are far below the ESO level, a child often leaves with a certificate of schooling instead.

What can my child do after ESO without the title?

Several routes stay open, such as FP Básica (basic vocational training) if your child meets the age and schooling conditions, usually 15 to 17. After FP Básica, the Título Profesional Básico gives access to intermediate FP. From age 17 your child can sit the access test for intermediate FP, and from age 18 can earn the ESO title through adult education or free tests.

Can a significant adaptation be removed later?

Yes, the school can lower it to a non-significant adaptation or withdraw it when your child can follow the ordinary curriculum. This is rare in later years because gaps build up. You can ask for a review in writing, and the school decides after hearing you.