HANCOCK COUNTY — It’s no secret that some students have struggled with virtual learning over the past year.
While grades won’t be official until the last final exam is tallied, educators know a higher percentage of students will likely have at least one failing grade than in previous years, due to virtual learning and missed days due to COVID-19 over the past year.
To help those whose grades have suffered, all four Hancock County school districts are offering students ways to recover credits in classes they fail this spring semester.
While credit recovery is a common practice at most high schools, Greenfield-Central High School is taking it to the next level.
Teachers will stick around for at least an additional week after the school year ends to help students on site with credit recovery. The school system is even providing food and drinks for students and staff.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for our kids who struggled this year to earn credits without having to take these classes over next year — starting completely over at square one,” the high school’s principal, Jason Cary, said in a recent newsletter to parents.
“This is a very unique opportunity to help keep these students on track for graduation,” he said.
The recovery support starts on Tuesday, June 1, and is open to any student who finishes with a final grade of 50% to 59%, which is an F but still high enough to potentially boost up to a passing grade of 60%.
“Signing your child up doesn’t mean a week-long commitment,” Cary said. “Once they earn a passing grade for the classes they qualify for, they are free to go.”
Cary said approximately 20 teachers will be at the high school working with students each day, from 10 a.m. to 2 p .m., to help them earn passing grades in the classes they are failing.
“If we feel there is a need to extend this into the second week and we have the staffing to do so, we may add some days the week of June 7,” he said.
Cary encourages parents of students who qualify to reach out to their child’s counselor to make arrangements to attend.
“We would love to see the building full of kids that first week, but we need your help,” he wrote to parents.
Educators are Mt. Vernon High School will also be offering onsite help, starting June 14 and running through the summer.
“Students will be able to work directly with teachers as they progress through the material,” said Maria Bond, director of community relations for the Mt. Vernon Community School Corporation.
Wes Anderson, director of school and community relations for the Southern Hancock schools, said the district would offer its normal summer program this year, with credit recovery for English and math.
“We are offering a few other options virtually through some third-party programs,” he said.
Adam Barton, principal at Eastern Hancock High School and Eastern Hancock Middle School, said those schools would also be offering some online courses to assist students with credit recovery.
Hancock County isn’t the only place where students have been struggling.
“We know that the pandemic had widespread implications on schools across our state,” said Holly Lawson, deputy director of communications for the Indiana Department of Education.
Lawson said that based on this year’s results from ILEARN — the state-administered proficiency assessment of student performance — the data is showing that the impact virtual learning has made on individual students has varied greatly.
“Some have continued to excel, while others have struggled to master fundamental skills,” Lawson said. “We know that it’s going to take a long-term approach to recover, with a focus on supporting individual students’ learning needs.”
It seems the state is moving toward making virtual learning a thing of the past. As the 2020-21 school year comes to a close, Lawson said that 99% of Indiana schools are self-reporting being open for in-person instruction, most of them five days a week.
