This study documented curriculum decisions made by an eighth grade social studies teacher as he prepared students for their high-stakes test. When considering how to best meet students' needs, the teacher described tensions between the pressures of standards and testing and his commitment to cultural responsiveness. Perceptions about these different demands affected instructional decisions and teaching behaviors. Decisions were more strongly influenced by the accountability demands than by the cultural or development needs of students. The discussion considers how middle level teaching might address these dilemmas and challenges the primacy of accountability as defined by standards and test results over the needs of adolescent learners.