Ventura High’s credit recovery class helps credit deficient students graduate with their peers

With the fall semester coming to an end, final grades will soon be set in stone. This will be good news and bad news for students. The way that the Ventura High school system is set up, it is the semester grades that count on the transcript, so students need to have a passing grade in a class in order for it to count for graduation requirements. 

Fortunately, VHS offers an option to make up credits during the school year to help students graduate. Craig Carey, a new teacher at Ventura, teaches credit recovery. His class gives students an option to make up classes during the school year. 

“The class is basically an expansion of a classic study hall, but instead of just coming in and doing whatever homework you have for whatever class, it is specifically to recover the credit from classes that during COVID, or any other time in a students academic career they didn’t pass the class and earn the necessary credits,” said Carey.

This is a class for any student who needs to make up credits in order to be able to graduate. “All the core classes [are offered], English, science, history, math, plus a lot of electives — college and career — and PE. There’s some honors and some other classes they can do if they discuss it with their counselor,” said Carey. 

Olivia McCullough described Carey’s credit recovery class as, “A community full of positivity.” McMullough said, “It’s a great opportunity to catch up on things I missed.”

The class uses Edgenuity, an online schooling program that VUSD has been using since the early days of the pandemic in 2020. This program allows students to move at their own pace, and a real life teacher isn’t necessary. 

During the traditional summer school session, you are only able to make up credit for one class, or two semesters of classes. The credit recovery class lets students who have failed classes at any point in high school make up their credits for more than one class in order to be able to graduate. 

This year, Carey’s class is mostly students who weren’t able to get credit last year because of COVID-19 and the online schooling situation. Since online school didn’t work for everyone, there are many students who need to make up credits. VHS’s credit recovery class offers that option. 

Sophomore Roque Castro, who is currently in Carey’s class said, “If someone is struggling and/or needs assistance with making up credits I would definitely recommend taking Mr. Carey’s credit recovery class.”

Anyone who needs credits for a class is eligible to take Carey’s class. Carey offers many periods of this class. Talk to your counselor to enroll.