The Mattapoisett school committee discussed the results of last spring’s MCAS testing Monday night, and while scores in the areas of English/language arts and math were generally higher than state averages, falling scores in the area of science/technology leave room for improvement.

The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System is administered to students each year in order to test their proficiency in the areas of English/language arts, math, and science/technology. The MCAS program holds schools and districts accountable toward achieving the objective of the No Child Left Behind Law, which requires all students to be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014.

Of Mattapoisett students in grades four to six, 80 percent placed in the advanced/proficient categories in the areas of English/language arts, a four percent improvement from last year. Close to 71 percent of students scored advanced/proficient in math.

Although the exam administered to fourth graders is historically known to be the toughest of the MCAS tests, said the committee, 70 percent of students scored in the advanced/proficient categories in English/language arts. In addition, 57 percent of students were ranked as being advanced/proficient in math. This is 10 percent higher than the state average.

Of fifth graders, 79 percent of students scored advanced/proficient in English/language arts, and 77 percent of students scored advanced/proficient in math. Only 67 percent of students, however, scored advanced/proficient in the science/technology category. This is a seven percent decrease from last year. This decrease in performance can be attributed to students’ difficulty with the open response portion of the test, according to school officials.

In the sixth grade, 87 percent of students scored advanced/proficient in English/language arts, a six percent increase from last year. Close to 76 percent of students scored advanced/proficient in math, building on last year’s scores by 11 percent.

School officials hope to improve scores by implementing curriculum changes, such as increasing students’ exposure to nonfiction literature and adding daily cumulative math reviews, and by taking certain administrative actions in order to ensure the facilitation of student performance.

In other business:

Mattapoisett resident Ray Andrews appeared before the school committee to enlist their help in fundraising for the Center School Clock Restoration Project. The Clock Restoration Project involves the complete restoration of the 1898 Seth Thomas weight-driven pendulum clock, currently stationed in the Center School clock tower.

In addition to repairing damage the clock sustained in the mid 1990s, the plan includes having the clock fitted with automatic windings and relocating the clock to the Center School music room where it would be placed on public display for the first time in 113 years.

So far Andrews has been able to raise most of the money for the project through donations and fundraising, and he is hoping to raise the last $5,000 in the same way. One idea is to raffle off a clock made by the Balzer Clockworks, the same company that would be restoring the Center School Clock, in order to help raise the remaining funds.

Said Andrews: “Thank you very much for your support; it’s been a great challenge so far. I know that we can do it because it’s Mattapoisett.”