JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Missouri senators have started debate on legislation that would charge panels of educators with developing new education benchmarks.

Students are scheduled to take tests this fall aligned to the Common Core standards, which have been adopted by over 40 states. Critics say lawmakers should have been consulted when the State Board of Education adopted the benchmarks in 2010. Now they want Missouri to write its own student performance goals.

The bill under consideration in the Senate on Tuesday evening would implement new education goals for English, math, science and history by the 2016 academic year.

Indiana is the only other state to scrap Common Core to write its own school standards. Under Missouri’s bill, the state could still choose to follow Common Core or adopt certain parts of the benchmarks.