Choosing a Credit Recovery Program for Your High School Student

Choosing a credit recovery program for your high school student can be a challenge, but if you consider the criteria you most need ahead of time, you'll be able to choose a program that will allow your student to excel.

There are a variety of reasons why students might be missing high school credits. Excessive absences, trouble with a particular subject, and even teachers that a student didn't get along with can all factor into the problem. That means that when it comes time to choose a credit recovery program, you need to be sure that you're making a decision that will give your student the chance to not only pass the required course, but grasp the material in a way that will stay with them as they use it as the foundation for their next class.

Choose a program that will allow your student to work at their own pace.

Many high school credit recovery programs are designed to allow your child to complete the work quickly--not necessarily at a pace that will lead to understanding. While you want your child to be able to work quickly, you also want them to be able to take the time they need to really understand the material, especially if they failed the course the first time because of poor comprehension. Online credit recovery programs are ideal for this because they allow your child to work at their own pace, accessing the material whenever they need to throughout the duration of the course.

Choose a program that will allow your child to make up multiple courses in a single semester without leaving them overwhelmed.

Sometimes, it isn't just lack of understanding or attention that causes your child to fail a course. If your child has been ill or has attendance issues for other reasons, they often fail courses simply because they haven't been present to turn in the assignments. Choose a credit recovery program that will allow them to make up classes quickly. American High School, for example, allows students to make up as many as two middle or high school classes at a time, taking six to eight weeks to work through the material. Over the course of a semester, this will allow your student to make up several different courses at once.

Choose a program with teachers who care about your child's success.

In many brick and mortar schools, it's hard to find a teacher who wants to work with the credit recovery programs. They take them because they have to, or because they're trying to make extra money during the summer. You want a program where the teachers are dedicated to seeing your student succeed.

Choose the program that occurs at the right time for your student.

Does your student need to work through the summer in order to catch up on classes missed during the regular semester, or is it better for them to add a class or two at a time during the regular school year? Some students need the break offered by summer vacation more than they need to pack their summer full of makeup work, while others become quickly overwhelmed by adding on more classes on top of what they're already taking during the school semester. Choose the time that works best for your student's individual needs.

Your student's situation is as unique as they are. No matter what has caused your student to need a credit recovery program, you want to help them succeed. By following these criteria, you can help increase their odds of success and give them a chance to make up those missing credits and graduate on time.

The author is a specialized writer, possessing finer strategic information in the field marking children’s health and happiness. With the medium of this article, he portrayed various steps to focusing on children’s well being.