Supt. Walters echoes calls from teachers' unions for reduced statewide testing

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - State Superintendent Ryan Walters is now echoing the calls from teachers' unions for reduced end-of-the-year standardized tests.

Does that mean OEA (Oklahoma Education Association) and Ryan Walters agree on something?

"So it seems," said OEA President Cari Elledge.

Supt. Walters announced on Friday that he wants to eliminate some of the testing required for certain grades.

Officials say districts will be able to use approved benchmark assessments in place of the end-of-year tests for grades 3-8 in Math and English Language Arts.

According to the Oklahoma State Department of Education, a recent survey showed that 81% of nearly 23,000 parents said that state testing may not be necessary when evaluating students.

Lawmakers quickly responded and said that it would take changing state law and getting a federal waiver.

"Does he even have the power to do that. That's what I would ask," said Senator Carri Hicks (D-Oklahoma City).

Senator Hicks was a teacher for several years and isn't against reducing standardized testing, but she is concerned about Supt. Walters is not having a plan.

"We spend a lot of resources on that end-of-year testing, and I don't think that it's the best use of our tax dollars," said Senator Hicks.

In his press release from the Department of Education, Supt. Walters said that they will allow districts to use approved benchmark assessments in place of current "high-stakes end-of-year tests for grades 3 - 8 in Math and English Language Arts."

He goes on to blame teachers' unions and says that "the teachers' approach is failing our kids."

He said in a Fox News interview before his announcement went to local news that, "By moving away from outdated state tests and empowering local districts, we’re reducing the burden on students, parents, and teachers while ensuring high-quality education that is no longer driven by bureaucrats or outside groups."

But the biggest teachers union in the state, OEA, has long fought for reducing the testing requirements. So his announcement nearly lines up with what they have said before on statewide testing.

"This is something that we have worked to reduce for decades," said Elledge. "We know that the biggest component of student success and academic growth is growth from where a student has started to where they come in the end."

Supt. Walters said that he based his announcement on a survey given out to some parents this summer, where he said most respondents answered that standardized tests aren't necessary.

It's a twelve-question survey, and before you answer it, it says in part, "As we look to improve the Oklahoma School Testing Program, we ask for your input. We appreciate your time in completing this survey. Your responses will help us understand how state testing impacts students and families and will inform future improvements."

Questions ask if you think statewide tests are accurate to a student's progress and if testing has a positive impact on your child.

"It's not like he can just snap his fingers and be the one person that says testing magically goes away," said Erika Wright.

Wright said she filled out the survey and also said she has always spoken about better ways to measure a student's progress than statewide standardized tests. When she saw Supt. Walters' announcement, she said, she wondered what would replace it or what the plan would then be to measure a student's progress.

"I don't know what that is, and that's why we can't just announce without a plan," said Wright. "Five days before school starts, and say, this year nobody has to test. That's just ridiculous."

Wright is the founder of the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition and said she has long been outspoken on changes that need to come from the system within OSDE.

"I am very interested to see how this plays out, and I'm not sure that it is even legal," said Elledge.

News 4 sent several questions to OSDE's spokesperson, but we haven't heard back.