Curriculum requirements are about to increase for Texas high school students, but so are efforts by the state and local school districts to help those students graduate and move on to college.

Starting with the 2007-08 school year, incoming freshmen will be required to complete four years of science and math courses in order to graduate, according to guidelines recently adopted by the Texas State Board of Education.

In math, students will have to successfully complete Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and a fourth course in which Algebra II is prerequisite, such as trigonometry.

Likewise, students will have to complete at least one advanced science course before graduating, Big Spring Superintendent Michael Downes said.

Downes noted that the new requirements are a mixed blessing.

"On the plus side, there's no question that high school graduates will be better prepared for post-secondary education," he said.

The new guidelines do pose two potential problem areas Ñ finding enough qualified teachers and lab space.

"The additional class requirements will demand additional teachers in science and math. These are two of the most critical shortage areas right now, and the situation will only get worse," Downes said. "And as the number of science classes increase, the need for more lab space will increase, as well."

While state officials have increased curriculum requirements, they have also provided extra revenue to districts for use in high school completion and college readiness programs.

Downes said the money, which was included in the state legislature's recent school finance reform bill, will have various applications.

Specific uses of the money won't be finalized until guidelines are adopted by the Texas Education Agency in early August.

"One possible expense is that we could pay for all our high school students to take the SAT and ACT college-entrance exams," Downes said. "Another possibility is that we could use the money to help pay tuition and fees for students taking concurrent courses."

Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331, ext. 234, or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it