NATCHEZ — Natchez Adams School District maintained a D letter grade from the 2017 to 2018 school year, according to Mississippi Statewide Accountability System preliminary results.

Unofficial letter grades for the 2017-2018 school year based on the state’s A through F accountability system were released Thursday, however, the Mississippi State Board of Education voted Thursday morning to delay approval of the grades until further consideration in October.

According to the preliminary results that were released, the district showed slight improvement overall — from 481 points earned in 2017 to 515 points in 2018 based on a 1,000-point scale.

“We want to acknowledge the hard work of our students and our teachers,” said NASD Deputy Superintendent Zandra McDonald. “Although the district did not increase by a letter grade, there is an increase in the total score.

“As a district, we are always working to improve. We have averaged about 30 points of growth each year. … We know that our community wants to see a change in the letter grade of the district. If we continue the trend that we have experienced, our letter grades will improve.”

Joseph L. Frazier Elementary School improved by one letter grade, from a D in 2017 to a C in 2018, while Natchez High School and Natchez Freshman Academy both went down a letter grade, with both schools moving from a C to a D.

In 2017, all schools in the district either maintained or improved their grade, with Natchez High School, Susie B. West Elementary and Natchez Freshman Academy all gaining two letter grades from the 2015-2016 school year results — changing their grade from an F to a C.

McDonald said the shift in the high school’s 2018 results might be due to the state board of education’s change in the baseline for measuring high school growth. The board approved a temporary rule to reset the baseline grading systems in high schools last August, which impacted this year’s results, McDonald said.

“At this point, the state board continues to grapple with what scores they will use to measure student growth,” she said. “High school students have taken three very different assessments that have impacted the measurement of growth and proficiency.” 

According to the 2018 results, other schools in the district maintained their letter grade. McLaurin Elementary School and Natchez Early College Academy maintained a B grade, Susie B. West Elementary maintained a C grade, Robert Lewis Magnet School maintained a D grade and Morgantown Middle School maintained an F.

“Although they have not grown a letter grade, Morgantown Middle School has made tremendous progress, a growth of 76 points,” NASD Superintendent Fred Butcher said. “The district has grown overall. In order to be a C district last year, we had to grow about 30 points. This year, we only have to grow by 10.”