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Report: Illinois Schools Falling Short

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (CBS) - The annual report card for Illinois schools is due out Friday, and the state Board of Education says hundreds of public schools are falling short of the ever-higher standards set by the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Almost 2,000 failed to make adequate progress the past year. The results come from the board's annual report on public schools, released Friday.

State Superintendent Christopher Koch said the results reflect in part the higher standardized test scores the federal law requires each year.

Koch said schools are struggling to find money to improve. The state is more than $1 billion behind on payments to schools because of the budget deficit.

Critics of the law say Illinois' results are typical. They say the law relies too heavily on testing, and punishment for poor results.

The annual report also ranked the top schools in the state. Among elementary schools in the Chicago area, Decatur Classical Elementary, at 7030 N. Sacramento Ave. in the West Rogers Park neighborhood, scored first based on combined test scores.

Following Decatur was Keller Elementary Gifted Magnet School, 3020 W. 108th St.; Lenart Regional Gifted Center, 8101 S. LaSalle St.; Edison Regional Gifted Center, 4929 N. Sawyer Ave., and Mark T. Skinner Classical School, 1260 W. Adams St., according to a Chicago Sun-Times analysis.

Among high schools, Northside College Prep, 5501 N. Kedzie Ave., and Walter Payton College Prep, 1034 N. Wells St., placed first and second, respectively. Following them were New Trier Township High School, 385 Winnetka Ave. in Winnetka; Whitney M. Young Magnet High School, 211 S. Laflin St.; and Deerfield High School, 1959 Waukegan Rd. in Deerfield, according to the Sun-Times analysis.

Results for the state as a whole and by district and school can be found here, through the Illinois State Board of Education.

(TM and © Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS Radio and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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