By Rene Sanchez
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 17, 1997; Page A20

The House last night rejected President Clinton's plan to give students national tests in reading and math, dealing him a significant setback on an initiative that has divided educators and state lawmakers across the country.

The vote sets the stage for a showdown with the Senate, which last week expressed strong support for national testing but set new terms for how it should be managed. The proposal, which would be an unprecedented step for the nation's schools, is one of the top priorities of Clinton's second term. But its fate depends on how Congress resolves its deep differences on the subject later this month.

After several hours of contentious debate on the federal government's role in education, lawmakers in the House voted 295 to 125 to support a measure introduced by Rep. William F. Goodling (R-Pa.) that prohibits federal money from being spent on the tests. Clinton wants schools to begin using the tests on a voluntary basis in 1999.

Opposition in the House to Clinton's plan crossed party lines and led to rare political alliances. More than 70 Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the tests. Many conservative lawmakers denounced the plan as an unnecessary federal intrusion into the affairs of local schools. Some liberal voices in the House, including the Congressional Black Caucus, also warned that the tests would unfairly stigmatize poor or minority students who have no choice but to attend disadvantaged schools.

Other lawmakers said that students are already assessed each year with an array of state and local tests and called Clinton's plan too vague and too costly. "We know where we are with our kids. . . . States already administer hundreds of tests," said Rep. John Edward Porter (R-Ill.). "Further tests don't add anything."

Goodling, chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, also suggested that reaching a compromise with the Senate over national tests could be difficult. He called its 87 to 13 vote to support the tests but shift control of them from the Education Department to an independent board "positively, totally inadequate, unacceptable."

Clinton reacted with dismay to the House vote. In a statement last night, he said the House "cast a vote for the status quo and against better schools. . . . They have voted against a plan to improve our schools by raising standards, empowering parents and increasing accountability."

Lawmakers who supported the voluntary tests said that they could spur the kind of school improvements that parents nationwide are demanding. But while White House officials said they hoped the size of the Senate vote would ultimately preserve the tests in some form, some of the president's allies on the issue conceded that he may have an uphill fight.

"The administration does need to do a lot more work," said Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.).

Clinton contends that the tests would give parents a better picture of how schools are performing and would prompt educators to set higher academic standards for students. The standards that most schools use to assess students vary greatly among states, and are often criticized for being weak.

Under Clinton's plan, fourth-graders would take a test in reading and eighth-graders would take one in math. Each exam would last 90 minutes.

But to date, only seven states, including Maryland, and 15 of the nation's largest urban school systems – the District is not among them – have agreed to use the tests. Many governors remain skeptical of the idea.

On a separate issue yesterday, Clinton vowed to veto a measure the Senate approved last week that would radically change how $13 billion in federal money for education is spent.

The proposal would turn most targeted federal education programs into open-ended block grants to local school districts.

The House has yet to take up that matter.