WASHINGTON – Former Maine Gov. John R. McKernan told the National Education Goals Panel here Saturday that the nation’s governors must take steps to expand student testing in schools.

“What gets the attention is the end result, and that is student achievement,” McKernan said.

McKernan, who was considered for education secretary and helped shape President Bush’s education plan during the recent campaign, stressed the importance of the tests in pinpointing states that are performing poorly and rewarding those that are doing well. Areas with low scores might be directed in borrowing successful tactics from top performing schools, he said.

Gov. Jim Geringer, R-Wyo., who will serve as the chair of the goals panel in 2002, argued that states now may confront too much testing and may be reluctant to take on more responsibilities.

“A lot of schools are concerned about how much testing is going on,” Geringer told the panel. “I’ve heard Wyoming school officials say, ‘you’re pushing these tests on us.’ We need to explain to these schools that what we’re doing will help them.”

Gov. Frank O’Bannon, D-Ind., who chairs the group this year, said annual tests are the first step in improving the measures of education progress, but only a first step.

“We must not stop there,” O’Bannon said. “By working with Congress and the new administration to reshape the national education goals, we hope to have a better understanding of how to assess school performance.”

Created in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, the National Education Goals Panel consists of an equal number of Democrats and Republicans from the federal and state level.

The eight national goals, defined by the governors and Congress, are designed to improve learning. They expect that students are ready to learn; high school graduation should increase by 90 percent; students should become competent in challenging subject matter; teachers should have the knowledge and skills they need; U.S. students should rank first in the world in math and science; every American adult should become literate; schools should be safe and students disciplined; and that parental participation should be promoted.