State report card shows continued academic struggle amongst Oklahoma public schools
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The latest report card for Oklahoma schools paints a concerning picture for education as proficiency and graduation rates continue to decline.
State Superintendent Ryan Walters said schools have focused on social experimentation rather than educational outcomes for far too long and the latest state report card shows that.
Oklahoma currently serves 701,066 students across 1,720 school districts.
The report card shows reading proficiency declined overall, from 27.2% on the 2021-2022 report card to 26.3% this report card.
81% of eighth graders don’t read at grade level, according to Supt. Walters. No other grade level had more than a 0.4% decrease in reading scores.
Overall, Oklahoma declined 1% across the board in reading proficiency.
Fourth and sixth grade are the only two grade levels to see a “very small uptick” in reading scores.
Oklahoma sits at a “C” average for academic growth and achievement. Both slightly dropped in percentage compared to the last school year.
Math scores slightly increased overall, from 24.9% to 25.1%.
Third, seventh, and eighth grade all saw decreases in proficiency rates in math. Fourth, fifth, and sixth grade levels rose by more than 1% in math proficiency.
Compared to five years ago, the state’s graduation rate is lower.
During the 2017-2018 school year, Oklahoma was a “C” average and now sits at a “D.”
Only three schools appeared to have a 100% graduation rate during the 2022-2023. Eight schools were listed as having 0%.
As News 4 gathered information from the state report card Wednesday, we noticed the numbers kept changing.
News 4 emailed OSDE Director of Communications, Dan Isett for clarification on the graduation percentages but never heard back.
Epic Charter School High School appeared on the state’s report card this year. The high school serves just over 13,000 students.
Epic Charter School High School scored a “D” in academic achievement and overall performance with an academic growth that dropped 3% from the last school year.
Oklahoma currently ranks 49th in education across the U.S.
“While these scores show data from previous years, they are simply unacceptable,” said Supt. Walters. “I will not allow Oklahoma to continue to fail.”
Supt. Walters’ solutions to the latest state report card include robust school choice, a teacher recruitment program, re-instituting accountability for discipline in the classroom, and his “Back to Basics” approach.
The “Back to Basics” plan is set to focus on math, reading, civics, and science.
“My message to the people of Oklahoma is clear: we are righting this ship, and we will make Oklahoma a leader in education again,” stated Supt. Walters.
If you’re interested in reviewing the state’s report card, visit Oklahoma State Report Card’s website.
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