North High credit recovery: Colorado Dept. of Education probe reveals problems with program

After concerns about North High School's credit recovery program were raised in the Westword cover story "Passing on Education," Denver Public Schools asked the Colorado Department of Education to investigate allegations that students were allowed to cheat on online courses. The results of that investigation are now in -- and...

By Melanie Asmar

September 30, 2011

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After concerns about North High School's credit recovery program were raised in the Westword cover story "Passing on Education," Denver Public Schools asked the Colorado Department of Education to investigate allegations that students were allowed to cheat on online courses. The results of that investigation are now in -- and they're not very good.

For instance, the report notes:

Concerns that some seniors with attendance problems were allowed to enroll in and take the final tests in certain credit recovery courses very close to graduation were confirmed. While those who received credit earned the 80% mastery score required, these students should not have been granted access to the credit recovery option... The goal was to ensure that students did not see the credit recovery program as a "reward" for truancy.

What else did the investigation reveal? And what does DPS plan to do about it?

Check the Latest Word on Monday for more.

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Melanie Asmar is a staff writer for Westword. She joined the paper in 2009 and has won awards for her stories about education, immigration and epic legal battles. Got a tip? She'd love to hear it.

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