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The Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) and the writing
teams charged with developing Oklahoma’s academic standards for English
language arts and mathematics have been soliciting feedback from a spectrum of
education stakeholders.
Throughout October, the standards-writing teams and OSDE staffers have
received critiques of the third draft of the standards.
“This has
been a thorough and comprehensive process,” said State Superintendent of Public
Instruction Joy Hofmeister. “I am confident that, when complete, it will
conclude with strong standards to help ensure college- and career-readiness.”
In an effort to produce exceptional standards that will prepare
students for higher education and 21st-century careers, the OSDE has
gathered comments from thousands of people at town halls and school district
visits, in surveys and focus groups, and via content reviews, webinars and
conferences.
In addition, many districts throughout Oklahoma have held
“feedback parties” in which educators, administrators and parents review drafts
of the standards. Cordell, Edmond, Elgin, Lawton and Tahlequah are among the
districts that have held these gatherings.
 Pins on the
map above represent districts that submitted feedback about the new Oklahoma
academic standards.
Two twenty-member teams are tasked with writing the Oklahoma
Academic Standards for English language arts and mathematics. Under House Bill
3399, signed into law by Gov. Mary Fallin in June 2014, the State Board of
Education must endorse the standards before they are presented to the state
Legislature for consideration. If lawmakers approve them, the standards will go to the governor for her signature. Then the OSDE will
develop and produce supplemental materials to assist teachers in meeting the
standards. That practice reflects the standards-making process in a number of
states, including Virginia and California.
The Oklahoma Board of Education is scheduled to consider the
standards at its December 2015 meeting.
Robert Con Davis-Undiano, Neustadt Professor and Presidential
Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, participated in a feedback
session on the third draft of English language arts standards.
“The writers
of the new English language arts standards for Oklahoma are moving slowly and
deliberately through a difficult process,” said Davis-Undiano, who also serves
as the executive director of World
Literature Today magazine. “They want standards that will match or surpass
the best and most ambitious ELA goals in the country.”
High-quality
standards, Davis-Undiano said, are critical—and invaluable to the state’s
children.
“Oklahoma
students deserve to have such ambitious and positive goals. From what I have
seen in discussions with the ELA team, I have every confidence that the
writers will be fair minded and ambitious on behalf of our state’s future. I
believe they will set high, appropriate standards for Pre-K through 12
education.”
Jennifer Monies, executive director of the Oklahoma Educated Workforce
Initiative, is among those who have reviewed the latest draft of the standards.
“We appreciate that Superintendent Hofmeister has included the business
community at the table,” she said. “In order to give all Oklahoma
students a shot at their dream job, it is imperative that our standards be
rigorous and relevant. The Oklahoma business community has an important stake
in making sure our state’s standards are preparing students for both college
and career.”
The meetings have elicited scores of comments from reviewers. Some
of them include:
- “Clarity and consistency across grades
is so important.”—Parent Focus Group
- “Extensive review process by multiple
external experts and stakeholder groups. Thank you for commitment to getting
feedback.”—Administrator Focus Group
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"Our kids are so capable of
extraordinary things. We are making progress as a state toward providing all
Oklahoma kids opportunities they deserve.”—Teacher Focus Group
- “The real strength of the ELA curriculum
is the opportunity for students to use critical thinking skills.”—Diverse Learners
Focus Group
- “I kept coming across the word
‘knowledge,’ and while I feel this is important to obtain, we need to focus on
‘learning’ instead of regurgitating and building our knowledge.”—Student Focus
Group
- “The group behind these standards
clearly want to adequately prepare our students for the workforce or
employment."—Business Focus Group
- “I was very pleased to be able to hear
about the whole process of the standards. Thank you for the opportunity to give
my professional opinion.”—Teacher Focus Group
”Experts from higher education, common education, independent
education think tanks, teachers, administrators, counselors, community
agencies, students, business groups, those advocating for students with special
needs, legislators and the governor’s office have provided valuable input,”
said Dr. William Radke, executive director of the steering committee that
developed the standards-writing process. “Every comment was and is being
considered by the writing teams as they continue to tweak their work. This has
been and continues to be an effort by Oklahomans for Oklahomans. Nothing could
be more important for our children.”
Under HB 3399, the OSDE—in collaboration with the Oklahoma State
Regents for Higher Education, State Board of Career and Technology Education
and the Oklahoma Department of Commerce—must develop and implement English
language arts and mathematics standards by the 2016-17 school year.
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