Seventh and eighth-graders at Pioneer School heard an unusual confession from the chief of Oregon's public schools last Wednesday.

"I wasn't a very good student. I don't remember people saying 'Susan, you have a lot of potential. What can I do

to help you?'" said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Susan Castillo to a small group of students.

Castillo was in Lebanon to explain the new high school graduation requirements slated to take effect starting with the graduating class of 2009.

With an increased emphasis on math, scientific inquiry, essential skills and career planning, education officials are hopeful that students' potential will be recognized early enough that students like Castillo, who went on to become an award-winning television journalist, won't go unnoticed.

Looking over the horizon to their post high school years, seventh-graders will pick a possible career and make an educational plan to help them reach their goals. Castillo is quick to point out that students aren't being locked into a job choice as young teens, rather it is designed to teach skills in a way that is relevant to their interests.

For example: instead of taking algebra, a student interested in becoming an architect might get her math requirements incorporated into a drafting class instead.

Looking over the new requirements, several Pioneer middle schoolers expressed trepidation over the increased rigor.

The state superintendent reassured them that resources will be put in place to provide extra instruction.

"The last thing we need to do is set a new target for you and not give you the tools you need to get there," she said.

Lebanon Superintendent Jim Robinson drew appreciative laughs from the students with his summary of how the new system will work.

"You're used to just sitting in a classroom doing what a teacher tells you to do," he explained. "You're going to be able to start telling teachers what they need to do. You get to say, 'I need to learn this, so I can be this.'"

Some students and teachers were concerned about electives decreasing from nine to six at full implementation of the new requirements.

Castillo said the plan allows proficiency credit: students who demonstrate enough knowledge in a required course can earn credit without having to take the class. That, she said, would free students to take more electives.

Later, at the Lebanon Rotary Club, Castillo told community and business leaders that improving education would require a significant investment, including more after school learning and summer school programs, Head Start and full-day kindergarten.

In the long run, such investments would save the education system money, she said.

"Higher education is spending enormous amounts of money for remedial training in reading and math," Castillo said.

Better education also could reduce costs in the criminal justice system.

"We know students who are successful in school are also less likely to end up in jail."

Businesses will benefit from the essential skills component, which includes being able to think critically and analytically, use of technology, writing for a variety of purposes and the ability to apply mathematics in a variety of settings, she said.

"We hear stories from employers about having to give more training to workers who can't read or don't know how to be good employees."

Castillo acknowledged that perhaps the most important aspect of successful students -parental involvement- is the hardest one for government to affect.

"The biggest challenge is everyone is working. There are so many two-income families," she said. "I can't stress how much parents can do by setting a standard of how important education is."

When fully implemented in 2014, the new standards will increase total graduation requirements from 22 to 24. Graduating seniors will be required to complete three credits of math, up from the current two. Only Algebra 1 and above will count toward the diploma.

In 2012, students will need three credits of scientific inquiry to graduate, up from the current two.

The Lebanon Community School District currently has a graduation requirement of 27 credits that, with the exception of math and science, already meet the new requirements, Robinson said.