Over the past four years, Powell High School has been developing a program that allows students who have failed a class to regain credit and eligibility.
This semester 24 students have taken advantage of the credit recovery program, a second chance to earn credit from failing a class the semester before and to regain eligibility for activities or athletics.
“Anybody who received a 45% to a 59% has that opportunity to recover their credit,” Principal Mr. Timothy Wormald said. “Those students have maybe learned enough in that class to get to the point where we would feel comfortable with them trying to fill the gaps that they have that didn’t demonstrate to be able to earn that passing grade.”
This program has all teachers involved formulate an Individual Learning Plan, or ILP, for each student to complete over the course of about four weeks. This year the deadline is Feb. 2. If the ILP is not completed by then, the student either has to attend summer school or retake the entire course the following year.
Anybody who received a 45% to a 59% has that opportunity to recover their credit. Those students have maybe learned enough in that class to get to the point where we would feel comfortable with them trying to fill the gaps that they have that didn’t demonstrate to be able to earn that passing grade.
— Principal Mr. Timothy Wormald
“We put the deadline of February 2nd because it matches up with the length of summer school; three to four weeks,” Wormald said. “We also don’t want students trying to keep up with this semester’s work while also trying to focus on last semester’s work. As the semester goes on, we don’t want students stuck on a course from last semester and getting behind in their current classes.”
While this program doesn’t last long, the shorter timeline will prove to be beneficial to the students involved. It encourages them to just get the work done and be able to move forward with High School.
“I am given a list of students and all of the ILPs,” Student Success Coordinator Mr. Jason Quigley said. “I give the ILPs to the students, and they have many different opportunities to complete them. They can come in during Panther Time, lunch, after school, or even during night school.”
Quigley is heading the credit recovery program this year and is making sure to provide students with the support they need.
“This is a brand new program for me, and from what I understand pretty new to the school district as well,” Quigley said. “I think it becomes a communication thing, from getting the paperwork in to getting students board, to making it clear what needs to get done to have a 60% or better in that class.”
Although it is a new program, students are already seeing success with it. Jumping from three students to 24 in just a year. This program will continue to improve in the coming years and will only become a better opportunity for those involved. It will be going hand in hand with the other newly implemented program detailed by feature editor Caitlin Belmont in a previously published article, as well as the implications for college life detailed in a separate article. The success of both will have tangible impacts for generations of students to come.
“I wouldn’t want to take time out of my summer to go and do schoolwork,” sophomore Ryan Matiella said. “Having people there that I can ask questions to for help has helped me a lot.”
