Lawmakers have stalled a proposal to toughen North Dakota's high school graduation requirements, with some contending they are not strict enough and others saying the state may be requiring too much class work.

North Dakota students now need at least 21 units of high school coursework to get a diploma. On Friday, the state Senate voted 43-4 to approve legislation raising the benchmark to 22 units during the 2009-10 school year and to 24 units in 2011-12.

The bill also outlines a minimum curriculum that students must have to graduate, including four units of English, two each of math and science, and three units of social studies. A unit is typically a year of coursework.

The measure stalled in the House on Friday afternoon, with representatives delaying a final vote. It may need additional work by a House-Senate conference committee that had previously settled on the bill's final details, legislators said.

Representatives questioned the increased number of required units and a provision that would allow a student to take multicultural studies instead of social studies.

"Somebody could actually graduate from high school … and take no social studies," said Rep. Dave Weiler, R-Bismarck.

Rep. Louis Pinkerton, D-Minot, who is a former member of Minot's school board, said requiring 24 units of coursework would not leave much room for error if a student was having academic problems.

"I saw kids who had struggled to graduate from high school," Pinkerton said. "As you increase these requirements … that means that they've got to have six credits every year. And if they have a little problem, you're going to have a lot of kids who aren't going to graduate in four years."

Earlier Friday, during Senate debate, some senators argued the law's list of required classes was embarrassingly brief.

"I think we need to apologize to the future graduates, because during the session we couldn't do more to help them out as they move forward in their education, so that they're more work-ready, more college-ready," said Sen. Tim Flakoll, R-Fargo.

Flakoll and Sen. Gary Lee, R-Casselton, were part of a study commission that outlined proposals last year for tougher academic standards. During debate Friday, they said the bill fell short of the standards set in the Senate's original proposal.

"The requirements that passed through here before were a bit more rigorous, but this offers a starting point … (for) a minimum curriculum in our high schools," Lee said.

Sen. David Nething, R-Jamestown, said inadequate instruction in some North Dakota high schools has forced colleges to offer remedial classes to new students.

"It is unfair to the taxpayers of North Dakota who have to pay for remedial education, because we have school districts that do not demand enough of their students," Nething said.

The bill is SB2309.