INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (NETWORK INDIANA): Teachers are quitting their jobs in droves and state education officials want to figure out why.

In the state of Indiana, 12,426 educators, or 18 percent of Indiana’s teachers and administrators, left their schools over a single school year period, according to the most recent data from the Indiana Department of Education.

Jason Sipe is a former teacher who know runs his own online tutoring business.

Teaching to the test is at the top of the list, but it’s also pay, and it’s also treatment of the profession,” Sipe told RTV6. “You start out with a bachelor’s degree and you’re expected to get a master’s degree. Where’s the compensation that would compare to similar levels of education?”

Jennifer McCormick is running for state superintendent of public instruction and is also a former teacher. She tells the station that there needs to be some sort of way to track why teachers are leaving.

“Indiana needs to be doing a much better at tracking data to see why teachers are leaving.”

McCormick said it should be fairly easy for school human resource departments to collect the information during exit interviews.

“It’s an easy fix at the local level that would not require a lot of time, but would also let us know as a state, what are those reasons, is it because of pay, is it because of the lack of autonomy, is it because of the teaching mess,” said McCormick.

Current state superintendent of public instruction Glenda Ritz says gathering data on why teacher’s leave would require a change in state law.