High School Credit Recovery: Common and Disparate Features of Online and Teacher-Directed Courses

• In Event: The Use of Online Courses for High School Credit Recovery: Implementation, Initial Outcomes, and Costs

Abstract

Objectives
To describe how implementing an online curriculum changes the instructional environment in high school credit recovery classes, we examined the instructional features of the two types of classes offered as part of the study: online classes and classes that use a school’s typical teacher-directed curriculum. This paper presents initial findings about the instructional features of both types of classes.

Perspective
Proponents of online learning for credit recovery suggest that online classes may offer instructional features that promote struggling student’s academic success, particularly when the classes include support from an in-person teacher (Archambault et al., 2010; Powell, Roberts, & Patrick, 2015). These features include allowing students to move through course material at their own pace; providing individualized instructional support to students; and providing students with ongoing performance feedback. Furthermore, grading standards in online classes may be more uniform given the standardized assignments and assessments across classes.

Methods
We used descriptive statistics and linear regression modeling to estimate differences in the online and teacher-directed instructional features.

Data Sources
We administered a survey to teachers of the online and teacher-directed classes. The survey included questions about the following instructional features of their classes (see Table 1.1): students’ ability to move through the course at their own pace, the individualized support teachers provided students, and the performance feedback available to students. Teachers reported their agreement with statements about the features using a four-point scale ranging from 1 (“strongly disagree”) to 4 (“strongly agree”).

The survey also asked teachers about their criteria for assigning final course grades. Teachers reported the percentage of the final grade they based on three types of grading criteria: test and quiz performance, class assignments, and behavioral criteria such as attendance and effort.

Results
The instructional features in the two types of classes differed, but not always in the ways we expected (Figure 1.1). As expected, students’ ability to move through the course at their own pace was greater in online classes than in teacher-directed classes. Contrary to our expectations, teachers of online classes reported that their students received less individualized instructional support and similar levels of performance feedback. In addition, teachers of the online classes reported having less preparation and support to teach their class.

When assigning final course grades, teachers in online classes placed more emphasis on tests and quizzes, and less emphasis on class assignments and behavioral criteria (Figure 1.2).

Significance
The results demonstrate the challenge of implementing online credit recovery classes with the desired features that make them a promising alternative to teacher-directed classes. These challenges may be particularly salient for effectively supporting struggling students. The findings also raise questions about variability in teacher grading criteria. Session discussants will provide insight from a district administrator’s and an online course provider’s perspective about how districts can address these challenges to support the academic success of students attempting to recover course credit.

Authors

• Peggy Clements, American Institutes for Research

• Iliana Brodziak de los Reyes, American Institutes for Research

• Gurjeet Dhillon, REL Midwest

• Jordan Rickles, American Institutes for Research

• Jessica Heppen, American Institutes for Research