NATCHEZ &045; It’s bad news no matter how you look at it, but no one is ducking their head and jumping ship.

Robert Lewis Middle School, already in their first year of school improvement, dropped again falling from a level 3 school to a level 2 under-performing school.

Now they are in their second year of school improvement, and no one wants to talk about what a drop again next year would mean. &uot;Last year was laying the foundation,&uot; Principal Bettye Bell said. &uot;This year we started with a vision that has caught on.&uot;

Bell was new to the school last year, and came in with major changes in discipline and school rules. &uot;It was drastic a little bit last year,&uot; she said.

And the disruption that came with that major change is one of the factors responsible for the drop in scores, Bell said. Another reason was the lack of highly qualified math teachers in the classrooms, she said.

Content certified teachers at the middle school level are lacking nationwide because until recently seventh- and eighth-grade teachers were ranked with elementary teachers and did not have to have subject area emphasis.

One RLMS math teacher left in December, and Bell couldn’t find a math certified replacement.

This year, qualified math teachers are in place. In-school and after school math interventions are under way. Students who failed to meet Mississippi Curriculum Test benchmarks in math are required to spend extra time in math class.

Bell is still fighting to get parents involved. &uot;One of the things that has to happen is the value system has to change in Natchez, and everywhere. Extracurricular is more important than academics (to parents).&uot;

RLMS has a parent center and frequently hosts events to encourage parent participation.

Getting parents to understand the importance of daily attendance is another challenge, Bell said.

The school failed to test enough students in the white subgroup, because they didn’t show up on test day, one of the reasons they are in school improvement level 2.

The school improvement ranking means the school has to offer tutoring programs and closely follow a written plan for improvement. If there were another middle school in the district, school choice would be offered and transportation would have to be arranged.

Special programs are in place in each subject area to improve scores. A series of teacher workshops is aimed at better preparing the teachers for the classroom and giving them insights into the testing process. &uot;We are beginning to see the students be a little more attentive,&uot; Bell said. &uot;And although our school did go down and the other schools went up, they were in the same position as us last year.&uot;

McLaurin Elementary, Morgantown Elementary and Natchez High were all level 2 schools last year and are now level 3 schools.

&uot;This is the year I will be evaluated on what Bettye Bell has done,&uot; she recently told the school of the coming year. &uot;I have said that if I cannot move the school forward, I ask to be moved, that I’m the problem.&uot;

And Superintendent Anthony Morris said he expects to see the school move forward. &uot;Once they really evaluate what they have done in the past, I do see them moving forward,&uot; he said. &uot;I think the resources are there.&uot;