Arkansas PBS will change its weekday schedule between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. beginning Monday to broadcast educational programs tied to the state curriculum for pre-K through eighth-grade students.
The public TV network has organized a new program block, titled Arkansas AMI, with the state Department of Education's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education in response to mandatory school closures due to covid-19. AMI stands for "alternative methods of instruction."
Arkansas AMI will feature five Arkansas Teachers of the Year hosting segments of each AMI day. The daily weekday schedule will be:
8-9:30 a.m.: Grades pre-K, 1 and 2
9:30-11 a.m.: Grades 3-5
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Grades 6-8
Arkansas AMI instructional content and videos will be available online after 4 p.m. on the same day at myarkansaspbs.org/arkansasami, according to a news release, and each lesson will be archived online. (The website was still under construction Friday.)
Arkansas PBS will air this new schedule at least three weeks. The content will cover a wide range of topics and will align with state and federal standards for kindergarten through eighth grade.
"The Arkansas PBS and ADE collaboration to support districts and families is a win for everyone during these unprecedented times," said Stacy Smith, assistant commissioner of learning services for the division. "The Arkansas AMI Learning Guides promote continuous learning in our state, while supporting our teachers, students and parents."
The division will send digital AMI packets, including Spanish language materials and schedules, to each school district for distribution to families. Anyone who wants to use lesson plans will be able to download them from myarkansaspbs.org/arkansasami.
According to the news release, viewers statewide can tune in to the following channels, depending on their location, over the air using an indoor or outdoor antenna:
The Arkansas PBS network includes Northwest Arkansas, KAFT, channel 13; north Central Arkansas, KEMV, channel 6; northeast Arkansas, KTEJ, channel 19; Central Arkansas, KETS, channel 2; Southwest Arkansas, KETG, channel 9; southeast Arkansas, KETZ, channel 12. More information about how to watch can be found at myarkansaspbs.org/channelinformation.