Case Study: Ottumwa High School achieves major credit recovery and higher graduation rates with Edmentum's Plato Courseware

Rigorous Courses and Rigorous Expectations Lead to Success for Ottumwa

Ottumwa High School in Iowa, serving about 1,400 students, faced a pressing need for credit recovery and support for at‑risk learners amid initial staff skepticism that online courses were an "easy way out." Administrators wanted a solution that would maintain academic rigor, provide timely feedback, and actually help students graduate.

Over three years Ottumwa implemented Plato Courseware under administrator Kevin Cochran, pairing rigorous online curriculum and course‑level assessments with teacher guidance and strong vendor support. The program helped nearly 400 students recover credits (507 credits recovered in 2010), enabled 76 seniors in the program to graduate who otherwise might not have, and has been renewed and expanded into summer, alternative education, and special education programs.

Ottumwa High School

Kevin Cochran

PLATO Learning Administrator