A credit recovery program that allows Columbia County high school students to regain credits for semester classes they failed during the school year is putting them back on track for graduation.

Students who pass a credit recovery semester course, which is taken online, will receive a half-credit toward their high school graduation requirements.

"The expediency part of it is what the drawing card is," said Michael Canady, the school system's director of alternative programs, adding that the program is designed for students who barely fail a class. "It just seemed ridiculous to make them sit through the entire course again."

Almost all of the participants are high school students, but there are some exceptions.

Tia White, 21, is taking second-semester biology through credit recovery. She should have graduated from Evans High School in 2006, but she was 11/2 credits short at the end of her senior year. Ms. White said she regained two credits in summer school that year but failed biology in an online Georgia Virtual School class for the third time.

"I kind of gave up after I failed it that third time. I was real discouraged," she said.

But Ms. White said she has scored in the 90s on her credit recovery tests.

Students take a test before and after each unit in the program. They cannot advance to the next unit until they pass the previous test, and they must take the final exam at Evans High by July 11.

The graduation coaches at the county's four high schools proctor the exams and closely monitor progress.

"This is a little different from the other online courses. This just eliminates a lot of the parts of the course that slows students down," said Lauren Swearingen, Evans High's graduation coach. "This is strictly about content mastery. If they can prove that they have mastered the content under the Georgia Performance Standards, they move right on."

Evans High has 45 students in the program. Lakeside and Harlem high schools have 55 students and 42 students. Enrollment figures for Greenbrier High were not immediately available.

The school system first offered credit recovery in the spring.

"It's been exciting to have this available and see so many students recover their credits in such a timely manner," Ms. Swearingen said.

Ms. White, who was thinking of getting a GED, is thrilled to have a chance to earn her high school diploma. Her advice for anyone else in a similar situation?

"Put in the time. Put in the effort, and do it," she said.

Reach Betsy Gilliland at (706) 868-1222, ext. 113, or betsy.gilliland@augustachronicle.com.