Michigan schools have a plan B for students failing class. But are they learning?

Credit recovery is an option for students who fail courses in high schools to get back on-track to graduation.

But educators and experts said the online courses may not be rigorous enough and cheats are easily found online.

The state education department also does not know how many students in the state are recovering courses.

For students on a rocky path to graduation — who may fail a class because they missed too many days or struggled to grasp the content — most Michigan schools have a plan B to offer: credit recovery.

Credit recovery can involve a lot of screen time, but promises to help students catch up faster than they would retaking a traditional course. It often comes in the form of a compressed online course in lieu of the traditional class — some courses through online credi