The Troy City School system is planning to implement a new honors advanced diploma in fall 2009 to coincided with the start of a new state program encouraging more rigorous diploma standards.

The First Choice program, approved by the state Department of Education earlier this year, will require all students enrolling in high school to start on the advanced diploma track unless parents request a student be opted out.

Troy Superintendent Linda Felton-Smith said the Troy City School System is planning to locally offer an “honors advanced diploma” for students who want to pursue an even higher degree.

“All students will start with an advanced diploma … but we will also have a diploma higher than that,” Felton-Smith said at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.

Under the new First Choice program, the advanced diploma will require a student to complete all standard coursework, plus two foreign language credits and Algebra II.

Felton-Smith said an honors advanced diploma would require students to complete all the honors courses in the core subjects.

Other high school diploma options under the First Choice program include advance career and technical endorsement, career and technical endorsement, no endorsement and credit-based endorsement.

Parents will have to approve moving students from the advanced diploma to a less rigorous academic tract, a move Felton-Smith said the school system will advise against.

“We hope the students will not opt out,” she said.

In other business the board of education, approved the hire of records clerk Mandy Carnell. Felton-Smith reported that with the hire, the school system is now fully staffed.