It's the time of year when panic sets in. Students who have not put forth their best effort throughout the year have realized that there's a chance they may not pass. They shift their study habits into high gear. Some will be successful. Others will fail. For those students for whom all hope seems lost, there is a ready remedy. It's Switched-On's CRx Mode.

The CRx (Prescriptive Credit Recovery) Mode is designed to allow students who have previously failed a course to recover the credits they need to graduate without repeating the entire course. Best of all, it's simple for teachers to implement. Here's how it works.

Just choose the course the student failed in the Assign Courses window. Check the CRx Mode box and click the Add Course button.

When a student begins a course set in CRx Mode, his first assignment will be presented with a pre-test for Unit 1. If he passes this pre-test, he will automatically be advance to Unit 2, where he will be presented with another pre-test. If the student fails the Unit 1 pre-test, he will be required to complete all lessons, quizzes and the final test in order to advance to Unit 2. This process continues until the student finishes the course with a passing score.

The default pass threshold is set in the Admin Mode, but can be customized for each student who is assigned a course in the CRx Mode.

Though the CRx Mode is not available in Switched-On Schoolhouse, teachers can get the same result with a little effort.

The pre-test given in Switched-On Online is actually the alternate test found in almost every unit of Switched-On Schoolhouse. Though not as simple to create or administer, it is possible.

To create a custom course, in the Teacher Mode choose the failed course to build around. Drag over the alternate test from the corresponding unit in the Available Curriculum column on the right. It will, by default, drop to the bottom of the list of lessons for the unit. To move it to the top, click on the Move Up button multiple times until it is at the top of the list. Edit the title of the test from Alternate Test to Pre-Test. Then, Block the actual first lesson of the unit. Repeat this process for every unit in the course.

Customizing this course as a credit recovery course will stop a student from progressing after taking the pretest. If a student fails the pre-test, unblock the lesson, allowing him to work through the unit. If he passes, edit the subject again, removing all of the lessons in the unit, so he can progress to the next unit. Although this is obviously more work for the teacher, it can accomplish the same prescriptive credit recovery results for the student.

Summer school may never be at the top of the "Most Fun I had All Summer" list for students or teachers. Allowing students to make up only the gaps in their knowledge base instead of retaking an entire course takes the heat off students attending summer school. With Switched-On and its CRx Mode capabilities, recovering credits during the summer is more effective for students and more efficient use of teacher's valuable time.