NATCHEZ — Third graders within the Natchez-Adams School District look to wrap up the Third Grade Reading Summative Assessment test Wednesday.

Natchez-Adams School District accountability and assessment coordinator Aquetta Butler said third graders from Joseph L. Frazier Elementary School, McLaurin Elementary School and Susie B. West Elementary began testing Monday.

The Third Grade Reading Summative Assessment test makes certain that third grade students within the state of Mississippi are ready to move on to the fourth grade.

Third grade students are given two additional attempts to take the test following the first administration test. If students fail the 50 question multiple-choice test they will not be promoted to the third grade.

“It is designed to ensure that children are reading at or above grade level,” Butler said. “As we continue to promote children and they are not reading on grade level — research suggests that they’re actually falling further behind.”

The state began testing last Friday, while the Natchez-Adams School District began testing Monday.

“In all fairness to the children, it’s just not a good practice to start testing for children on a Friday,” Butler said.

Each student has been granted 4.5 minutes to answer each question on the Third Grade Reading Summative Assessment test, which is followed up by a general survey.

Butler said the atmosphere has been good and testing has been without issue.

“We are testing them in small groups,” she said. “If they’re 29 students in a class, we actually split that class into two small groups to ensure children will take time to focus on their test.”

In addition, the elementary schools only test a couple of days out of the week, Butler said.

Butler said teachers within the Natchez-Adams School District have provided the necessary instruction for their students to pass.

Providing effective instruction from bell to bell, ensuring that the curriculum is being taught, differentiation of instruction to meet the need of each student, looking at student data to determine strength and weaknesses and adjusting instruction to provide support for each student has been the district’s ultimate goal, Butler said.

Teachers and administrators throughout the state will travel to Jackson on May 4 to serve on a standard setting committee.

That committee will be in charge of assisting and setting the scores for the test.

The Natchez-Adams School District is scheduled to receive test scores on May 7.