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COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- South Carolina's schools chief is proud of the progress some schools made toward reaching federal education goals this year.

But State Superintendent Jim Rex warns the "adequate yearly progress" benchmarks under the federal No Child Left Behind increase dramatically next year, meaning schools that show marked improvement will still be labeled as falling behind.

Data released Monday by the state Education Department shows South Carolina had 29 more elementary and middle schools meet the law's myriad of standardized testing benchmarks split among racial and economic factors.

Thirteen of 184 high schools met all their AYP goals, the same total as last year, while three school districts -- Anderson 2, Greenwood 52 and Lexington 3 -- met their goals.

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