Surely something like Logo has similar advantages (small set of simple instructions) without requiring students to learn about CPUs before they can start? Plus it means they get to draw pictures instead of relatively boring calculations.
And switching to assembly seems like a pretty overkill solution to the = vs == problem.
the = vs == is just an example of how having a robust mental picture of how computers actually work makes high level programming more intuitive. And you don't really have to teach a real CPU for this to work. Check out that link I posted. It's a greatly simplified CPU simulator with visual feedback on every step the CPU is taking (e.g., PC increment, fetching the next instruction, storing something in memory etc.) It's great fun for kids to watch how a little program they wrote made the computer do all that work.
And switching to assembly seems like a pretty overkill solution to the = vs == problem.