How Courseware Can Address Skill, Unit, and Credit Recovery

District leaders must ensure that credit recovery programs meet students' needs by providing meaningful learning experiences that lead to mastery.

In this article, we’ll discuss how Courseware can help address skill, unit, and credit recovery requirements by delivering content in a flexible format that educators can customize to meet their needs.

Types of Recovery Needs 

The differences among the three major recovery options are how they are tailored for students with various needs. One is designed for students in need of short-term intervention to address knowledge gaps, one strategically helps students who are in danger of failing catch up, and one provides long-term intervention in order for students to recover credits and graduate. 

• Skill Recovery – Skill recovery is in-the-moment remediation, although it may be part of a formalized intervention program. If students need additional help, or if they were meant to learn foundational skills in a school year but didn’t due to COVID-19-related or other disruptions, skill recovery is a targeted way to provide learning to help address skill gaps and prevent students from falling behind in class.
• Unit Recovery – Unit recovery is strategic intervention. If students didn’t pass a particular unit test because there are still concepts they’re struggling with, this puts them in danger of failing the quarter or semester. With unit recovery, educators can provide students additional instruction on information they were supposed to have mastered in a unit so that they can make up their work, retake (and pass!) the unit exam, and avoid failing the course.
• Credit Recovery – Credit recovery falls into the realm of long-term intervention. While skill and unit recovery address short-term learning gaps, credit recovery comes into play when students have failed an entire course that they need to pass to graduate. This is the most intensive of the recovery needs and the one that students need the most flexibility in. 

Ways Courseware Can Help 

Courseware offers two different tools that can help educators customize curricula for specific recovery needs. 

• Custom Course Builder – The Custom Course Builder allows schools to modify, design, and manage courses so they meet the unique needs at the district, school, and individual student level—making these courses ideal for credit recovery programs. We’ve received much positive feedback from districts saying that they appreciate the flexibility and efficiency of custom courses that they can assign repeatedly throughout the school year and during the summer. Only account administrators can create custom courses. Learn how to use Custom Course Builder.
• Flex Assignments – In contrast to the large scope that custom courses address, Flex Assignments are supplemental assignments that allow educators to find and assign content that supports individual learners or small groups of students, making this type of assignment ideal for unit and skill recovery. Both instructors and account administrators can create Flex Assignments. Learn how to use Flex Assignments. 

With the help of Courseware, educators have the tools they need to create customized courses and assignments that will help address all three types of intervention needs students have to ensure that they are setting up their students for success. 

Ready to learn more? Take a look at our online credit recovery resources, like our credit recovery program planning guide, workbook, and webinar on customizable credit recovery tips.