Dive Brief:

• Columbus City Schools' internal audit found a lack of documentation for over 50% of sampled student withdrawal records, indicating that thousands of students in the district may have unfounded withdrawals.   
• In response to the disconnect, the state Department of Education has requested the district find supporting documents for the 5,400 students who withdrew this year.  
• If the appropriate documentation is not found, the district risks not only losing state funding, but having to reimburse the state for past funds. Additionally, those responsible for the oversight will have their license revoked.  

Dive Insight:

The Education Department indicated that it believes the district changed the records to make its nine  schools look better. And they have good reason to believe this. In 2012, the district was scolded for also altering its attendance data to inflate school performance scores.   

It looks as though things have not changed. Of the 84 sampled withdrawals, half lacked documentation. And 37% of the sampled withdrawals were filed over 60 days after the alleged withdrawal.  

This case indicates the worst-case scenario of school evaluations and accountability, where administrators forego the best interests of their students in favor of a stellar school review.