By JENNY ALPAUGH – Print Managing Editor
Clarke Central High School currently utilizes Education2020 for the credit recovery. But according to school personnel, it is only successful when students are motivated to learn.
One student is taking Math I, another is taking American Lit./Comp. and a third student is taking biology.
All of this is taking place in the same classroom.
Education2020 is a virtual learning environment Clarke Central High School uses primarily for credit recovery, thus allowing eight or more courses to take place simultaneously in one room.
These classes are held during zero and fifth period before and after school, as well as during the school day.
Because various virtual courses happen in one room with one facilitator, there isn’t a specialized teacher in each e2020 lab to answer specific questions.
“You don’t have any one-on-one teaching. You don’t have a person that can actually analyze what you are struggling with or need help with,” head football coach and e2020 facilitator Leroy Ryals said. “Like me, I’m a dumb old football coach, and if someone asks me how to graph a quadratic equation, I’m lost, I’m done, I can’t help them. So they have to go back to their math teacher, or come after school to get math tutoring.”
Daytime credit recovery classes are filled almost to capacity — a student can be found in front of almost every single computer in the labs allocated for e2020, Labs 207, 301 and 302. Some students are intently focused and working diligently towards finishing their respective course.
However, others browse the Internet looking at websites that have nothing to do with their learning when the classroom facilitator isn’t giving them one-on-one attention.
In spite of the best of intentions from teachers, student motivation, like in any learning environment, remains the biggest roadblock to success.
The “Lady in the Box,” as e2020 has come to be known to CCHS administrators, can’t tell if a student is or is not paying attention, if they’ve fallen asleep or if they don’t understand the material at all.
E2020 was implemented at CCHS three years ago, as a replacement for Novanet, a virtual learning environment deemed less rigorous by school personnel.
Before Novanet, those who needed to recover credits were placed into “Encore” classes. These courses housed students who had to repeat a particular class.
“It (wasn’t) that many years ago, where everyone who failed ninth grade (literature). was put in one class. That’s not really a great environment,” CCHS International Baccalaureate/Gifted Collaborator and Scheduler Dr. Meri Blackburn said. “I’m not saying that was a bad thing, but it was tough on teachers, and it was tough on the other kids in the room.”
Is e2020 a better solution than “Encore” classes?
Yes.
Is it the best solution for credit recovery?
Probably not.
But it’s the solution we have available now. And for some students e2020 courses have been their key to graduation.
E2020 allows a student to put in their headphones, listen to virtual lectures and take quizzes at their own pace. If a student is motivated, this is a positive aspect of e2020, because they are able to focus on their individual learning journey, rather than being distracted by others.
But for those who are less willing to learn, they may lose focus without a teacher constantly making sure they are on track.
E2020 may not be the best type of credit recovery, but these courses give a student a second chance at passing a class. And it’s undeniable that e2020 has allowed numerous students to walk across the graduation stage.
