This week saw the Atlanta Public Schools cheating trial come to a close as two convicted educators took sentencing deals while eight others received prison time. One remaining educator will be sentenced at a later date because she gave birth last weekend.

Meanwhile, we took a closer look at higher ed's love-hate relationship with the rankings provided by U.S. News and others. As many readers are aware, a number of institutions have tried to game the systems behind these lists over the years because of the level of influence they now carry.

In other news, Ellucian made waves with its acquisition of Helix Education, an LMS provider with a major competency-based education focus, and its plans to move its Banner and Colleague ERP systems to the cloud. And speaking of CBE, efforts to gain accreditation for alternative credentialing paths may be gaining traction among legislators as the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act looms.

Be sure to check out our conversation with the Wharton School of Business' director of online learning initiatives, Anne Trumbore, and more in this week's most-read Education Dive posts!

• Two convicted educators take deals in Atlanta cheating trial sentencing: Only Donald Bullock and Pam Cleveland took the more last-minute deals offered Monday, which came with the condition they accept responsibility and issue an apology.
• Ellucian acquires Helix LMS, takes ERP to the cloud: The higher education software and services company made two major announcements at its annual user conference this week.
• Accreditation for alternative credentialing gaining traction: Open accreditation pathways — and aid access — for nontraditional higher ed models are gaining bipartisan support.
• A closer look at higher ed's love-hate relationship with rankings: Critics find them destructive and institutions still fight for their prestige.
• Wharton online director: We want to help shape the future of learning: Anne Trumbore says that, for Wharton, the decision to be an early MOOC adopter was part of keeping in line with the business school's core mission.

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