Clinton to fight for national testing

EDGARTOWN, Mass. - President Clinton vowed yesterday to fight for voluntary national academic testing as White House officials warned that a current effort in the House to block the initiative may provoke a presidential veto of a broad spending bill.

Clinton

Rep. Bill Goodling (R-Pa.) plans to introduce as early as tomorrow legislation that would prohibit the Education Department from spending any money to develop national tests.

The president has been pushing all states to start testing fourth graders in reading and eighth graders in math with the same tests. The department has a contract with test publishers to develop the tests.

Taking a break from his vacation to meet with teachers at a school on Martha's Vineyard, Clinton declared that "educational excellence at world class-standards is now more important than ever before."

Clinton told the teachers that he has been "a little bit peeved" that some members of Congress have resisted the establishment of national academic standards and a system to measure student achievement.

"There are some people in Congress and in the country who don't want this to happen," Clinton said in a speech at Oak Bluffs School. "They either say we've got enough tests already or the federal government's making a power grab or they're afraid that the tests won't be fair to people who don't do well on it."

Clinton said he expects "to be fighting (the issue) out over the next few weeks" with Congress.

A statement of administration policy sent to Congress on Tuesday says if Goodling's amendment were adopted "the president's senior advisers would be forced to recommend that the president veto the bill." Goodling's amendment would be part of the sweeping House appropriations' bill for the departments of Labor, Education, Health and Human Services, and related agencies.

Education Secretary Richard Riley also urged Clinton to veto the measure if it includes Goodling's amendment.

"In effect, de-funding would basically bring this effort to a halt, and we find that to be unacceptable," White House spokesperson Joe Lockhart said.

Lockhart said the president is "considering" the veto advice but hopes the Goodling amendment will be defeated.

Goodling, chairman of the House Education and Work Force Committee, opposes the national testing initiative saying he believes there are already enough tests to help educators study problems with America's schools.

"President Clinton's plan for two new federal education tests won't boost the academic performance of a single American child," Goodling said in a statement.

"Americans should not be misled that better tests will lead to better students. That's akin to claiming that better speedometers make for faster cars."

The president, by contrast, argues that there is no test now given to every American student that would enable both students and their parents to judge whether the students are learning what they should.

Goodling, a former teacher and school administrator, said he believes states should develop their own standards and assessments, as many of them have with the money they received through the president's Goals 2000 education reform initiative.

"The president's plan is a waste of taxpayers' money and won't do anything except increase federal government's involvement in schools," he said. The development of the tests is expected to cost $16 million this year, and administration costs are estimated at $100 million a year.

Goodling's staff said his amendment is supported by many Republicans and a few Democrats.

"We know what the tests are going to show: low grades for the students in the inner cities and the rural areas," complained testing opponent Rep. Major Owens (D-N.Y.).

Just six states - Massachusetts, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, North Carolina and West Virginia - have indicated their intention to use the tests. School districts of six of the nation's largest cities have expressed support for Clinton's testing initiative and said they wanted to participate even if their states do not.

President Clinton had tried to avert a clash with Congress on the issue by announcing in his radio address Saturday that a bipartisan panel would draft the test instead of the Department of Education.

09-04-97