Liberty is defined as freedom from control or subjection. I can think of nothing that is used more to control or subject people, especially young people, to more unasked interventions than tests. After all, students at PSCS do not take tests unless they want to. States that meet certain requirements as outlined in Goals 2000 will qualify to receive additional federal funds. And while these goals may only apply to students in public schools, there is the possibility that this may change to encompass private school students and homeschoolers.
Tests are antithetical to learning.
Learning, true learning, is an unpredictable, uneven process determined by the uniqueness of each individual. No two people learn the same thing exactly the same way, yet tests assume that there is one way to determine what a person knows. Further, tests only cover certain topics. Tests control curriculum content by dictating what must be taught. As a teacher, if I know that the hurdle a student must scale to reach an objective is a particular test, I would be remiss in my responsibilities to not help that student prepare by providing instruction in those topics covered by the test.