Tri-town schools did well overall in last year’s MCAS, but there is still room for improvement. On Thursday, school administrators reviewed the “points of pride” and areas in need of improvement, while acknowledging that curriculum changes resulted in less advanced and proficient scores in some subjects.

“We’ve been asking children to surmount some very formidable thinking and cognitive challenges,” said Assistant Superintendent Elise Frangos. “We’ve experienced some dips based on the full implementation of the Common Core in our assessments.”

Parents, in particular, have expressed concern over consistent drops in math proficiency scores at the junior high level compared to the same students in sixth grade. There is a drop in growth between the sixth and seventh grade across the state, but Principal Kevin Brogioli said the junior high’s drop was more than the state average.

“It points to a big area of concern from the sixth grade to the seventh grade,” Brogioli said.

Students come from three different schools and programs, which could be part of the problem.

To improve the math program , a math coach was hired to work with junior high teachers. The author of the textbooks used at the junior high is also being brought in to consult with teachers. Brogioli said he and the vice principal will spend more time in classes as well.

Administrators and teachers will assess student growth through short standardized tests done several times a year.

“We know we have to roll up our sleeves and get after it, and that’s what we’re going to do,” Brogioli said.

The junior high also saw a dip in science scores, which Brogioli attributed to a new “next generation” Sangari science curriculum.

“The MCAS is not yet aligned to next generation science,” he said.

At the high school, Principal Mike Devoll said changes in curriculum also affected scores.

“The Common Core hit us, and it hit us pretty good,” Devoll said. “Our scores weren’t as strong as they were last year.”

Math was an area of concern, with an increased number of students in the “high needs” category.

Devoll said there is a gap in support for students in need of math help between the eighth grade and tenth grade MCAS exams.

Those students with low scores in the eighth grade continue to perform poorly in tenth grade.

“We don’t do anything about it until sophomore year,” said Devoll.

He proposes adding a summer gateway pre-algebra course for rising freshmen and a summer algebra 1 course for those who did poorly in algebra 1. The ORR School Committee will have to approve the courses.

At the elementary school level, Old Hammondtown School and Sippican School received the highest improvement level, becoming commendation schools. The schools are among 42 in the state that received the ranking. This year marks the third in a row that Mattapoisett has been a commendation school, one of only five in the state to maintain the ranking.

Derek Medeiros, principal of Rochester Memorial School, said he was proud of his school for having the most growth in math among a group of 11 similar schools in the state.

“It’s a tremendous point of pride for us,” he said.

To further improve scores, Mattapoisett and Rochester have aligned their math programs to the same series used at the secondary level. The schools also use the same English language arts curriculum.

Overall, schools will look to continue closing the proficiency gap over the coming year. They will also shift to a new exam, the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College Careers or PARCC, as MCAS is phased out.