Q&A: Can I Take Online Classes to Catch Up on Credits?

Answer: There are some online schools that offer credit recovery courses for students such as yourself who have fallen short in credits and would like to catch up to their peers. The first thing you need to do, however, is contact your guidance counselor and discuss your options. You should also acquire pre-approval for the courses that you are interested in completing through online coursework to be certain that your high school will accept the transcript and grant you credit for the courses taken. Course acceptance may vary by school district. As well, in advance, be sure the online school provides you with a course description and a time frame for completion -- information that may be helpful to your guidance counselor and school in determining the transfer value.

That said, online courses can provide you with the flexibility you need to catch up on your coursework and be able to graduate with your classmates. The instruction is individualized and most online courses are taught with mastery of content in mind, so this will enable you to work at your own pace, possibly at a more rapid rate than you might at your school. Some of these courses may also have a pre-assessment. If you have already mastered some of the content then it may not be necessary to repeat those topics.

Online courses also offer you the privacy to work on content in your own home, avoiding distractions that you may find at your local school. You may want to keep in mind, however, that not all courses that are required for graduation may be offered at an online school. Yet, you do have the option of enrolling in an online school full-time to avoid questions or concerns related to the transfer of credits.