Fate of Calif. Testing Unclear After Wilson's Veto

By Lynn Olson

The future of student testing in California is up for grabs after Gov. Pete Wilson's veto last week of a bill that would have reauthorized the state's existing assessment system.

Governor Wilson refused to sign the measure because it would not allow students to obtain individual test scores until at least 1999. He also charged that the exam did not do a good enough job of assessing students' basic skills. The veto had been widely anticipated. (See Education Week, Sept. 7, 1994.)

The Governor's action will force the state education department to scratch plans for administering the controversial statewide test next spring. William D. Dawson, the acting state superintendent of public instruction, said it is "completely unrealistic" to think a new test could be on line by then, even if lawmakers pass a revised bill when...