Highlights the challenge of educating limited English proficient (LEP) secondary school students in the context of new federal accountability requirements that hold all students to the same performance standards. Problems with including LEP students in standards-based accountability include: (1) lack of reliable instruments to test LEP students’ content knowledge in Spanish and other languages; (2) lack of effective strategies for helping LEP students develop academic English; (3) diversity among LEP students in terms of level of prior learning in their native language and nature of home literacy practices, which may require more than one basic language development program; and (4) a short-term shortage of qualified teachers. Extending accountability systems to LEP students in ways that give educators the resources they need to focus on low-performing students should involve developing assessments in the core subjects appropriate for use with English-language learners, developing alternative courses of instruction for special populations, and taking a cautious approach to high-stakes testing. Model immigrant-serving secondary schools focus on bringing language development and mainstream subject teachers together and expanding the amount of time LEP students spend in direct language instruction and other core subjects.
