Teachers’ task force recommends standardized, paid credit-recovery program with pass/fail grading

A teacher-led task force presented a districtwide plan to standardize online credit-recovery across Proviso Township High School District 209, recommending eligibility limits, monitored delivery, and a new fee structure.

Kurt Wolf Clemer, a math teacher at Proviso Math and Science Academy, said the task force found uneven use of online recovery programs across buildings and persistent academic-integrity and timeliness problems. The team proposed limiting online recovery to students who failed a course, offering it to 10th–12th graders only during the school year, requiring counselor placement and 80% attendance in scheduled classes, and capping students at two recovery credits per year.

The task force also recommended that credit-recovery courses begin with at least six weeks remaining in a semester, run and conclude within the same school year, and permit only one recovery course at a time to avoid student overload. "Courses must begin within at least six weeks remaining in the semester," Clemer said; "progress will be monitored regularly."

To preserve transcript and GPA integrity, the presenters proposed changing grading to pass/fail for recovered credits so the original failing grade remains on the record while successful recovery is recorded as "credit recovery." Carissa Gillespie, an English teacher at Proviso West, said the approach keeps the F visible on transcripts while preventing a recovered grade from artificially inflating a student’s GPA.

The task force also recommended a fee of $125 per half-credit (payment required before enrollment) to reintroduce financial accountability that was removed during the COVID-era rollout of free recovery options. Presenters said notification and consent procedures for parents will be tightened so families are informed before enrollment, and that refunds will not be issued for incomplete courses.

On oversight and academic integrity, the plan would require each student to be assigned a certified facilitator and an administrator for monitoring; assessments must be completed under supervision on school-issued devices when feasible. Staff noted the district will use monitoring software (e.g., GoGuardian) and emphasized that in-seat supervised assessment would reduce misuse of AI or other tools. "Academic integrity is required for all coursework," a presenter said; violations may result in discipline or removal from the course.

Presenters described program-monitoring measures, including annual reviews of enrollment, completion rates and credit attainment, and said the task force will continue to meet during initial implementation. Dr. Alvarez told the board the district will begin using the new platform in summer school and will standardize procedures to prioritize accountability and learning.

Next steps: the task force recommendations were presented for board review; implementation details, final approval and timelines were not finalized during the meeting.