After weeks of uncertainty, prospective teachers are getting some clarity over whether the State Department of Education will accept one of the state’s main teacher certification exams.
Some school districts, universities and teachers started hearing in mid-March that the state would no longer accept Praxis subject tests offered by the Educational Testing Service.
Education message boards on social media sites like Facebook attracted scores of comments from educators who signed up for the Praxis test or already took it and were told by someone at the department the Praxis test may not count for their teacher certification.
Those fears were ultimately unfounded. Department staff sent a note to school superintendents on Tuesday clarifying that Praxis tests are still being accepted for certification.
“In accordance with state statute, OSDE will continue to accept Praxis exams for the purpose of Oklahoma Teacher Certification,” agency spokesman Dan Isett said in a separate email to Oklahoma Watch. “Furthermore, OSDE will continuously update our list of approved Praxis exams, which most closely align to Oklahoma certification areas, as changes are made available to us.”
The confusion came at a key time in education, as student teachers wrap up the final part of their training and apply for jobs in the upcoming school year. Most educators take the Oklahoma Subject Area Test, or OSAT. But the state offers the Praxis test as an alternative option, and because multiple states accept Praxis scores, offering it helps reduce barriers for educators coming from out of state who have already passed a Praxis exam. Recruiting out-of-state teachers has been a key policy goal of State Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters.
Praxis tests don’t cost the state. Prospective teachers pay for the exam. The Praxis tests in particular are preferred by teachers who are emergency certified and seeking subject-specific certification within a three-year time period to get certification. The OSAT has always been an option for emergency certified teachers.
It’s still unclear how the confusion started, or how widely it snowballed on social media. Oklahoma City Public Schools sent an email to its emergency certified teachers on March 25 noting the uncertainty with the Praxis exam.
“Earlier today we learned that at this time, OSDE will no longer be accepting the Praxis Subject Assessment as a subject area certification test,” said the email, which was unsigned. “They have not yet updated their website and ETS, the company that administers the Praxis Subject Assessment, has not yet updated their site either.
“If you have already registered for a test with ETS, OSDE stated that they will honor the registration and test results. However, if you need to take a subject area test and have not yet registered, please ONLY register for the OSAT.”
Teacher training programs at colleges and universities also began preparing their students for alternatives after hearing about possible issues with the Praxis test.
Kathren Stehno, an assistant professor of elementary education at Southwestern Christian University, called the department a few weeks ago to double-check that the Praxis test was an option for one of her students. She was told that starting in May, they would no longer accept it, but if the student had already paid, the Department would honor the scores.
Several teachers interviewed by Oklahoma Watch spoke about their experiences, but did not want to use their names. One teacher said they canceled a planned Praxis test after hearing about the issues on social media and being unable to get answers directly from the State Department of Education. The exam costs $100 to $150, depending on the subject area, and some teachers were told if they canceled, they would only receive a 50% refund.
The Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, which is a separate agency from the State Department of Education, administers the contract with Pearson for the state’s other teacher certification test, the OSAT. It also handles the contract for the Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers, a separate examination to evaluate teaching strategies.
The state began accepting Praxis tests for certification in June 2022 under former Superintendent Joy Hofmeister, who cited existing Oklahoma law that allows the department to accept certification tests used in a majority of the states. At the time, Hofmeister had switched parties and was running for governor as a Democrat.
“While we grapple with a teacher shortage that the pandemic has only worsened, it is critical that we provide every opportunity for qualified individuals to enter the classroom and devote their professional talents to our students,” Hofmeister said in a news release announcing the Praxis tests. “This new suite of Praxis assessments not only ensures prospective teachers have demonstrated mastery of the subjects they will be assigned to teach, but provides a plethora of free test preparation resources.”
Discussions about accepting Praxis tests date at least to early 2021. Walters, who was then-Secretary of Education, discussed drafting rules to allow the Praxis exam to be offered alongside the Pearson test for teacher credentialing. That effort, run through the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, never materialized. Hofmeister later sent a memo to the State Board of Education in July 2021 outlining the department’s desire to accept the Praxis tests.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
