Credit Recovery Toolkit
Credit recovery helps more students stay on track to graduate while protecting district performance and funding. Done well, it’s a strategic way to improve outcomes, support equity, and ensure temporary setbacks don’t become permanent.
The State of Graduation
Graduating high school is a pivotal milestone because it unlocks opportunity. A diploma opens the door to higher education, career training, and stable employment, while significantly increasing lifetime earning potential. Beyond academics, earning a high school degree builds confidence, resilience, and essential life skills that help students navigate adulthood. Simply put, high school graduation isn’t just the end of a journey; it’s a powerful launchpad for long-term success and economic mobility.
$10,000 more
Annual salary of a worker with a diploma compared to one without
$800,000 more
Career earnings of an Associate's degree holder
$170,000
Amount a high school graduate will contribute to the local economy
Credit Recovery Program Needs Analysis
Credit recovery programs look different in every school and district because students—and communities—have different needs. This analysis serves as a practical guide to help you clarify priorities, streamline requirements, and design a credit recovery program that truly fits your students. It also helps ensure your program runs smoothly today and is ready to grow when expansion comes next.
Reimaging the Path to Graduation
Credit Recovery Best Practices
Research‑backed credit recovery best practices ensure students don’t just earn credits, but rebuild understanding, confidence, and momentum toward graduation.
Engaged, Mastery-Based Learning
Digital Promise-certified curricula provide interactive, active-learning experiences that promote long-term retention and student ownership of learning.
Proven, ESSA-Evidenced Outcomes
Research shows Courseware improves attendance, national assessment performance, and course completion across diverse students and districts.
Flexible Implementation with Integrity
Courseware prioritizes academic integrity while offering districts customizable sequencing, mastery settings, and user permissions to align with local policies.
Options to Address Staffing Gaps & Scale Program Design
Edmentum’s state-certified virtual teachers can support credit recovery courses, helping districts manage staff shortages and deliver effective instruction.
“We’re not just saying, ‘You failed the class; here’s a computer, go log on, and let us know when you’re done. It’s not ‘sit-and-get’ content. We want it to be interactive. We want it to be meaningful. We want to make sure that they're engaged and that they’re earning credits they can be really proud of.”
Building Credit Recovery with Integrity
Academic integrity in credit recovery requires a systematic, intentional design, not a single tool or rule. High‑integrity programs combine strong curriculum alignment, meaningful assessment practices, adult oversight, and clear expectations for students.
Standards-Aligned, Mastery-Based Curriculum
Credit recovery coursework should be fully aligned to state standards and district graduation requirements—not shortened, diluted, or “credit-only” work.
Valid, Secure Assessments
Strong programs include: frequent checks for understanding embedded throughout instruction, multiple assessment types, and secure end-of-course or unit assessments that truly measure mastery.
Maintain Adult Oversight and Instructional Support
High-integrity programs ensure: certified educators or trained facilitators are actively involved, adults monitor progress, pacing, and assessment results, and teachers intervene when students stall, rush, or show inconsistent performance
Set Clear Student Expectations and Accountability
Maintain rigor with clear policies around plagiarism, AI use, and collaboration, honor codes or integrity agreements, and consequences for academic dishonesty that mirror traditional coursework
Helping Districts Give Students Options
See how your colleagues deployed these ideas to generate student success.
How can Edmentum help?
Courseware
Digital curricula for grade 6 through adult learners help students reach graduation goals and beyond through flexible, personalized first-time credit, credit recovery, and expanded course access.
Courses & Curriculum
Targeted Skills Instruction
Our intensive, K–12 virtual tutoring closes learning gaps and propels academic growth with program flexibility to target and support unique student needs.
Instructional Services
EdOptions Academy
Our virtual, human-centered instruction combines best-in-class K–12 learning technology with [state]-certified teachers to provide sustainable, in-district programs that grant every student a front-row seat to learning.
Instructional Services
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