Legislative panel agrees to 'Flexible Friday' tutoring program

Monday, February 13th 2006, 11:17 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- A tutoring program that's credited with improving student performance at an Oklahoma City-area high school now has the blessing of a legislative committee.

The bill would allow schools to implement "flexible Fridays" and allow student schedules to be rearranged to add two hours of tutoring.

Putnam City High School has used the concept and required failing students to participate in two-hour tutoring sessions each week.

After one quarter the failure rate fell from 21 percent of students to as low as five percent, but state officials said the program was illegal and ordered it stopped.

State Representative Sally Kern of Oklahoma City says educators are interested ion the plan because they want to improve student performance and reduce the number of students who fail.