High school curriculums for Georgia students could look different in the near future.

The state Department of Education is in the process of revising its graduation rule, which establishes the minimum requirements a student must meet to graduate from a public high school.

The new requirements will go into effect for the 2008-09 freshman class.

"We're pretty excited about it. It will provide higher academic standards for all of our students," said Lauren Williams, Columbia County's associate superintendent of student learning.

The main difference between the proposed requirements and the current standards is that high school students no longer will have to choose between college-preparatory and technology-career tracks, said Dana Tofig, a spokesman for the Education Department.

"We're getting away from this idea that there are tiered diplomas," he said. "Everybody's going to take a rigorous core of classes. Jobs out there all require students to think scientifically and analytically."

Students in career/technology/agricultural programs also would need three electives in a series of classes that will prepare them for the work force, Mr. Tofig said.

Rose Carraway, Columbia County's director of student learning for grades nine through 12, said the county already requires many of the proposed standards. She said the new math requirements would mark the biggest change in the system's high school curriculum.

The draft proposal calls for students to take math 1, 2 and 3, which would include algebra, geometry, statistics and probability and exposure to trigonometry.

Other changes include increasing the number of science credits from three to four, which will boost the overall credit requirement from 22 to 23.

Mr. Tofig said a range of people from educators to business leaders weighed in on the new graduation requirements.

The new rule, which will align with the state's revised curriculum, will be considered for approval by the state Board of Education later this year.