OKLAHOMA CITY — In a major departure from decades of state and federal policy, Oklahoma’s top education official said Friday his administration doesn’t plan to administer statewide reading and math tests this school year.
Instead, state Superintendent Ryan Walters suggested Oklahoma should collect data from benchmark assessments that individual school districts select and purchase from private vendors. Oklahoma would be the first in the nation to replace its statewide exams with a patchwork of district-chosen tests.
The plan requires permission from the U.S. Department of Education, and Walters said he expects a “very, very quick” approval from the Trump administration. The Oklahoma State Department of Education is accepting public comment until Sept. 8 on the idea before submitting its final request to the federal government…