The high school diploma   is losing its value quickly, as a growing number of students graduate   from school without the math and reading skills that colleges and companies require, according to a new report. The high school graduation exams that most states   require students to pass before they graduate remain far too easy. Most of the exams generally test eighth-or ninth-grade level work. Today, even high school graduates who are going to have blue-collar   jobs need to study the math, research and writing courses. But in high school, only students who are going to college are now required to take these courses. "If you want a good job with a good pay, it's a high-skill job," said Michael Cohen, a leading member of the America Diploma Project. The project suggests that all graduates master a wide range   of skills. "A high school diploma should mean something to a company and university," said Ohio Gov. Bob Taft, who is Achieve's co-chairman. In Taft's state, about 30% students who go directly to college from high school have to take _ of English or math, he said. It's easy to see that the present high-school graduating standards are not preparing students for college education. And with high-skilled jobs increasingly headed overseas to places like India and Ireland, states need to act, he said. To prove why math and reading skills matter, the report includes real-life examples of problems students meet in college and that workers must solve each day on the job.  Some states are taking actions to upgrade the high school diploma. In Texas, all high school students, starting with the 2008 graduating class, will have to take the college-prep curriculum   - unless a parent agrees to an easier course load. Other states are planning similar moves. The report includes examples of reading and math skills that high-school students should have. Project leaders say they hope parents will use those examples to judge   the coursework at their kids' high schools. What can we learn from the passage?
Colleges require higher math and reading skills than companies. It is easier for companies to find high-skilled workers in India. Math and reading skills help little for workers to solve daily problems. Parents ask high schools to offer college-prep curriculum in Texas.