NATCHEZ &045; Perhaps the giddy smiles on the faces of the Natchez-Adams administrators are hiding a mental &uot;I told you so.&uot;

All on the job for less than five years, the superintendent and principals have been promising improved test scores since day one.

This year, they delivered.

Students in grades two through 12 scored better this year than last year in 15 of the state’s 27 categories.

The greatest success stories come from McLaurin Elementary and Morgantown Elementary, especially among fourth-graders. Formerly the middle grade at both schools, the percentage of fourth-graders scoring proficient on the Mississippi Curriculum Test jumped as much as 8 percentage points in one subject and increased in all.

Natchez students are still below the state’s percentages of students scoring proficient or above in every category, and students at Robert Lewis Middle School scored lower in all but two categories.

The successes at McLaurin, Morgantown and Natchez High were enough to carry the high spirits at a Wednesday press conference, though.

The improved test scores are only one result of a much larger, positive change in the district, administrators said.

&uot;Going into my third year here, it’s the positive attitude being expressed by the district, out in our schools, to the children and to the teachers,&uot; Morgantown Principal Fred Marsalis said. &uot;We are working together, and we are really enjoying it.&uot;

McLaurin Principal Karen Tutor, also in her third year, attributed the attitude change to Superintendent Anthony Morris and some major board policy changes.

&uot;They helped us teach parents that school is important,&uot; Tutor said. &uot;You have to be here, you have to come and you have to stay all day.&uot;

Tutor credited success in her building to teaching grade specific material, not review work, and making the most of instruction time.

&uot;We spent a lot of time just starting over,&uot; she said. &uot;We worked really hard to build a support system among teachers. We restructured our building and how it’s set up.&uot;

Teachers used summary reports from the previous year’s test results to key in on problem areas.

Marsalis said targeting specific student needs and using the MCT coach book made a difference at Morgantown.

&uot;Knowing what to target and when to target it helped us tremendously,&uot; he said. &uot;And we are pleased to know these things worked.&uot;

The test coach book taught students what to watch for on the spring tests and showed teachers that often students knew the material but weren’t comfortable with the test, he said.

In school and after school remediation was also a key for all the schools, Morris said.

&uot;We think the partnership with the Boys and Girls Club, continuing the tutoring they were doing in school hours, was a big help,&uot; he said.

Both elementary schools have the after school club on campus.

Natchez High School

The knowledge that Subject Area Tests have a direct effect on graduation is finally starting to hit home at Natchez High, and Principal James Loftin said it’s having a big effect.

The percentage of students passing the Algebra I exam went up 11.9 points. Biology I numbers went up 11 points, and English II narrative scores went up 18.5 percentage points.

The percentage passing in U.S. History, English II multiple choice and English II informative went down, 2, 0.9 and 6.8 points respectively.

High school students have the chance to take the Subject Area Tests multiple times before graduation. A variety of remediation courses are offered for those who need to improve their scores.

&uot;That degree of non-concern is not there,&uot; Loftin said.

&uot;They will call, or a parent will call, and ask what is there you all are doing.&uot;

Class exams during the year are modeled after the tests for familiarity purposes, and teachers stress the importance of the test, Loftin said.

Students who attend classes at Fallin Career and Technology Center are again offered remediation time and one-on-one work with a tutor, Director Linda Grafton said.

But it’s become about more than academics at NHS too, Loftin said.

&uot;When I first got there, those were some of the most hostile students I had ever worked with,&uot; he said. &uot;The atmosphere of the students is one I’ve seen that has changed.&uot;

Robert Lewis Middle School

With the other schools on track, Morris said this year’s reorganization of the schools by grade level will help RLMS, where math scores dropped.

Building a stronger foundation in the lower grades and eliminating school rivalries that have converged at RLMS are positives, he said.

Eighth-grade math scores at proficient or above dropped 13 percentage points this year, though the seventh-grade percentage went up four points.

Drops in seventh- and eighth-grade reading and seventh-grade language were small. Eighth-grade math scores jumped two percentage points.

Middle school scores are traditionally lower on the state and national levels. Many middle school teachers, statewide, have only an elementary education certification, which means they don’t have extra training for subject area courses, Morris said.

RLMS Principal Bettye Bell was out of town Wednesday for a school-related trip.

RLMS was in its first year of school improvement this year based on the 2003-2004 year. The state ranking was determined primarily by attendance.

School improvement rankings and school levels &045; one through five &045; have not yet been released this year and will come in early September.

Students in pre-kindergarten through first-grade do not take the MCT. West Primary and Frazier Primary are judged based on scores at the two elementary schools and are responsible for forming early skills.

&uot;West is a building block,&uot; Principal Cindy Idom said. &uot;We do a lot of hands-on activities and individual test assessments.&uot;

A tutorial program in the mornings helps those struggling in the early years get up to speed before moving on, Idom said. Last year’s first-graders were part of a departmentalized math program, something Idom predicted will soon show up in second-grade test scores.

Idom is starting her fifth-year at West. Morris, Loftin, Grafton and Frazier Principal Lorraine Franklin are starting their third year, and Bell and Central Alternative Principal Lorenzo Stampley are starting their second year.