LR plans test prep, floats credit shift

Dexter Suggs, interim superintendent of the Little Rock School District, has unveiled a plan for Saturday college test preparation classes in the district and a proposal to reduce the number of credits needed for high school graduation.

Suggs discussed the plans at a public forum attended by about 40 parents and district employees Monday at the Centre at University Park.

The Saturday sessions to help high school student prepare for the ACT college entrance exam will be held at multiple locations and will be led by 10 district teachers, Suggs said.

The proposal to reduce graduation requirements is related to Suggs’ plan to end the eight-period, college-style block schedule at the secondary schools and return to a more traditional seven-period day at three of the district’s five high schools and all middle schools.

To address concerns that the seven-period class day would not allow time for elective classes, Associate Superintendent Dennis Glasgow said the district would seek to lower the number of classes required to graduate.

Under the state’s Smart Core college-preparatory curriculum, districts must require a minimum of 22 credits, and Little Rock required 26 credits this school year. Eliminating the four additional requirements would leave more room for electives such as band, choir, drama and foreign languages, Glasgow said.

Suggs routinely has hosted public forums in the past 1 1/2 years, but last week’s session was the first since the Arkansas Board of Education voted Jan. 28 to immediately dismiss the Little Rock School Board and make Suggs an interim superintendent.

Suggs said he would announce a plan sometime in the next few weeks for a new direction for the district after the state takeover. He said he is discussing ideas with Arkansas Education Commissioner Tony Wood, who became Suggs’ boss as a result of the takeover.

“Everything is in its infant planning stage,” Suggs said. “Additional information will be forthcoming as for the plan for the Little Rock School District.”

Suggs said he would also take to Wood an idea from a parent who asked that students start receiving keyboarding lessons during elementary school instead of middle school.