A pilot program with five testing options will be introduced this year.

DOE officials say the tests will help evaluate how schools are doing earlier in a student's academic career.

"It's not easy to test a five year old, but the alternative of not testing a five year old is an outrage," said Mayor Michael Bloomberg. "That's about the nicest thing you can say. To sit there and say 'well we're not sure we can test them, therefore we're not going to help them.' I can promise you, as long as I'm mayor, we're not going to walk away from our responsibility to find out what the kids need, and to give it to them the best we possibly can."

American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten says testing children at such an early age is developmentally wrong, and puts academic pressure on children.