Students will need more courses and a minimum of four years of English classes to graduate from high school under a proposal heading for legislative approval.

Students now must have a minimum of 21 units of coursework to graduate. The new standards, approved by the state Senate on Friday, increase the number of required units to 22 in 2009, and to 24 in 2011.

At present, state law does not include any high school graduation requirements. Instead, it lists courses that schools must offer.

The legislation specifies that, beginning next year, students must have certain credits to graduate, including four years of English, two years each of math and science, and three years of social studies.

"The bill just offers a starting point, at a minimum curriculum and number of credits to graduate from high school," said Sen. Gary Lee, R-Casselton.

The superintendent of public instruction must work with schools to determine which classes meet the minimum subject requirements, the bill says. It also requires school districts to file copies of their graduation requirements with the Department of Public Instruction.

The legislation now moves to the North Dakota House to see if representatives agree with it. The idea of requiring a minimum number of years of subject coursework to graduate from high school has generated more arguing in the House.

The bill, which was sponsored by Sen. David Nething, R-Jamestown, has had substantially different House and Senate versions. The Senate legislation included more required classes, which were stripped out by the House.

A conference committee of three House members and three senators recently worked out a compromise measure.

The bill is SB2309.