Part (i ) of section 1D of chapter 69 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2008 Official Edition, is hereby amended by adding after the second sentence the following sentence:-

Students who have demonstrated competency under this section by passing the state’ s assessment tests, i.e., the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS), shall be granted a Commonwealth Diploma issued by the state Department of Education.  Students who have demonstrated competency under this section by meeting the academic s tandards and curriculum frameworks enumerated in this section by satisfying the requirements of their local school committee shall be granted a Horace Mann Diploma issued by the local school committee.  Students may receive either one or both diplomas.  Issuance of either the Commonwealth or the Horace Mann Diploma to a student will certify that a student has met the competency determination described in this section and will entitle a student to all the rights and privileges of high school graduation.