Dive Brief:

• Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz has submitted a proposal to the state's Senate Appropriations Committee, which she says could redirect nearly $60 million back to districts.
• Ritz's plan calls for $40 million in cuts to charter spending and eliminating testing for third-graders and high school juniors. 
• While Ritz's new testing plan is estimated to cost only $75 million over two years (half of what she predicted in December), legislators are currently searching for other options—even considering using a cheaper, one-size-fits-all national exam. 

Dive Insight:

It's almost laughable to think Indiana would get through all of the hassle to abandon Common Core and create "Indiana-centric" standards just to use an "off the shelf" test. That said, the state is definitely struggling when it comes to how to properly spend funds. Of course, Ritz's suggestions are going to get pushback. Charter advocates will not be happy with cuts and testing advocates will argue that students can slip through the cracks without testing to hold schools and teachers accountable. 

And that's not even considering the efforts by the state's governor and Republican lawmakers to strip her power, despite the fact she was elected to her position