JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Missouri officials are planning a series of public hearings on the state's new education standards.

The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education said Monday that simultaneous hearings will be held May 2 at eight locations throughout Missouri.

One of the meetings will be at 6:30 p.m. at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center, room 110.

Officials say the hearings will be an opportunity to discuss the standards adopted by the state education board in 2010. The so-called Common Core State Standards represent an effort adopted by 45 states to come up with a consistent means of determining what students should know when they prepare for college.

Some Missouri House members have criticized the education department for adopting the new standards, but attempts this year to prevent their implementation have failed.