Dive Brief:

• Last week, Arkansas kicked off a round of major upgrades to boost school Internet to 40 times its current speed, from 5 Kbps to 200 Kbps.
• The upgrades began in Fort Smith, the second largest city in Arkansas, and could affect as many as 230 charter and traditional public schools.
• The total cost will come to $65 million, a figure state officials say is on par with previous upgrades.

Dive Insight:

Many students in the state lack access to high-speed internet at home and at school. State officials say the overhaul is intended to increase service in underserved areas. "If you look especially in western Arkansas between here and Texarkana, a lot of school districts just didn’t have the access to broadband they needed. This is going to give those students an opportunity they've not had before," Arkansas Department of Education Commissioner Johnny Key told eSchool News.

Meanwhile, district officials have lauded the changes for helping schools meet a growing reality: online testing is here to stay. Fort Smith has launched extensive tech initiatives including one-to-one iPad programs and was facing an expiring contract.

"Regardless of which test you use, they're all going to be online," Benny Gooden, Fort Smith's superintendent, said. "That’s the world we live in."