It used to be that students waited until mid-term to find out how they are doing in classes. Often the time preceding grade reports was one of a flurry of activity, with some students scrambling to make up work.

Things have changed.

At American Fork Junior High School, students get mini progress reports at the end of second period, four days a week. If the slip they receive is on colored paper, they have a chance to go to enrichment activities later that morning; if it is on white paper, they have an F or an incomplete in a subject and must go to an intervention class during that time.

The school started the program in the middle of last year and the response has been good.

"I interviewed all of the teachers at the end of the year," said principal Shane Farnsworth. "They said CAVE Time has been fantastic." Based on that response, they decided to use the program again this year.

One obvious reason it has been successful is because of the incentive it provides.

"It is a motivation for kids," Farnsworth said. "They don't want a white slip. They want a privilege to do something fun."

Those fun things vary from day to day and week to week. They have included athletic activities -- games of steal the flag, tennis and flag football. There have been scrapbooking, jewelry making, first aid merit badge classes, a book club, literature study, a walking group and drama games. A foods class made fruit and veggie fridge magnets. Others have played soccer, chess, fantasy football and with Legos. Some student clubs meet during this time, as does the student council.

"There are tons of possibilities with this time," he said. "It is a positive thing."

One teacher brought a guitar and shared his love for music with some of the students.

"It gave him a chance to communicate with the kids," Farnsworth said. "They developed a relationship and an area of mutual interest."

No time is taken from class work to do these activities. The half-hour period, four days a week, was previously dedicated to students watching Channel One.

"Our goal was to make better use of that time," Farnsworth said. "We decided to use that as an intervention time to work with kids who were struggling academically. We took a look at what some other schools were doing and developed our own model." One school with a program they considered was Lakeridge Junior High School in Orem.

"We made adjustments to their flex program to fit our needs," Farnsworth said.

School officials made a conscious decision to work with the interventions for struggling students when they are most likely to be available.

"The research shows that if you want to intervene, you have to find time during the day," Farnsworth said. Students often have after-school activities or responsibilities, or have transportation concerns that keep them from making up work outside of school hours.

Farnsworth said the program has helped the students.

"Over the past two years we have experienced a 40 percent reduction in the number of failing grades," he said. "This is due in large part to the work of our teachers and counselors in holding students accountable for passing all of their classes in seventh and eighth grade. CAVE Time furthers those efforts by giving students additional opportunities and responsibility for being successful in their learning.

Teachers have lauded the concept.

"CAVE time has provided a wonderful opportunity to work with students who need extra time," said teacher Lesa Peet. "It allows us to have more one-on-one instruction. It is also a great time for our very busy students to see us to get work missed due to absences. CAVE time has been very beneficial."

Math teacher Travis Lemon was another.

"CAVE time is student responsibility, student opportunity and student ownership time," he said. "During CAVE Time students face immediate consequences for their grades; these consequences come in two positive ways: enrichments (fun rewarding activities) and interventions (support and help in raising their achievement level). It is a great opportunity for students. I use CAVE Time as an opportunity for students to make up work and get additional help. Most students are eager to use the time so that they can improve their grades and ensure that they understand."

The students also said they enjoyed the opportunities.

Eighth grader Kourtney Ashton was one.

"I like CAVE Time," she said. "It is a chance to get out of class. I like the enrichments, like movies. We do a different movie every week. It gives you time to catch up on school if you need to."

Shelvy Jackson agreed.

"I think it is good because you get time to get caught up," she said. "If you are doing well it is a way to get rewarded. I like when they do soccer, football and other sports. I like to come here [to the band room] and practice the flute."

The name CAVE Time is based on the school's mascot, the Cavemen. It also loosely stands for Commitment to Achievement Through Interventions and Enrichment.