FORT SMITH — Elementary students at Trusty Elementary School in Fort Smith will be in school for more than three additional hours per week starting next year.
Deputy Superintendent Gordon Floyd says the school day will be extended by 40 minutes per day in an effort to improve the test scores of students. The school has been identified as needing improvement under federal “No Child Left Behind” guidelines.
Floyd told KFSM that other efforts failed to improve the test scores. Those efforts included after school tutoring and an optional Saturday school.
He says a grant from the state and federal governments will fund the extended school days. The extended hours will be in place for two years followed by an evaluation to determine if the test scores have improved.