Poor math skills and low Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System scores have become leading factors in the “underperformance” of school districts, according to a report released by the Enhanced Performance Accountability System.

The Education Management Audit Council met Friday at the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education offices at 1 Ashburton Place to discuss the report and evaluate school districts that are not meeting standards.

“We want all students to be proficient,” said council member and Board of Education Chairman Jim Peyser. “No excuses.”

In the fall of 2003, the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education approved a list of criteria to evaluate institutions for 2004. One of the main requirements was that at least 75 percent of students complete courses with a passing grade.

The board systematically assesses student performance each year to improve academic quality among institutions. The reports compile data from schools to measure their performance.

Haverhill District Superintendent Arthur Tate said his district, one of the two that presented at the meeting, has focused on improving poor math skills, and noted a large disparity between math and english scores on the MCAS.

“Math scores were extremely disturbing,” Tate said.

As a way to alleviate the problem, Haverhill has hired math specialists to better train teachers in math instruction and increased the time for math classes from 45 to 90 minutes.

The council reminded Tate that the approach they take toward improving student performance does not need to be creative because changes will not come about dramatically. They suggested that Haverhill formulate a clear goal.

“You can always throw things at the problem,” said council member and Executive Director for the National Council on Teacher Quality Kathleen Madigan. “Something will stick.”

The council dismissed Haverhill and said they plan on revisiting the school district in the fall of 2005.

Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical District Superintendent James Hager said the district’s main concern is low MCAS scores, which were below the state average on the first testing but rose above average upon retesting.

Unlike Haverhill, Southeastern Regional Vocational Techinical targeted english while making few changes to their math program.

Hager said that they want to use midterms and final exams to help with MCAS preparation.

“We want to see an increase in the number of chairs at graduation,” Hager said. “More faces of parents … and we want [the students] to be successful in their careers 30 years from now.”

The council dismissed Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical and said the district was not “underperforming” but will be under close watch.

Next year the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education will begin annual student performance evaluations. They will be used to identify “underperforming” institutions and provide improvement plans.

“We cannot celebrate mediocrity,” Peyser said.