Indiana education officials hope a new strategy will boost middle schoolers' reading skills – an area that statewide data suggests 31% of sixth, seventh and eighth graders struggle with, a news release said.

The Indiana Department of Education is launching a pilot opportunity for schools using an outcomes-based contracting model. This will allow the state to contract with vendors for specific student outcomes and compel accountability for achieving the goals, the release said.

Taxpayer dollars will be safeguarded because vendors will only get paid when there are real results for students, the release added.

There's no shortage of potential vendors. Katie Jenner, the Indiana education secretary, told the State Board of Education last week that she regularly gets messages from companies c

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