Lenoir City Board of Education

Alternative Credit Options via Distance Learning and eLearning

In addition to regular classroom-based instruction, students may earn credit toward academic goals including but not limited to graduation through any one or a combination of the following options as described below:

VIRTUAL / ON-LINE COURSES

High school students may also  earn high school credits to be applied toward graduation requirements by completing online courses offered through Lenoir City School’s Virtual Instruction Program and courses accredited by official agencies and approved by the Board of Education.  The director shall annually determine tuition rates for virtual on-line courses and make them known and available by the beginning of each school year.

Students applying for permission to take a virtual course shall have parental permission, complete prerequisites, and provide teacher / counselor recommendations to confirm the student possesses the maturity level needed to function effectively in an online learning environment.  In addition the approval of the Chief Technology Officer / designee shall be obtained before a student enrolls in a virtual course.  The school must receive an official record of the final grade as well as interim progress reports before credit toward graduation will be recognized.

Through a supervision plan, the school shall be responsible for providing appropriate supervision and monitoring of students taking virtual courses.  All virtual courses must be credentialed by a recognized authority.

CREDIT RECOVERY

Credit recovery is a course‐specific, standards based extended learning opportunity for students who have previously been unsuccessful in mastering the standards required to receive course credit or earn promotion. Credit recovery programs, in general, have a primary focus of helping students stay in school and graduate on time.

a.              Admission and Removal

i.               Students shall not be admitted or enrolled in credit recovery courses unless all of the following are true:

1. The student’s parent or legal guardian gives written consent for the student to enroll in the proposed credit recovery course. Parents/guardians should be informed that not all postsecondary institutions will accept credit recovery courses for credit and that the NCAA Clearinghouse will not accept credit recovery courses for credit.

2. The student has previously taken an initial, non-credit recovery section of the proposed course. Credit recovery is designed to be a remediation option for students, and a credit recovery course shall not be the first time a student is exposed to the course content.

3. The student mastered at least fifty percent (50%) of the course standards as evidenced by the course grade in a non-credit recovery section of the course or a diagnostic assessment. Students who mastered below fifty percent (50%) of the course standards as evidenced by the course grade in a non-credit recovery section of the course or a diagnostic assessment, must retake the course.

ii.              If a student is seeking to recover credit for the first semester of a two (2)-semester course, the student may not receive the full credit for the course until they have enrolled in and passed the second semester of the course and taken any applicable End of Course examinations.

iii.                 Students may be removed from credit recovery programs for issues related to attendance, discipline, availability of coursework, availability of space, appropriate progress, and grades.

iv.                  Lenoir City Schools shall track and designate students enrolled in credit recovery courses as directed by the Tennessee Department of Education.

b.              Instruction

i.               Students enrolled in any credit recovery courses must be assigned to a teacher of record.

ii.              Credit recovery teachers of record must be endorsed and certified in any content area(s) for   which they oversee credit recovery courses.

iii.            Credit recovery teachers of record must be responsible for reviewing initial student diagnostic results; assisting in determining appropriate goals, coursework, and assignments for students; working closely with credit recovery facilitators on class content and instruction; and reviewing final student work.

iv.             Credit recovery facilitators may be responsible for day-to-day oversight and facilitation of credit recovery programs, under the guidance of the credit recovery teacher of record.

v.              Lenoir City Schools shall ensure that credit recovery facilitators receive training pertaining to the credit recovery course organization, online instruction management, and related technology.

vi.             Lenoir City Schools shall ensure that all credit recovery courses:

1. Align with Tennessee’s current academic standards for the relevant course content area, as approved by the State Board of Education.

2. Are able to differentiate instruction to address individual student growth needs based on diagnostic assessment or End of Course data.

vii.           Credit Recovery content may be delivered through instructional technology.

viii.           Students in Credit Recovery programs:

1. Shall complete a course standard-specific diagnostic to determine standard-specific goals.

2. Shall meet individual standard-specific goals in a flexible time frame as established by identified student need.

3. May be required to complete additional assignments as directed by the credit recovery teacher of record.

3. Shall master all individualized standard-specific goals and assignments as established by the diagnostic process and the credit recovery teacher of record, in order to earn credit.

c.              Grades

i.               Students passing credit recovery shall receive a grade of seventy percent (70%).

ii.           The student transcript shall denote that the credit was attained through credit recovery.

iii.           The original failing grade will be listed on the transcript, but shall not factor into

the students GPA, in accordance with the State Board of Education’s Uniform Grading Policy (3.103).

OTHER CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES

High school students may earn, through other approved agencies to include, but not limited to, correspondence, academic credit to be applied toward graduation requirements.  Only two (2) units may be earned during any one (1) school year.  Only courses offered by agencies and institutions accredited by official agencies recognized by the Tennessee Department of Education and not offered by Lenoir City Schools Virtual Instruction Program will be accepted.  The express approval of the principal / designee shall be obtained before the course is taken.  The principal / designee and the student will agree on a reasonable date for completion of the correspondence course(s).  The student shall not be allowed credit if the course is not completed by the agreed date.  An official record of the final grade must be received by the school before a diploma may be issued to the student.  Under ordinary circumstances, students or their parents / guardians shall pay for approved correspondence courses the student chooses to take.