Two area schools have been removed from a government `` watch list'' of schools that failed to achieve adequate yearly progress on statewide MCAS tests. But several others -- including five in Attleboro -- were added because of inability to improve broad-based scores or test results among some groups of students.

The watch list is mandated under the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

In Attleboro, Brennan Middle School was dropped from the list after meeting annual yearly progress benchmarks two years in a row. Norton's Solmonese School also escaped the list.

But at least a dozen area schools were listed Tuesday by the state Department of Education as needing to improve across the board or take corrective action in teaching some groups of students, ranging from economically disadvantaged to the disabled.

The list includes two of Attleboro's three middle schools and three of five elementary schools. The high school continued to meet yearly progress requirements. Other schools included on the `` watch list'' were in Mansfield, Norton, North Attleboro and Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School District.

Attleboro Superintendent Pia Durkin said she is already moving to meet with principals to analyze scores to focus on ways to make improvements.

Durkin said she also wants to investigate Brennan's success in moving out of the `` needs improvement'' category.

`` We have certainly seen success at the Brennan Middle School in terms of getting off the list,'' she said. `` Now one of the things we'll want to look at is how that was accomplished.''

Durkin said she plans to conduct a two-part review of this year's test results for the Attleboro School Committee.

Attleboro schools represented on the watch list include Willett, Studley and Thacher elementary schools and Wamsutta and Coelho middle schools.

Other schools in the needs improvement or corrective action categories include Jordan-Jackson Elementary School and Qualters Middle School in Mansfield, North Attleboro Middle School, Beckwith School and Dighton Middle School in Dighton-Rehoboth and Norton Middle School.

Schools and districts are identified for improvement when, for two or more consecutive years, they do not make progress toward meeting performance targets for English and/or math as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

They are removed from the list when they successfully make progress for two consecutive years.

Some area schools were new to this year's list, while others have missed goals repeatedly. North Attleboro Middle School has been identified for corrective action after failing to make adequate yearly progress several years in a row.

`` Corrective action is the next level of consequences associated with No Child Left Behind standards,'' North Attleboro Superintendent Rick Smith said. `` We're discussing several options, including revision of the curriculum or possibly contracting with a consultant to help us address the issue.''

Martin School also failed to make adequate yearly progress for the English test scores posted by special education students. Smith said the school improvement plan has being revised with plans to address the issue.

Smith noted that the scores for student subgroups are only calculated if the school has more than 40 students in the group. Martin School is the only one of the town's elementary schools large enough to meet that population requirement.

Since all grades are tested at the middle school level, there are several different subgroups examined for progress.

The school initially was on the list for two years for failure of special education students to make adequate yearly progress and efforts targeting those children successfully raised the scores.

However, the middle school remained on the list when another subgroup -- low income children -- failed to make adequate yearly progress the following year.

Meanwhile, schools that managed to improve and get off the list received praise.

`` The educators and students at these schools deserve recognition for the tremendous efforts they have made to turn their performance around,'' state Education Commissioner David Driscoll said. `` It is critical that we do whatever is necessary to ensure that every one of our children get the top notch education they deserve, regardless of race, income or community.''

Forty-five schools statewide are moving in that direction now, he said.

However, preliminary results show that the total number of schools identified for improvement, corrective action or restructuring statewide rose to 617 in 2006, up from 420 in 2005.

Of the schools identified in 2006, some 316 were identified for aggregate or overall student performance, while 301 were singled out due to student subgroups. Of those, special education and low income subgroups were most commonly specified.

Among Attleboro schools, four were cited for failing to meet aggregate improvement in either mathematics or English language arts; only one school, Wamsutta, was cited for subgroup performance only.

Both Dighton-Rehoboth schools made the list for aggregate performance; schools in Norton, North Attleboro and Mansfield failed to meet yearly progress only for subgroups.

Norton Middle School failed to make adequate yearly progress for the third consecutive year in math for special education students.

Superintendent Patricia Ansay has written to parents of the school, stating that the school will develop a plan to correct the situation.

Yelle Elementary School met most goals, but fell short in one student subgroup for the second consecutive year. The subgroup was not identified.

Being placed on the list can have escalating consequences for each school, depending on how long the school remains on the list. Schools that fail to meet requirements two years in a row require their districts to offer parents placement of their child in another school.

After three years, schools are required to offer school choice and supplemental instruction to affected students. After four years they move into a `` corrective action'' phase in which schools are required to make significant changes, possibly involving staff and curriculum.

A school that remains on the list for five years can be placed under state oversight.