Ah, the late June education news. Today's story: principal who had encouraged widespread grade inflation on the Regents:

A Brooklyn high school principal covered up a widespread effort to inflate grades on the Regents exams in social studies in 2002 and 2003, education officials said yesterday, and he will face termination.

The principal, Lennel George of the Cobble Hill School of American Studies, was removed this week after a 14-month investigation involving state and city officials.

The authorities also said yesterday that Kathy Pelles, a local superintendent in Brooklyn responsible for supervising the school, would be formally reprimanded for failing to properly supervise the investigation into cheating allegations and for failing to promptly report the allegations.

Officials said an assistant principal had directed teachers to change failing grades to passing on dozens of exam papers.

The finding is the latest blow to the state's Regents testing system, which has been plagued by cheating and other problems. And it called into doubt the state's longstanding practice of letting schools grade their own test papers.

By all means, let's get rid of that low-pass option, thus ensuring the absolute unreliability of future tests and continuing district and parental craziness. Tammany Hall takes statistics.