State lawmakers told education officials Wednesday they're wary of adopting any national education standards, fearing they could eventually be used to usurp state authority over education.

Utah is one of 46 states to sign on to a voluntary effort by the National Governors Association and Council of Chief State School Officers to develop common, internationally measured standards for student achievement.

Alaska, South Carolina, Missouri and Texas are the only states that aren't participating.

Education decisions generally are controlled by the states and the federal government cannot mandate national standards, creating wide variation. Students and schools deemed failing in one state might get passing grades in another.

Utah lawmakers told incoming state Superintendent Larry Shumway that one of their fears about national standards is that Utah's benchmarks could be watered down by compromising with other states.

"The higher-level students always seem to be the ones that suffer," said Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman. "A national uniform standard does frighten me."

Developing national standards is one of the goals of U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan. Duncan is offering up to $350 million in federal incentives to help states develop common standards.

Any tests developed for the new standards would likely replace existing ones.

A legislative panel, primarily comprised of Republicans, told Shumway they're also worried the federal government will eventually use the standards to adopt a nationwide curriculum.

"Our federal government is confiscating almost every aspect of what's going on," said Rep. Kenneth Sumsion, R-American Fork. "I don't think it'll take that much for the Department of Education to say ... we're coming in the door and then confiscate the whole issue and start driving their standards."

State school board member David Thomas told the panel he reluctantly supported the initiative, saying it allowed states to take a proactive approach.

"Unless the states do something, we're going to get national standards and we're going to get them without any influence from us," he said.