Credit Recovery

Credit recovery programs are a form of alternative learning in which students have an additional opportunity to gain credit, or pass, a previously failed class by retaking the course, either in full or with key standards. Although little scientific research exists regarding the effectiveness of credit recovery, in addition to the short- and long-term impacts that it has on students, research has determined that students of color and students with disabilities are disproportionally represented within credit recovery programs. As a result, some of a school's most vulnerable students end up in credit recovery programs and directly experience the inequitable implications of the programming. This chapter examines the history of credit recovery, the studies that have sought to address its effectiveness as an intervention, the inequalities that the system has inadvertently created, and future recommendations for consideration.

Student Voice in School Improvement: A Principal in the Nuevo South Reflects on a Student-Centered Practitioner Inquiry

The purpose of this brief is to share my reflections as a practitioner-scholar conducting a student-centered inquiry. My dissertation sought to provide a channel for accessing Latinx students’ voices regarding their experiences in credit recovery programs. I share what I learned from students and how the power harnessed by the input of authentic student voice is now driving instructional change throughout the building and the district. I conclude with recommendations for other practitioners on ways they may begin to include students in school improvement efforts as co-leaders, co-researchers, and co-policy actors.

Policy window in a pandemic: How a computer science RPP fostered equity in credit recovery

The Chicago Alliance for Equity in Computer Science is a research-practice partnership that is working to broaden the participation of Chicago Public Schools’ students in computer science. For this study, we applied the multiple streams approach from theories of the policy process (Kingdon, 1995; Zahariadis, 2014) to explain how the COVID-19 pandemic helped open a policy window for the continued use of synchronous online instruction during the implementation of an equity-centered computer science credit recovery option in Chicago.

A Quantitative Study on Credit Recovery Curricula for Improving High School Graduation Rates

<p>A quantitative, ex post facto causal comparative study methods was used to determine the impacts of implementing credit recovery into high school curricula on graduation rates. A thematic literature review described the particular areas of the literature and research purpose. The target sample was Illinois high school districts with and without credit recovery programs implemented and for years 2007-2010 pre-implementation and years 2011-2014 post-implementation. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to test the multiple continuous dependent variables, high school graduation rates and the hypotheses regarding the effect of credit recovery programs on graduation rates. Results indicated there was no statistically significant difference between groups even when controlling for attendance. Recommendations and suggestions for future research were provided.</p>

A Quantitative Study on Credit Recovery Curricula for Improving High School Graduation Rates

<p>A quantitative, ex post facto causal comparative study methods was used to determine the impacts of implementing credit recovery into high school curricula on graduation rates. A thematic literature review described the particular areas of the literature and research purpose. The target sample was Illinois high school districts with and without credit recovery programs implemented and for years 2007-2010 pre-implementation and years 2011-2014 post-implementation. A multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was conducted to test the multiple continuous dependent variables, high school graduation rates and the hypotheses regarding the effect of credit recovery programs on graduation rates. Results indicated there was no statistically significant difference between groups even when controlling for attendance. Recommendations and suggestions for future research were provided.</p>