A message was left for Superintendent Bobby Fields but not returned.

Alexandria saw its ranking go up from academic progress to commendable.

Shenandoah was exemplary as a corporation and only the high school was ranked below exemplary with a rating of watch.

“We’re proud of our accomplishments,” said Shenandoah Superintendent Ronald Green. “We don’t take too long to celebrate, and it’s back to work.”

Green said teachers are aligning their curriculum to accomplish state standards, and added that it’s more difficult to align the curriculum at the high school level.

“At the elementary level, standards are clear, he said. “They’re not as clear at the secondary level.”

Elsewhere, Daleville maintained the watch rating it got in 2007 and Madison-Grant stayed the same at academic progress. Summitville Elementary School, however, was rated exemplary, moving up from academic progress in 2007.

Bennett also said Wednesday he wants to reward schools that are improving on measures such as graduation rates. He said he would announce a program as early as next week that would give schools “real incentives” to improve using a “significant” amount of money the Department of Education has saved in its budget.

More details on that program will be announced soon, Bennett said.

“We’re very excited about that,” he said.

New 2008 state data released Wednesday show that about 70 percent of public high schools, 64 percent of public middle schools and 35 percent of public elementary schools fell into the state’s lowest two categories — academic watch and probation.

About a quarter of Indiana’s public schools fell into a lower category in 2008 than 2007. And about 19 percent moved into higher categories, while the rest stayed in the same tier.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

Public Law 221