Date of Conferral

10-4-2024

Degree

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

School

Education

Advisor

Sarah Inkpen

Abstract

Online credit recovery (OCR) allows US students at risk of dropping out of school to retake courses to meet graduation requirements and eventually graduate from high school. The problem addressed in this study is that despite participating in online English II credit recovery (ELA II OCR), students in a rural school district in North Florida still had a high failure rate on the Florida Standards Assessment English Language Arts (FSA-ELA) exam. This quantitative project study aimed to determine whether there was a relationship between ELA II OCR and FSA-ELA scores using deidentified archival data provided by the local school district’s graduation coach. The theoretical framework was derived from Vygotsky's social constructive theory, which emphasizes the role of social interaction in forming cognition. A linear regression analysis was used to model the relationship between the two variables on an interval scale. The linear regression analysis showed no correlation between the ELA II OCR and the FSA-ELA (p = 0.058). This finding indicated that students participating in OCR require specific support to help them reach their academic goals, prompting the development of a policy document with suggestions based on these students' academic performance. The recommendations include professional development that promotes inclusive and equitable learning environments, high-impact tutoring and mentorship programs, and a district research committee. Implementing the suggested policies could foster positive social change by improving the academic achievement of OCR students. This policy paper can be used as a model for addressing academic issues with OCR students at the local site and other schools with similar backgrounds, resulting in long-term positive social change.

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