Like many other school districts, Lansing offers a program to its high school seniors that allows them to "recover credits" they've missed they need to graduate.

It's called "Education Options." It offers both computer-based and self-taught book classes.

But this seemingly lax-way of earning credits is about to get tougher.

According to Diane Roth, assistant principal of the program, one change will be effective immediately: Students must pass tests with an 80 percent instead of the previous 70 percent.

Then, starting next school year, they'll need at least a C+ grade point in those classes to pass-- before, they just couldn't flunk.

And they'll have to take the same final exam their counterparts in regular classes are taking.

"More and more of high school graduates don't graduate ready for post-secondary endeavors," explains Dr. Sharif Shakrani, an MSU educational policy expert. "Schools want to put more value and more rigor behind the diploma."

Shakrani says raising the bar of alternative education programs is becoming more common because of Michigan Merit standards and No Child Left Behind.

But he says the changes could actually be setting these students up for failure.

"They take a course online, and then they're taking the same test as students who don't take the course online. Their probability of doing as well is much less."

In the end, schools want their students to graduate, but at what level of achievement is the question.