TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KLIX) – High school students in Twin Falls who need to get caught up on projects before they graduate will be able to attend night school. Classes started Tuesday and run for six weeks at Magic Valley High School.

 

Something else the school is doing to help students: Offering a program called PM School for MVHS students who’ve violated the school’s grade or attendance policy. If a student violates those policies, said Principal Roger Keller, they are expelled from day classes.

The good news is there is a way for them to get back to class and still graduate.

PM School started last fall and so far has been meeting expectations, Keller said. It’s a way for them to earn their way back into the day program. Currently, about 10 students are enrolled. PM School is held 3-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

Beside those students who may have violated policy, others have jobs or have to take care of a child during the day, he said, and so they are unable to attend regular classes. PM School also is a way for them to catch up.

“Students work at their own pace so it depends on how long it takes them,” Keller said. “I think right now we’re getting out of it what we intended.”

Kim Smith, one of three teachers who coordinate the program, suggested PM School after seeing a similar program at work at Mt. Harrison Junior/Senior High School in Heyburn. Magic Valley’s program offers class instruction through a computer program called Plato in which several subjects are taught, including geography, math and physical science.

When students complete assignments they put their work into a virtual drop box where it then is reviewed and graded. Some assignments require students to also complete work in hardcopy. Other schools use Plato, but Magic Valley is the only high school in the area that offers PM School to its students.

Night school is different than PM School. High school students from Twin Falls and Canyon Ridge who need to catch up on credits before graduation can enroll in night school, Keller said.

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