CHICAGO – Illinois and many other states aren’t setting high enough goals for high school graduation rates, according to a new report.

The Education Trust, a Washington-based think tank, looked at graduation requirements across the country under the No Child Left Behind Act for its report released Wednesday.

Illinois’ 2006 graduation goal for individual schools was 72 percent, while the statewide graduation rate was 88 percent, according to the Illinois State Board of Education.

“The fact that Illinois has set a goal that is lower than where the state already is means that it is not expecting all schools to make improvements in their graduation rates,” said Daria Hall, author of the report, “Graduation Matters: Improving Accountability for High School Graduation.”

State Board of Education spokesman Matt Vanover noted that the 88 percent rate was a statewide average and “there are dozens of schools that have rates below 72 percent.” He said improving the rate in all schools is the goal of the No Child Left Behind Act.

All high schools must meet the graduation goal in order to comply with the act. Schools that don’t comply with the federal program face consequences such as letting students transfer to different schools.

Illinois education officials plan to review the report’s findings.

“We are not shooting for mediocrity at all; we are shooting for improvement,” said Richard Yong, a consultant with the board of education.