Accountability Via the Assembly Line

Dan Lips argues that No Child Left Behind has been bad for Hispanic students and that a reauthorization bill offered by George Miller (D-CA) would make matters worse:

This change would force public schools across the country to make a tough decision: tackle the challenge of teaching Spanish-speaking children English so they can pass regular exams or take the easier path of using native-language tests and portfolio assessments. Because NCLB would continue to pressure schools with high-stakes state tests, federal law would provide an incentive for states to choose the easier path. The result: Fewer Hispanic children would learn the critical skills of reading, writing, and speaking English at an early age.

While some of the resistance on the part of educators to testing represents a desire to avoid accountability, there is an argument to be made that one size fits all federal requirements based on Utopian ("no child") and centralized notions of the possibilities of achievement do more harm than good.

I know that some educators read this blog. Even if you choose to comment anonymously, I would be interested in your reactions.