Classroom Technology

‘Credit Recovery’

By Andrew Trotter — October 17, 2008 1 min read
BRIC ARCHIVE
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

As alternatives to remedial lessons, summer school, and other traditional ways of getting struggling high school students back on track, technology-based options for “credit recovery” have been expanding.

“It’s a huge area of growth, especially in the last three years,” says Susan D. Patrick, the president and chief executive officer of the North American Council for Online Learning, a Vienna, Va.-based trade association for online schools.

Most of the new credit-recovery options are online programs offered by virtual schools and commercial curriculum providers. They offer approaches to individualizing instruction that are targeted and packaged for credit recovery, according to the companies and other providers offering the programs.

Credit recovery, or credit retrieval, is usually defined as an in-school opportunity for students to earn academic credits that they have lost, or are about to lose, by failing a regular course.

Michael J. Greene, 18, left, spent the spring in the "Apex lab" run by teacher Kim Feltner, right, at Pine Ridge High School in the Volusia County, Fla., district.

Such options are available from an array of online-curriculum companies, such as Apex Learning Inc. and Plato Learning Inc., as well as nonprofit providers such as the Orlando-based Florida Virtual School and the Atlanta-based Georgia Virtual School.

Providers say they tailor learning to individual students, by using flexible pacing and schedules, extra practice, frequent assessment, and robust monitoring and reporting on participation and progress, while also allowing openings for personal interaction with teachers.

Their learning-management systems tend to have such typical online tools as e-mail, online assessments, and databases. Courses mirror, and are cross-referenced to, states’ academic standards.

A version of this article appeared in the October 20, 2008 edition of Digital Directions as ‘Credit Recovery’

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Professional Development Webinar
Inside PLCs: Proven Strategies from K-12 Leaders
Join an expert panel to explore strategies for building collaborative PLCs, overcoming common challenges, and using data effectively.
Content provided by Otus
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Making Science Stick: The Engaging Power of Hands-On Learning
How can you make science class the highlight of your students’ day while
achieving learning outcomes? Find out in this session.
Content provided by LEGO Education
Teaching Profession Key Insights to Elevate and Inspire Today’s Teachers
Join this free half day virtual event to energize your teaching and cultivate a positive learning experience for students.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Classroom Technology What Are the Best Ways to Manage Cellphones in Schools?
Teaching kids responsible use of their devices is important regardless of the level of restrictions.
3 min read
Image of someone holding a cellphone.
Deagreez/iStock/Getty
Classroom Technology Opinion How ‘Innovation’ Fails Education
"Innovation” is mostly an unserious distraction from the real work of rethinking education.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Classroom Technology Leader To Learn From This Tech Director Is Revolutionizing Special Education With Gaming
Evan Abramson led the creation of an esports arena for students with autism spectrum disorder. It may be the first in the country.
12 min read
Evan Abramson, 47, Director of Technology and Innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025. Morris-Union Jointure Commission works primarily with students up to the age of 21 on the autism spectrum. Abramson, through his experience watching his own son with special needs play video games, helped bring an e-sports lab to life at the school in order to help students better regulate themselves.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025. Abramson spearheaded an esports program to help students on the autism spectrum connect with one another and learn new skills. The gaming arena where students play together may be the first-of-its-kind in the country.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week
Classroom Technology Q&A How a District's Embrace of Esports Is Transforming Special Education
Esports can help build 'soft skills' such as collaboration and teamwork, for students in special education, one district leader says.
3 min read
Evan Abramson, 47, director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, sits for a portrait at the school in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Evan Abramson, the director of technology and innovation at Morris-Union Jointure Commission, assists a student playing video games in the district's esports arena in Warren, N.J., on Jan. 15, 2025.
Michelle Gustafson for Education Week