Course Progression for Students Who Fail Algebra I in Ninth Grade

The Back on Track study investigated the impact of online versus face-to-face Algebra I credit recovery on students’ academic outcomes and the effects over time of expanding credit recovery options for at-risk students, as well as aspects of how the two types of credit recovery courses were implemented.

This sixth and final brief in the series describes the course progression of students who failed Algebra I in ninth grade in the large urban school district where the study took place, to help determine the importance of Algebra I failure and recovery for student success in subsequent courses and, ultimately, high school graduation.
 

Key Findings

• Math credit accumulation was not significantly different for students in the online and face-to-face credit recovery courses. By the end of their fourth year, students in the online course and the face-to-face course were approximately one to two semester credits short, on average, of the six math semesters required for graduation: 4.6 credits for the online group and 4.7 credits for the face-to-face group.
• Graduation rates were not significantly different for students in the online and face-to-face credit recovery courses. Just under half of students (47%) in the online course and the face-to-face course graduated from high school within 4 years.