Audit Your Own District

This whole investigation started with a simple request for records — and the gaps in what came back. You can run the same test on your own district. It is free, it is your right, and it takes about two minutes.

Fill in the four blanks below. The letter assembles itself. Copy it into an email to your district’s records officer, or open it straight in your mail app.

Audit Your Own District

District 97 is not unique — most districts have never been asked to show their work. Fill in four blanks and you'll have a public-records request, ready to copy or email, that asks your district the same three questions at the heart of this story.

Your request letter

June 1, 2026

To the Freedom of Information / Public Records Officer, [your district]:

Under [your state]'s public records law, I request copies of the following records concerning student acceleration in mathematics (single-subject and whole-grade):

1.  The rubric, scoring guide, and cut scores currently used to evaluate requests for math acceleration, for all grade levels.

2.  Any research, validation studies, correlation analyses, or other evidence the district relied on when setting the rubric's thresholds — that is, documentation showing the cut scores actually predict a student's success in the accelerated placement.

3.  For each of the last three school years, the number of students who (a) requested math acceleration and (b) were approved, broken down by grade level.

Please provide these records in electronic format. If you withhold any portion of a record, cite the specific exemption you are relying on. If fees will exceed $25, please notify me before incurring them. I look forward to your response within the period your state's law requires.

Sincerely,
[your name]
[your email]

{date}

To the Freedom of Information / Public Records Officer, {district}:

Under {state}'s public records law, I request copies of the following records concerning student acceleration in mathematics (single-subject and whole-grade):

1.  The rubric, scoring guide, and cut scores currently used to evaluate requests for math acceleration, for all grade levels.

3.  For each of the last three school years, the number of students who (a) requested math acceleration and (b) were approved, broken down by grade level.

Sincerely,
{name}
{email}

What you're actually asking for

Three things, in plain order of difficulty:

The rubric. Most districts can hand this over — it’s a form.
The validation research. The evidence that the rubric’s cutoffs actually predict who will thrive in the faster class. This is the one that tends to go quiet.
The numbers. How many kids applied, and how many got in, by grade — for the last three years.

You don’t need a lawyer and you don’t need a reason. Every state has a public-records law; the letter references yours. If your district can’t produce items 2 or 3, that silence is the finding.

Tip: your district’s records officer or “FOIA officer” is usually listed on the district website under Board of Education, Administration, or “Transparency.” When in doubt, send it to the superintendent’s office and ask them to route it.