AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A powerful state senator on Tuesday angrily disputed national assertions that Texas is poised to drastically ease its public school curriculum and standardized testing requirements, saying “nothing could be further from the truth.”

Texas lawmakers are considering a sweeping proposal designed to give more flexibility to students who want to focus on vocational training rather than college prep courses in high school. It would allow youngsters to earn a “foundation” diploma without taking upper-level math or science courses, including Algebra II, while reducing the number of standardized tests students must pass in order to graduate from a nation-high 15 to five, still more than 44 states currently require.