Natchez-Adams students who did not master their exit skills this spring began an extended school year program on Monday.

The six-week program will last from 8 a.m. to noon and run through July 20.

It will also include students who scored in the bottom 25 percent on state testing or low on the Terra Nova test in the past, said Thelma Newsome, director of federal programs for the Natchez-Adams School District.

First- and second-graders will attend for three weeks and third- through eighth-graders will attend for six weeks. More than 400 students have enrolled this year, Newsome said.

The program is similar to one the district offered last summer – the first year students took the district-written exit skills tests.

The tests assess student knowledge of skills at their grade level required by the district and the Mississippi Department of Education.

But to make this summer more fun, the district purchased a curriculum that includes other teaching methods than teaching and retesting, Newsome said.

It will also included thematic units designed to be more engaging for young learners.

&uot;It will be learning, but it will be learning with a different twist,&uot; Newsome said.

The district conducted a similar program years ago and &uot;the children like it because it’s more interactive for them.&uot;

And with smaller classes and shorter days, teachers also seem to enjoy using a new curriculum, Newsome said.

&uot;I think teachers (also) enjoy doing something different for a change,&uot; Newsome said.

Students who attend the extended school year program do so to receive remediation and enrichment and not for a grade, Newsome said.

The district will also provide its traditional summer school program during the same weeks for third- through 12th-graders who need to earn a grade in a subject.

Transportation is being provided free of charge by the district.