A new report commissioned by legislative leaders in Indiana found that the changes made to the state’s grading system by then-Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, which benefited a charter school run by a top political donor, were “plausible.”
But the report, released Sept. 6, goes on to showcase the problems with implementing a radically new school rating system by a state education department that, like many education offices across the country, is struggling with staffing and technical capacity issues.
Indiana’s school grading system was thrust into the national spotlight after an Associated Press investigation uncovered the changes by Mr. Bennett, a Republican.
The scandal caused Mr. Bennett to resign from his job as Florida’s commissioner of education, a post he accepted after losing last year in Indiana’s general election.
The report calls for more transparency around school grading decisions in Indiana and for piloting any new changes to the school accountability system before full implementation.
