Mojave District to extend credit program
CALIFORNIA CITY — The Mojave Unified School District is extending its Credit Retrieval program for high school students to the end of the first quarter of the current school semester.
Director of Special Education Richard Little announced the extension of the program on Tuesday night during a regular meeting of the governing Board for the District.
The purpose of the program is to identify where students are deficient in credits and help them make it up. The program also allows students to graduate on time with their peers and to be more successful when completing high school.
“Ninth grade seems to be hardest on kids,” Little said.
“It’s best to catch it early to boost their self-esteem.”
The summer program, which has operated for the last six years, usually begins at the end of the school year and last until right before July 4.
This year, the program began on June 5, right when the school year ended, and 137 students were enrolled in classes they needed to make up credits for.
Students can work at their own pace to complete their classes. Courses that are covered in the program include English, math, science, history, physical education and electives.
Due to the ongoing pandemic, changes were made to the program to accommodate social distancing guidelines.
“It’s usually done on a physical campus,” Little said.
The District had to adjust and move the program into a virtual environment according to Little.
California City High School Counselor Nicole Williford and teachers James Clack, Daniel Williford and Debra Howard were assigned to students to keep them on track, motivate them and answer any question they might have.
“Having additional teachers has allowed us to accept more students, including freshman who only needed to make up a class or two to get back on track early,” Nicole Williford said.
The teachers also made phone calls to their students and families to identify which ones needed a Chromebook or a Hotspot to help with the move online.
Distance learning did come with some setbacks as communication between teachers and students proved to be difficult sometimes.
In a post-COVID future, some type of hybrid model would help maintain increased support and connection with the students, according to feedback from the teachers.
Of 137 students enrolled, 38 students were in ninth grade, 43 in 10th grade, 54 in 11th grade, and two in 12th grade. At the time of the meeting, 440 credits were recovered and 96 students were still in the program.