When Students Fail English: Implementation and Initial Outcomes for an Online Credit Recovery Course

• In Event: Implementation, Outcomes, and Equity Implications of Online Instruction for Credit Recovery in High Schools

Abstract

Objective
Use of online credit recovery is a growing trend across the country, with the hope that online courses will help students get back on track toward graduation. But expanded use of online credit recovery has outpaced the research. As concerns mount over how much students learn in online courses and questions arise about how to best implement online credit recovery, there is a critical need for rigorous evidence about the effective use of online credit recovery. This presentation addresses this need by presenting findings from an experimental study that examined the implementation and effectiveness of an online English credit recovery course.

Perspective
Online courses are delivered in varying formats. Some are fully online and completely self-paced; others are hybrid or blended models that combine online learning with direct teacher support (Staker & Horn, 2012; Watson & Ryan, 2006). The promise of online courses for credit recovery lies in features afforded by the technology that, when utilized, can result in courses designed to meet the specific needs of academically at-risk students. These features include diagnostic assessments to “personalize” content; interactive tools to promote engagement; lessons that consistently employ evidence-based models for structuring concepts; and flexibility that allows students to progress through course material at their own pace (Archambault et al., 2010; Bakia et al., 2013; Blackboard K–12, 2009; Dynarski et al, 2008; Mayer, 2011; Mayer & Moreno, 2003; U.S. Department of Education, 2009).

Methods
We conducted a multisite randomized study in a large urban school district to test an online curriculum for credit recovery, where an online provider supplied the main course content and curriculum, and the school provided the in-class teacher who could supplement the digital instruction. The study focused on students in 15 schools who failed their ninth grade English course and retook the course during the summer before their second year of high school or during their second year. Students were randomly assigned within schools to take the credit recovery course in an online class (treatment) or a business-as-usual teacher-directed class (control).

Data Sources
We collected the following data for the study: (1) teacher survey to measure instructional features; (2) student survey to measure student experiences in the course; (3) end-of-course student test to measure English content knowledge; and (4) course final grades. The data sources and measures are described in Table 1.

Results
Preliminary results indicate that treatment classes had more individualized pacing but less instructional support than the control classes. Treatment teachers also reported feeling less prepared/supported to teach the class and relied more on test scores to determine final grades than control teachers. Students assigned to the treatment and control classes had similar experiences in the class (see Figure 1) and similar test scores (see Figure 2). But treatment students were less likely to pass the class (see Figure 3).

Significance
These findings raise broader questions about how to effectively incorporate online curricula into credit recovery courses and the use of digital learning for students at risk of dropping out of high school.

Authors

• Jordan Rickles, American Institutes for Research

• Jessica Heppen, American Institutes for Research

• Rui Yang, Facebook

• Peggy Clements, American Institutes for Research

• Iliana Brodziak de los Reyes, American Institutes for Research