By MARY KATHRYN CARPENTER

NATCHEZ — Natchez-Adams School District scored just below state average on mandatory statewide reading assessment testing recently.

However, with an 81 percent pass rate — higher than expected, district officials said — officials were pleased with the results.

When scores were released for the third grade Reading Summative Assessment test, NADS officials said they were excited to see how well local third graders did.

“We were the highest performing in this area,” said Superintendent Frederick Hill. “We had 81% of our students pass the test.”

To pass the test, students had to score a 926 or higher on a 50 question computerized test.

If a student does not pass, he or she cannot move on to the fourth grade, according to the Mississippi Department of Education.

“This is the first year that the state has said that third graders must pass this test to go on to fourth grade,” Hill said. “For us to be told one year that the next year this goes into effect was a little nerve-wracking. A baseline year is always a nervous year.”

For students who did not pass, there will be extensive remediation and tutoring, Hill said. There will be two more chances for those students who did not pass to take the test before the next school year begins.

Overall, the NASD had an 81 percent passing rate.

Eighty-six percent of third graders at Joseph L Frazier Elementary passed the test with the highest passing rate in the district, as well as the only passing rate above state average of 85 percent.

McLaurin Elementary School had an 81 percent passing rate and Susie B West Elementary School had a 73 percent passing rate. Tony Fields, principal of Frazier, said he is proud of his students and what they accomplished with the help of their teachers and parents.

“I am very proud of those students because they ultimately went in the room and took the test,” Fields said. “They took it seriously and did their very best.”

Hill also said he is proud of the students’ accomplishments because they scored above what they were projected to score.

According to Hill, students who did not pass will be going through an exacting remediation program to better prepare them to retake the test.

“We are doing remediation now for the next test,” Hill said. “We aren’t doing a one-size fits all remediation, but are targeting where students are deficient based on the results from the first test.”