By David Madden

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Can you get a third grader to tell you a secret? New Jersey education officials are trying to do just that on a standardized test.

The Education Department in Trenton won’t offer up anyone to talk about it nor does their email explain ‘the why’ behind the question put to some 4,000 kids in 15 school districts across the state.

But questions are often “field tested” and this one was developed, according to the email by an expert, and then reviewed by both a panel of teachers and department officials.

They won’t even reveal the exact wording of the question offered up in the written section of some third grade tests; which asks them to reveal a secret and then write down why it’s hard to keep.

Plans are to review the question in question, so to speak, and decide if will be included in future tests.