Oklahoma could replace end-of-year testing: What parents and teachers need to know

Friday, State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced that Oklahoma would end federally mandated end-of-year testing, replacing it with frequent benchmark tests. Before this proposal can be finalized, a federal waiver has to be approved.

This proposal leaves many parents with questions as the school year approaches. Here's what parents need to know.

Is End-of-Year Testing Ending?

The Every Student Succeeds Act or ESSA requires each state to administer annual standardized testing. The federal government must approve a waiver for the state to change its testing system. Walters' news release announces the end of standardized testing before any official approval. 

At this time, the federal government has not approved the waiver.

“I don’t know how you would change those requirements at the state level without an act of Congress,” said Sen. Carri Hicks, D-OKC

What Would Replace End-of-Year Testing?

Walters says that instead of federally required tests, schools would use benchmark assessments given every six to nine weeks to track student progress in real time.

“We can make sure those are calibrated so we can see exactly how your kids are learning compared to other schools in other states,” Walters said. “We’re going to make sure parents have those scores in real time so we can measure success.”

Hicks said testing students before and after specific lessons illustrates an accurate picture of a child’s growth. 

“I want to know how they compared to themselves,” Hicks said. 

Hicks agreed that standardized tests should be a thing of the past. However, she said the future of Oklahoma education cannot be changed by one person. 

Why Are Some Against End-of-Year Testing?

Critics say results from end-of-year tests come too late to be useful. Since the tests are given in the spring, schools often don’t receive results until summer, leaving no opportunity to address areas where students struggled before the next school year.

Hicks is a former elementary school teacher, and she agrees that standardized tests miss the mark. 

“It’s not a true authentic assessment of a child's understanding of the knowledge that’s being presented in the classroom,” Hicks said. 

Hicks said she remembered a fourth-grade student she taught who also spent time in the foster care system. Hicks said that student tested at a first-grade level in math, but showed progress throughout the year. 

“That student gained two years of growth and knowledge in the short about of time that I had her in my class, and yet I knew that at the end of the year when she sat for a state-mandated exam, she was gonna be told that she was a failure,” Hicks said. 

How Would Ending Mandated Testing Help Students and Teachers?

Walters says eliminating the federal tests would reduce stress and workload for teachers. He says that educators are already teaching the standards covered in end-of-instruction exams, and shorter, more frequent tests would save time while helping identify gaps in student learning sooner.

“They are already doing benchmarks,” Walters said. “What we’re saying is we’re now going to come in and support that work.”

He also says removing the year-end tests would allow the state to reallocate resources to benchmark testing and provide support throughout the year.

When Would End-of-Year Testing End?

If the federal waiver is approved, the waiver would take effect during the 2025-26 academic year.

Would This Change What Teachers Teach?

Walters says the curriculum would remain the same. Teachers would still be required to follow state standards, but instead of one high-stakes exam at the end of the year, students would take several shorter tests during the school year.