High School Academics

The school culture emphasizes relationships, community building, leadership and character growth. Learning takes place both in the classroom and in the community through hands-on activities that challenge students to think deeply about connections to the greater world while exceeding Minnesota State Standards. Our low student to staff ratio means that students receive more one-on-one attention from teachers than at most other local high schools.

Core Values

At SPCS, five values build the foundation for our educational environment. Students, staff, and community members alike reflect upon the role these values play in their time inside of school, outside of school, and throughout their lives after high school.

Honor | Empathy | Honesty | Perseverance | Exploration

AVID

High School students participate in AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) programming throughout high school. Beginning with a required AVID course during first quarter of Freshman year, and optionally beyond that, students build learning through this nationally acclaimed program. “AVID fosters a safe, open culture, high expectations for teachers and students, and collaboration in all classrooms”—learn more at AVID.org.

Crew

Each student at our school is a member of a Crew. Students are placed in a Crew from the day they enroll in High School until the day they graduate; for many students, they are in the same Crew with the same Crew Leader throughout all four years of high school! Crew members build strong relationships and Crew Leaders know students well and serve as an advisor. Crews have common adventure and service experiences to develop teamwork and friendship.

Student-led conferences

SPCS High holds conferences twice a year after first and third quarters. Students are required to demonstrate what they have learned, how they have grown and what goals they have met. Students lead the conference while family members and the Crew leader participate. The goal of the conference is to showcase the student’s academic work and personal growth. All students are expected to participate in Student-led Conferences.

PSEO

Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) is a program that allows 10th-, 11th- and 12th-grade students to earn both high school and college credit while still in high school, through enrollment in and successful completion of college nonsectarian courses at eligible participating postsecondary institutions. SPCS facilitates students taking PSEO courses on the campus of the postsecondary institution; some courses are offered online. Each participating college or university sets its own admissions requirements for enrollment into the PSEO courses. Eleventh and 12th-grade students may take PSEO courses on a full- or part-time basis; 10th graders are eligible to enroll in PSEO on a more limited basis (see note below). Students must meet the PSEO residency and eligibility requirements and abide by participation limits specified in Minnesota Statutes, section 124D.09. If a school district determines a pupil is not on track to graduate, she/he may continue to participate in PSEO on a term-by-term basis.

By March 1 of each year, or three weeks prior to the date a student registers for courses for the following school year (whichever is earlier), schools must provide PSEO information to all students in grades 8-11 and their families. To assist the district in planning, a student must inform the district by May 30 of each year of their intent to enroll in postsecondary courses during the following school year.

There is no charge to PSEO students for tuition, books or fees for items that are required to participate in a course; however, students may incur fees for equipment that becomes their property when the course or program is completed, textbooks that are not returned to the postsecondary institution according to their policies, or for tuition costs if they do not notify the district by May 30 and the district does not waive this date requirement.

Funds are available to help pay transportation expenses for qualifying students to participate in PSEO courses on college campuses. For more information on these funds, access the PSEO Mileage Reimbursement Program Instructions.

Enrolling in a PSEO course does not prohibit a student from participating in activities sponsored by the high school.

School districts must allow a PSEO student reasonable access to the high school building, computers and/or other technology resources during regular school hours to participate in PSEO courses, whether on-line or on campus.

Each year, districts must publish their grade-weighting policy on their website, including a list of courses for which students can earn weighted grades.

All courses taken through the PSEO program must meet graduation requirements. Districts must transcript credits earned in PSEO by a ratio prescribed in statute. Districts have the authority to decide which subject area and standards the PSEO course meets. If there is a dispute between the district and the student regarding the number of credits granted for a particular course, the student may appeal the board's decision to the commissioner. The commissioner's decision regarding the number of credits will be final.

Postsecondary institutions are required to allow PSEO students to enroll in online courses consistent with the institution’s policy regarding postsecondary student enrollment in online courses.

Tenth-grade students may initially enroll in one Career and Technical Education (CTE) PSEO course if they receive a reading proficiency score of “meets” or “exceeds” on the 8th grade MCA. If 10th graders taking a CTE PSEO course earn at least a grade C in that class, they may take additional postsecondary courses. If the student did not take the MCA in 8th-grade, another reading assessment accepted by the enrolling postsecondary institution can be substituted. For students with disabilities, there is an alternative option to demonstrate reading proficiency.

For current information about the PSEO program, visit the Minnesota Department of Education’s Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) webpage.