Standardized Testing

So... I was sitting here thinking of all the different things I have encountered working with children and all the complaints that we, as adults, have.

Anyway, a thought about a recent conversation I had with my 1st grade son's principal crossed my mind. It appears that my son put on his own personal strike against Standardized Testing.

At the end of the school year my son decided (while in the middle of Stanford Tests) that he had had enough. He put his pencil down and slid his chair back from his desk. His teacher asked what he was doing and tried to explain with no avail that the test had to be completed. Ultimately, giving up, she sent him to the Principal's office.

The principal and this bright little boy began talking and the conversation went like this...

Principal: "Why aren't you taking the tests?"
Son: "Because we just finished taking tests two weeks ago and I don't understand why we have to keep taking them. Why do we have to take them again?"
Principal: "Well, because the State said we have to."
Son: "Why?"
Principal: "Because everybody has to take them."
Son: "But why? I don't understand why and nobody can tell me why. So I've decided that I will stay in your office until everybody else is done taking them."
Principal: "Well, you can't because I have to test another student."

[At this point my son runs down the names of every adult in the building that he likes. Unfortunately for the principal, my son knows everyone because his older sisters all attend the school and the principal is new.] This conversation leads to this...

Son: "What about Mrs H.? (secretary) Is she testing?"
Principal: "No."
Son: "OK.... so I'll go sit with her."

In the end, the principal was perplexed and outdone by a 6 year old because like most people he has no idea why every year students pull their hair out taking standardized tests.