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This article responds to two critiques of an earlier article on the unintended consequences of high-stakes testing. The exchange of viewpoints suggests that the successful resolution of current policy debates surrounding such testing and companion accountability systems rests on the ability to: recognize, document, and disseminate instances of real learning gains; develop improved methods and assessment systems that provide instructional relevance and utility of test results; and negotiate a balance between the role of large-scale assessment in identifying achievement deficits and the responsibility and resources that educational systems have to redress identified deficiencies.