NATCHEZ — Natchez-Adams School District students showed improvement over the prior year in the latest statewide assessment test results which were released Thursday, but still performed below the state average.

The scores were broken down into five performance levels — minimum, basic, passing, proficient and advanced. The state’s goal is to have districts move students at or above the proficient level.

Click here for detailed NASD scores for the 2015-2016 MAP

The closest the Natchez-Adams district came to reaching the state average in number of students proficient or above was in fifth-grade English, where 23.5 percent of students were proficient or better compared to a state average of 29.2 percent.

Natchez-Adams students were furthest from the state average in sixth-grade math. Just 10.3 percent of students were proficient or better compared to a state average of 32.5, a difference of 22.3 percent.

Despite lagging behind the state average, Natchez-Adams students on a whole did perform better comparing results from 2014-15 to 2015-16. However, in sixth-grade math and third- and seventh-grade English, a higher percentage of students dropped below proficiency.

The greatest gains for students taking the 2015-16 English language arts portion of the test were in the fifth grade, which saw a 9.2-percent increase in number of students scoring proficient or above compared to 2014-15.

More than a quarter of the district’s sixth graders scored in the level I minimal category on the English portion of the test.

In the math portion of the test, seventh- and eighth-grade students showed the greatest progress with 6.39-percent more seventh graders and 6.69-percent more eighth graders scoring proficient and above.

The state used two different types of tests year over year, however, Mississippi Department of Education officials said the two tests are comparable in rigor and measure the same standard.

On average a higher number of Natchez-Adams students tested proficient or better in the district compared to 2014-15 results.

Students took the Mississippi Assessment Program, or MAP, test during the 2015-16 school year. Students in third through eighth grades were tested in English and math, while high school students were tested in English II and algebra.

Students took the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for Colleges and Careers (PARCC) test in the 2014-15 school year. The state developed its own test for the 2015-16 school year because it is no longer a PARCC member.

Overall, students’ test scores around the state in most school districts remained stable or improved from 2014-15 to 2015-16 as they transitioned from previous assessments to MAP assessments.

“Teachers are focusing on instruction that meets the standards, and we’re seeing the results,” said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education. “I am proud of the hard work happening in classrooms across the state as teachers and administrators work to prepare students with the skills and knowledge they need for successful futures. The results identify where students are doing well and where they need additional support in order to meet grade-level expectations.”

NASD Interim Superintendent Fred Butcher did not return a phone message for comment and multiple calls Thursday.