About 100 immigrant parents today blasted a Chicago Public Schools plan to measure the academic progress of English language learners using a test designed for native speakers. We report from our West Side bureau.

The parents came from throughout the city to a Little Village high school to protest how the district is implementing the federal No Child Left Behind Act. This is the first year Chicago schools are testing nearly all students using the ISAT, short for Illinois Standards Achievement Test.

Matilde Cortés’ three kids attend Marquette Elementary.

CORTEZ: No es algo justo y no es una evaluación adecuada del desarrollo académico de nuestros niños.

She said the test won’t measure what her kids know.

The district is promising that ISAT scores won’t keep English learners from advancing a grade. But poor results could mean penalties against heavily immigrant schools.