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JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Missouri first-graders could see an addition to their curriculum under a bill given first-round approval in the Missouri Senate.

The measure endorsed Tuesday would give school districts the option to teach a National Rifle Association-sponsored gun safety program to students in first grade. SB75 would also allow schools to implement a training program for teachers and other personnel on responding to intruders.

The bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Dan Brown, of Rolla, originally would have required schools to adopt both programs. But opposition from Democratic senators caused Brown to make the training and gun safety course optional.

The measure needs one more affirmative vote before moving to the House.

SEATTLE (AP) - A new study has found teaching parents to switch channels from violent shows to educational TV can improve preschoolers' behavior, even without getting them to watch less.

The results were modest and faded over time, but the study authors and other doctors say they may hold promise for finding ways to help young children avoid aggressive, violent behavior.

The research involving 565 parents was published online Monday by the journal Pediatrics.

They periodically filled out TV-watching diaries and questionnaires measuring their child's behavior.

Half were coached for six months on getting their 3-to-5-year-old kids to watch shows like "Sesame Street" and "Dora the Explorer" rather than more violent programs like "Power Rangers."

Low-income boys appeared to get the most short-term benefit.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - The state's largest bricks-and-mortar college is making it easier for students to earn degrees without leaving home.

The University of Missouri's flagship campus in Columbia on Friday announced a $2.5 million expansion of its online degree programs. The new initiatives include an online master's degree in public health, a bachelor's degree in educational studies and an online master's in public affairs.

Provost Brian Foster says the school is modifying its online admissions requirements to no longer require degree-seeking students to first obtain 60 hours of transfer credits or an associate's degree.

The move comes shortly after Gov. Jay Nixon unveiled plans to team up with the nonprofit Western Governors University to broaden Missouri residents' access to online higher education.

Public school students in Missouri could soon be spending more time in the classroom. Right now, state law says school must be in session a minimum of 174 days and 1,044 hours each year.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon says he'd like to add six days to the school calendar. And southwestern Missouri Republican State Rep. Lyle Rowland is proposing the state base the requirement on hours, rather than both that and days...and he'd like to add another 29-36 hours to the minimum.

Some districts have expressed skepticism because of the added cost and conflicts with existing labor contracts.