NATCHEZ &045;&045; Statewide, student test scores improved in nearly every category this year.

The state Department of Education released the numbers to the public Thursday, but local district numbers are not yet available.

Students took the Terra Nova test, the Mississippi Curriculum Test, subject area testing and grades 4 and 7 writing assessments.

The Terra Nova, or norm-referenced assessment, was given to students in the sixth grade. The test compares the performance of students in Mississippi to the students nationwide. The results for this year show the state’s sixth graders are performing at or above the national average in all three content areas, reading, language and math.

MCT scores were higher in all grade levels except for second grade reading and math, fifth grade reading and sixth grade language.

The percentage of students scoring at the basic level or higher increased or remained constant at all grade levels in reading. In language and mathematics the percentage increased in every grade, 2-8. The percentage of students scoring at the proficient level or higher increased at all grade levels in all content areas except for seventh grade reading and sixth grade language where the percentage stayed the same and eighth grade language, which dropped one point.

Subject area tests were administered to students in Algebra I, Biology I, U.S. History and English II.

Algebra I scores increased from 339.9 to 352.2. Biology I scores from 352.0 to 356.9, U.S. History scores from 363.0 to 366.3 and English II scores from 330.0 to 334.6. Students in grade four and seven took the Mississippi Writing Assessment for the fifth year. In 2004 the average score increased to 2.5 from 2.3 the last three years.

District scores will be released to the public on Aug. 18. Local school officials are not allowed to comment on district scores until that point.

Superintendent Anthony Morris said he was optimistic that local scores would be good based on efforts taken in the district this past year. The district added curriculum specialists at the elementary schools, used a consulting firm and initiated the Mississippi’s Choice model at Robert Lewis Middle School.

&uot;We also revisited and revised the way we supervise and evaluate teachers,&uot; Morris said.