Schools have a limited number of resources and faculty to provide endless courses for students. But there are feasible and flexible options to expand beyond your course catalog to meet the individual needs of the students you serve.

In this article, explore ways to offer credit recovery or summer learning options for students who need them and provide guidance for managing these opportunities with faculty, students, and families. Share a free eBook with all the essential information families and students need when considering recovery or accelerated course options.

What is Credit Recovery?

When students fail or cannot complete a course, they may need to recover the credit to graduate. A failed or incomplete course can also put students off track for taking other required courses. For many students, simply retaking the failed or incomplete course the following year is not an option. Academic credit recovery is a strategy for students to retake the course to earn credit towards their diploma and avoid falling further behind.

Credit recovery courses are specially designed for students who need to recover credits required for graduation and are therefore often accelerated and flexibly scheduled. Credit recovery courses may be available online or in alternative settings.

Credit Recovery vs. Summer Learning Programs

Whereas traditional summer learning programs could be considered support for at-risk students or enrichment opportunities for others, credit recovery concentrates on students who must recover failed course credit. Though they may both be offered during summer, credit recovery and summer learning programs are defined differently.

Schools may offer summer learning classes to support students who are at a basic skill level and need to progress or refresh skills before the start of school. Summer programs can also be a time of enrichment for on-level and advanced students. Teaching models range from traditional in-person programming at a school campus to online—with live instruction or asynchronously—and even individualized.

Credit recovery courses are accelerated versions of the standard course offering, which means that students can complete them in a condensed time frame. They can also run concurrently to the school year, so students have the option of recovering a credit anytime, and not just during summer.

Credit Recovery Considerations

Virtual accelerated credit recovery programs have the power to be diagnostic, prescriptive, and adaptive. This means that students complete an assessment before beginning a module or unit of study, and if they show mastery, can skip the related instruction. This feature saves students valuable time by only focusing on previously unmastered skills and concepts and successfully earning the needed course credit.

However, credit recovery isn’t right for every student who has an incomplete or failed course. High school transcripts reflect whether a class was passed as original credit or as credit recovery credit. Be thoughtful about which of your students are the best candidates for credit recovery. For example, the NCAA does not accept credit recovery courses, so aspiring college athletes should carefully review the requirements for nontraditional courses or take a different route to recover credit needed.

Simple Steps to Offering Credit Recovery or Summer Learning Opportunities

When you’re considering if and how to expand your offerings with credit recovery or summer learning options, follow these steps to simplify the process.

Identify Student Needs

Review your student population and determine what they need. For example, you may have a small group of students who have failed a course. Or, you may have students who need enrichment beyond what you are able to staff. Are there enough students to run a summer program or do you need selective support for credit recovery? Considering the unique needs of the students in your school will allow you to focus on the best possible options for your students and families.

Pick an Accredited Partner

Consider a partnership with an online school that can expand your course catalog and extend your own staff without burdening your school. A quality partner will allow you to increase your school’s offerings and reach. You may consider enrichment options like world languages, AP courses, and electives in addition to credit recovery and summer learning needs. These courses can provide exceptional value for students when an in-person learning option is not possible their school.

Investigate your options in an online course catalog from an accredited program that offers a wide selection of courses, including credit recovery. Also, gain assurance that students would have the individual attention and support of an expert teacher and that the program will handle the management tasks your school would otherwise have to take on.

Plan Productive Conversations

Determine which of your staff members will be your lead. For example, your guidance counselor or head of academics might manage communications with families around student needs and your course offerings, whether credit recovery or accelerated learning. Be sure that this point person is equipped with all the information and resources needed to navigate these conversations and recommendations smoothly.

Anticipate parent questions and provide families with resources. Be sure that your enrolled students and families know about the options available to them at any given time, through your school or your partners. If your school cannot offer expanded courses to families, point them in the right direction to find and enroll in required courses from an accredited program that your school will accept.

A Parent’s Guide to Credit Recovery, Summer Learning, and Beyond eBook

Help families understand the ways that they can support their children when they are falling behind in or failing a course. This eBook includes definitions, tips, and considerations for planning alternatives like credit recovery and summer learning.