Calif. Lawmakers, Governor Agree on Test Program

By Robert Rotlunan

California lawmakers and Gev. Pete Wilson last week headed toward agreement on legislation to resuscitate and revamp their state's assessment program.

The program, killed by former Gev. George Deukmejian in a budget-cutting move last year, has received national acclaim for its pioneering experiments with performance assessments.

The negotiations last week resolved differences between lawmakers, led by the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, Senator Gary K. Hart, who urged that the revamped program include a greater reliance on performance assessments. Such measures require students to construct answers, rather than fill in blanks...