As students return to classes across the Tampa Bay area, their schools have a spate of new state laws and rules to implement. The Department of Education sent a 12-page memo to superintendents late last week to review the latest. Among the changes:

Schools now must offer acceleration options to students seeking more challenging curriculum.

Graduation requirements for ninth graders include added end-of-course exams, as well as a virtual course.

Teachers face increased passing scores for their certification exams in seven curriculum areas.

For more details, including 2012-13 testing dates, see the memo.