The Fort Stockton Independent School District is looking to keep some students home on testing days.

At its Oct. 18 meeting, the FSISD School Board unanimously approved submitting a request for the Modified Schedule State Assessment Testing Days Waiver (2021-2024). This would allow students who are not testing to attend school after the testing period, therefore reducing the number of interruptions.

"We can submit for this waiver through the state and if they approve it, we will still get attendance credit," said FSISD Superintendent Dr. Gabriel Zamora. "Those kids will not be counted absent, provided they put in the minimum number of hours."

In previous years, all students would come to school on testing days even if they would not be participating, causing some teachers to be tied up watching the non-testers until the assessment period ended.

"It gives us more teachers to have smaller class sizes for the kids that are testing," said Ron Cline, FSISD Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction and Special Programs."