Success Stories > Summer School Credit Recovery in Pennsylvania

Novel reduces "red" in
Pennsylvania school's summer budget

BANGOR, Pa. - Operating in the red is no longer an issue with Bangor Area High School's summer school program.

Since the school began using EdOptions' Web-based Novel as its core curriculum four years ago, administrators have saved thousands of dollars.

Novel, a library of 39 Web-based core and elective courses available anytime, from anywhere with an Internet connection, has been the perfect fit for the 55-student program because only one teacher is needed to oversee each subject, Boyd said.

"I only need four teachers to deliver the entire summer school curriculum: math, science, history, and English," said Bangor Area High Assistant Principal Jack Boyd. "We would need four-times the amount of teachers for summer school if we didn't use Novel.and I couldn't afford that."

“We would need four-times the amount of teachers for summer school if we didn’t use Novel…and I couldn’t afford that.”

Novel has not only helped cut summer school expenses, but has also bolstered academic performance. To date, the program has experienced a 95 percent success rate with nearly all students completing their courses, Boyd said.

During the summer of 2004, however, a new superintendent who preferred direct instruction eliminated Web-based learning, and the school returned to a traditional classroom format. As a result, only 50 percent of students completed their courses that year.

This drop in success further validated Novel's effectiveness and they reinstated the program.

"My summer school kids in general aren't as disciplined and that's usually why they've failed a course," Boyd said. "This (Web-based summer school) offers them a chance" because they can see their progress and it encourages them.

“Anytime, anywhere—as long as there’s an Internet connection—you can do your work.”

For five weeks, students earn credit by attending classes four hours a day in Bangor Area High's computer labs. Though much of the time remains devoted to Novel courses, the program is now a hybrid of both direct-instruction and Web-based learning.

Bangor Area High School
Bangor, Pennsylvania
Size: 1,250 students

For more info contact:
Jack Boyd, assistant principal
(610) 599-7711 ext. 1802

EdOptions
1-866-243-7460

And Novel is a big hit with summer school teachers, too.

Instructors love Novel because they don't have to spend time creating lesson plans from scratch, and Novel's internal grading system cuts down on their administrative burdens, allowing them more one-on-one time with students, Boyd said.

Encouraged by the program's success, the assistant principal has found additional uses for the program: from helping expelled students finish their education to giving homebound students the flexibility to work at any time of day.

"Curriculum availability and accessibility is my favorite part of Novel," Boyd said. "Anytime, anywhere-as long as there's an Internet connection-you can do your work."