Credit Recovery and BSI

Above is a link to an article I just came across in the Pittsburgh Gazette about credit recovery programs for high school students. Credit recovery is a way for students to make-up credits so they can graduate from high school in a timely manner. Something we might consider is whether or not these programs teach students what they need to be successful at the college level, and then look for a way to articulate our ideas to the Sweetwater Union High School District. Here at Southwestern College we often come across students who participated in credit recovery through one of SUHSD's Learning Centers, so a number of us might wonder if they are as well prepared as students who have only taken traditional classes.
This is not meant to take sides on the issue, it is only meant to make an inquiry. I wonder if there is any data to show how many of our basic skills students have been in some sort of credit recovery program. It would also be interesting to see firsthand how these programs work. In some instances, they might be set up more like a college course that meets for only a few hours a week, where students can get direct help from instructors, and students complete assignments that fulfill the state standards and show a necessary level of proficiency. Clearly, these type of programs should work, even with the "non-traditional" students.
On the other hand, I have heard stories from students about programs that were much less rigorous. Some of this can be attributed to teenage apathy, but it would be interesting to understand how much guided hands-on work is actually done in some of our feeder programs. It would also be interesting to see if, after one semester in college, students felt that the CR program they were in prepared them well for college level work.
From the perspective of a writing instructor, I would surely like to know how much and what type of writing happens in these classes. Most teachers would probably agree that grammar is important, but it needs to be put into practice. Simply filling in multiple choice answers does not give a complete picture about how well students can use grammar. Vocabulary is another important component of most classes. It is one thing to have students fill in the blanks or choose an answer on a multiple choice test, it is something else to check for understanding by having them write a paragraph using correct grammar and the appropriate vocabulary.
It might be useful for instructors to take a look at some of their struggling students and find out which ones were in a credit recovery program. We might actually gain a better understanding of what is working and what is not. More importantly, we might figure out some relevant trends so we can better educate those students. We might also find that credit recovery has nothing to do with student achievement, but we would also be remiss if we didn't take a look.
What are your thoughts? This could be a good piece of research for the entire educational community in South Bay.