NC advanced the new grade-recovery program Edmentum from an after-school program to an actual course students can take to repair missed credits. For students struggling or failing classes, Edmentum can put students back on track and help them know exactly where they need assistance. If students struggle in a class, Edmentum serves as a self-speedway to progress a student to a passing grade. This program allows students to continue to thrive and meet their requirements for graduation.
“So we use it two ways, we’ve got Edmentum as a course where it meets credit recovery, so you’re recovering the credit. We [also] have it as a course extension which is after school and [allows students] extra help… teachers can individually assign stuff from Edmentum on their own to remediate years where students had difficulty throughout their actual class,” AP U.S. Government and Politics teacher Scott Trepanier said.
NC initially used the grade-recovery course, Gradpoint, but has used Edmentum for the past two years. NC does its best to always offer ways to help students stay on track for their scheduled graduation dates. Because NC seeks the best for its students, it prides itself in making sure students know about the consistent opportunities the school offers.
Edmentum originates from the merger of Plato Learning, an interactive computer-based program that specializes in education, and Archipelago Learning, an educational program used by students and educators all around Georgia. By assigning students to take tests and quizzes to move forward, Edmentum specializes in reteaching the students a course without specifically needing students to completely repeat it. If students pass one of the tests and show that they have excelled in the subject, they will not need to continue with that subject in the course. NC using this program not only helps students, but it maintains a high graduation rate. The state of Georgia maintains various ways to allow students to succeed, even though Edmentum receives 4.7 out of 5 in ratings. The state offers summer programs students can also participate in such as Cobb Virtual Academy, which allows students who struggle with the classroom setting to take their courses online.
“Students that end up in the Edmentum course are gonna be students who failed that particular course and we’re looking for a different way to have them take the course…what we find in a lot of students is that helps them get through a class and, then because they moved through their course relatively quickly than some students, are able to actually take the second course in that same class period which can help some students up who failed multiple classes,” Trepanier said
Edmentum also received approval from Georgia’s Department of Education. This approval proved Edmentum a credible and useful teaching resource in schools, showing that both students and educators benefit from it.
“The number one group of failures is freshmen…you could also go to Cobb Virtual Academy, retake a class that way but generally those are for students who probably the regular school setting isn’t the right environment for them…Paying attention to getting the credit the first time around is always the right decision because would you rather take any classes you prefer to take like an elective or have to retake the course and most students would rather have P.E.…but again there are students that for a variety of reasons they don’t succeed in the classroom, this is an opportunity for them to succeed,” Trepanier said
