Assessing the Efficacy of Online Credit Recovery in Algebra I for At-Risk Ninth Graders

• In Event: High School Reform: Examining Factors Related to Attendance, School Engagement, and Credit Recovery

Abstract

The consequences of failing core academic courses during the first year of high school are dire, and students who fail Algebra I in particular are very unlikely to graduate. The authors are currently conducting a rigorous study designed to elucidate the ways that students can successfully recover credits and get back on track for graduation. The study examines the impacts on students’ achievement and other academic outcomes of taking an online Algebra I course for credit recovery in the summer after ninth grade, versus taking a standard face-to-face (f2f) version of the course. This paper describes the design, methods, implementation, and early outcomes of the study, and discusses implications for ongoing and future research.

Authors

• Jessica Heppen, American Institutes for Research

• Kirk Walters, American Institutes for Research

• Elaine M. Allensworth, University of Chicago

• Amber Stitziel Pareja, Consortium on Chicago School Research At The University of Chicago

• Nicholas Andrew Sorensen, American Institutes for Research

• Anja Kurki, American Institutes for Research

• Suzanne Stachel, American Institutes for Research

• Takako Nomi, St. Louis University