By Bill Raack, KWMU
St. Louis, MO. – State education officials are holding a series of public meetings this week to discuss raising minimum high school graduation requirements in Missouri.
A task force has made recommendations to the state board of education that include increasing the minimum number of units of credit from 22 to 24 and developing a new so-called "exit test" to replace the current MAP exam.
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education spokesman Jim Morris says it's been 20 years since graduation requirements have been changed in Missouri.
"The President has made significant comments about the need to change high school standards recently," Morris said. "The National Governors Association is talking about high schools. We hear a lot from business and industry leaders that the world is changed and the demands on today's students and graduates have changed."
The first of ten public meetings across the state this week was held today in St. Louis.