PUBLIC COMMENT ACTION ALERT - HARMFUL CHANGES TO FEDERAL ESSA PLAN - DEADLINE MON, SEPT 8TH!!

State Superintendent Ryan Walters is asking the State Board, U.S. Department of Education to approve sweeping changes to our state’s federal ESSA plan. These changes would:

  • Replace all end-of-year student testing with district-by-district benchmark tests that don’t measure state academic standards.

  • Remove subgroup reporting for students with disabilities and ethnic/racial minorities, hide performance gaps, and swap student-centered measures for questionable indicators.

➡️​​ ➡️​​ ➡️​​ WHY IT MATTERS:

​Most Oklahomans would probably agree that statewide high-stakes testing is worthy of serious reform. However, the recent edict issued by Superintendent Walters to eliminate our current testing protocol in the 2025-26 school year is legally questionable on multiple complex levels and comes with an unrealistic timeline for districts. More troubling, the lack of detail in his plan raises MANY questions about the negative outcomes for kids that lie behind his curtain of misinformation and if implemented, could actually create a good deal of harm beyond the immediate chaos. 

The request to forgo peer review on state testing has gotten all the press, but there are other significant changes to his federal ESSA plan that have not been openly or actively shared with the public. These changes will reduce transparency, make it harder to see how students are really doing, and risk federal compliance — putting our schools and kids in jeopardy.

WE CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH - this is NOT about doing what's best for kids and teachers by reducing the pressure that comes with state testing. While testing reform is an important discussion, it MUST come with a well thought out plan that brings experts to the table and has a long period of public input and revision. This is not the type of change that can be implemented with an email memo and a magic wand of hopes and dreams. To allow this to happen as is would cause great harm to local schools and create yet another scenario at OSDE ripe for fraud and corruption.

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➡️​​ ➡️​​ ➡️​​ WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU = YOUR VOICE

We need as many people as possible to submit an online public commen​t BEFORE 5PM THIS MONDAY SEPT 8TH to protect accountability, transparency, and fairness for Oklahoma’s students.

You do NOT have to be an expert on this topic or submit a long detailed comment. You simply need to voice your concern. These public comments will not only go to the State Board members, but will most importantly also be reviewed by the US Department of Education prior to their decision to grant Walters' waiver request. 

Simplified suggested talking points you can use in your comment submission - pick a few and go for it:

  • Oklahoma students - especially those with disabilities - are at risk of being measured by unproven and biased tests.

  • Peer review is not "red tape" - it is the safeguard that ensures assessments are valid and reliable.

  • This waiver would strip away consistency across the state, reduce transparency, and leave parents, teachers, and taxpayers in the dark about whether our children are being fairly assessed.​

  • Families deserve honest, statewide results that show how ALL kids are doing.

  • District-by-district vendor tests aren’t aligned to Oklahoma standards and can’t be compared fairly.

  • Cutting subgroup data hides achievement gaps for vulnerable students - especially those with disabilities.

  • Replacing chronic absenteeism with “teacher effectiveness” on the state report card punishes schools for a teacher shortage they didn’t cause. Although Walters has stated publicly he now does not plan on implementing this, it is still part of the plan changes he submitted and the formal submitted plan, if approved, goes into effect. 

  • The current OSDE already struggles to manage even the most basic programs — this change would add another costly, chaotic system that they do not have the staff experience or infrastructure to support.

  • Both OEQA and Oklahoma Legislative leaders have questioned the legality of this move in Oklahoma law.

  • Oklahoma risks federal funding and credibility by ignoring key ESSA requirements in this waiver request.

  • Required stakeholder consultation was not included in developing this plan and the failure to meet consultation requirements should invalidate the poorly constructed plan.

  • This waiver will open the door to the very real possibility of fraud with taxpayer dollars - nearly $1B worth. (see attached image)​

If you would like to read more about the details behind our talking points, you can do so here.

CALL TO ACTION:

​​➡️​​ ➡️​​ ➡️​​ ​Submit your public comment here:

https://oklahoma.gov/education/public_comment_peer_review_waiver.html​​

​➡️​​ ➡️​​ ➡️​​ ​​ Deadline: Monday, Sept 8th by close of business

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR LENDING YOUR VOICE BY MONDAY!