A number of political issues are involved in educational testing and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). Many school officials are disturbed by the number of tests administered and the information and instructional time lost; they are reluctant to accede to further voluntary testing programs which might duplicate current efforts. State-by-state comparisons of published test results may reduce the amount of authority held by local school districts for decision making and curriculum formulation. Response to minimum competency testing, and the linking of teachers' merit pay or dismissal to student achievement have been strongly challenged. Groups' attitudes toward teaching to the test (i.e., coaching), and toward various uses of tests are quite subjective, but some groups are ready to do battle if assessment data are used in a punitive fashion. Other attitudes toward federal data collection efforts include: support for national testing if it is useful, desire for testing to not be duplicative or costly, and general trust in NAEP's program of a national assessment with state comparisons. Test scores tend to be reported simply, without explanations of their meaning; they should, however, be interpreted by education specialists. It is suggested that national testing be well-designed, avoiding compromises which would limit its usefulness. Proponents of school-based decision making and alternatives to standarized testing will counterbalance the support for national testing. (GDC)