A Choice Between Second Chances: An Analysis of How Students Address Course Failure

• In Event: 45.052 - Classrooms, Tracks, and Programs: Curricular Locations and Their Consequence

Abstract

Almost one in five high school students in North Carolina fails at least one core, required course every year. After failure, students have two options to regain course credit: repeat the course traditionally or credit recovery (CR). CR refers to an abbreviated version of the course students take online to regain course credit. This study seeks to quantify how often students enroll in each option as well as the effectiveness of each option in helping students to regain course credit. Findings indicate that CR enrollment is growing and beginning to crowd out the option of repeating courses traditionally. Students enrolled in CR have odds that are 2.5 times higher of earning course credit than students repeating courses traditionally.

Author

• Samantha L Viano, George Mason University