MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama’s high school graduation rate ranks it 40th among the states, but  education leaders say they are aiming to make it among the nation’s best  by 2020.

The U.S. Department of Education  released new state graduation rates that put Alabama at 72 percent for the  2010-2011 school year. That’s better than neighboring Florida and Georgia, but  lower than Mississippi and Tennessee.

The new rates are the first  where each state used the same methodology to track students’ progress.  Alabama’s old rate for the prior school year had been 86 percent, said Malissa  Valdes-Hubert, spokeswoman for the state Department of Education.

The U.S. Department of Education  said Alabama was one of 26 states reporting a decrease using the new procedure.  It involved tracking students for four years starting in the ninth grade to see  if each one graduated on time. Alabama’s old method counted students who stayed  in high school for a fifth year to get their diplomas and special education  students who received occupational diplomas.

Federal education officials said  the new rates can’t be compared with the old ones because states used so many  different methods to calculate them. But the new figures can be compared  among states.

Iowa led the country at 88  percent, while the District of Columbia rated lowest at 59 percent. Among  Alabama’s neighboring states, Tennessee had one of the highest rates in the  country at 86 percent. Mississippi measured 75 percent, Florida, 71 percent, and  Georgia, 67 percent.

“By using this new measure,  states will be more honest in holding schools accountable and ensuring that  students succeed,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne  Duncan said in a news release.

The state Department of  Education’s new Plan 2020 sets a goal of having all students finish high school  ready for a career or college. Its goals include increasing the graduation rate  to 75 percent in 2016 and 85 percent in 2020.

Valdes-Hubert said students in  danger of dropping out usually have problems with attendance, behavior and  course failure in the ninth grade. She said schools are working to address those  problems early and keep the students in school. They include peer mentoring and  after school programs.

She said schools have also  started credit recovery programs that are encouraging students to keep working  toward a degree. The programs allow a student who fails a portion of a course to  retake that portion and pass that portion without having to retake the  entire course.

The new method of calculating  the graduation rate was recommended by the National  Governors Association. In addition to calculating a state’s overall rates,  it provides breakdowns for groups. Alabama’s graduation rate for whites was 78  percent, while African Americans measured 63 percent, Hispanics and Latinos 66  percent, and Native Americans 80 percent.