Starting next fall, students in Florida's high schools will have less freedom to take electives. New state requirements will force more students into taking the same schedules.
Every year, technical courses train almost 1,300 Alachua county students in fields like child care, fire and rescue, and law enforcement. However, technical courses may soon become one casualty in the push for statewide education standards, which now more than ever, focus on preparing students for college.
During the 2010 legislative session, Florida lawmakers raised the bar for high school students, implementing new graduation requirements that will be phased in starting this fall.
"What the state seems to be doing is shoe-horning every kid into a particular path that may not be most effective for these students," said Jackie Johnson, spokeswoman for Alachua county public schools.
A path that will soon lead every high school student to classrooms, traditionally filled with their "college-bound" peers.
"Motivation is a huge factor in chemistry and physics, they have to want to be there," said Kelly Corbett, a science teacher at Gainesville High School.

Click here to see the new graduation requirements on the Alachua County Public Schools website.