Nationally, middle school students score lower on standardized exams than younger and older students do. These Jefferson City schools want to see change through a new schedule and curriculum. Both schools changed the classes to 90 minutes each hoping to keep the students working hard. Lewis and Clark 8th grader Ashley Sweeney says she loving the switch.

"So far I'm liking it which I like because now I get to focus in on one subject for the whole entire time like for a whole two hours instead of like when I was just getting into it class was over," said Sweeney.

Sweeney's mother says when the school told her about the change last spring, she wasn't so happy to hear the news.

"I was thinking. A hour and a half. I understand this is the curriculum and that's how they do it in high school and as far as the high school goes I think it's fabulous. However in middle school I was definitely apprehensive because they're just coming from elementary school," explained Joy Sweeney.

"We're like middle schools across the country where we've seen an increase as we go from kindergarten to 5th grade and then sometimes when we hit that 6th, 7th, 8th grade level, we start to plateau off a little bit as far as our student achievement scores," explained Director of School Community Relations David Luther.

The new schedule has less time devoted to extracurricular such as PE, but more time given to programs like math and science. Students now receive an additional 40 minutes of core curriculum daily in the areas of communication arts, math, science, reading, and social studies. Students like Claudine Ruboenka agree that the change is effective.

"I think it's good. I thought it was going to be like...I didn't think it was going to be that good and I thought it was going to be harder. But I think it's easier than what I thought," stated Ruboenka.

To make room for these changes, the school got rid of classes including math and science academy, career/research, and the encore class in math and other subjects.