State Superintendent Ryan Walters and the Oklahoma State Department of Education have announced in a recent release a free fall testing opportunity for high school seniors.

“Testing for college admission can help students place out of remedial coursework,” said Walters. “Instead of waiting for additional placement tests on campus, students can save time and money through these tests. I am proud our agency can provide this opportunity to help students get on the right track through college and beyond.”

A Moms for Liberty Oklahoma press release July 17 announced the organization’s reasons in supporting use of Bibles in education:

On June 27th, Oklahoma Superintendent Ryan Walters issued a memo requiring schools to incorporate the Bible in Oklahoma classroom curricula as a historical document. Since the announcement, opponents have expressed their dismay, claiming the new rule blends church and state and that the Bible has no place in Oklahoma public schools.

For years, teachers’ unions and even officials at state colleges of education have resisted efforts to improve reading instruction in Oklahoma public schools. That’s why this year’s passage of legislation focused on reading instruction is such a significant victory.

Senate Bill 362, the Strong Readers Act, requires that Oklahoma teachers be trained in “the science of reading to provide explicit and systematic instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, encoding, writing, and comprehension and implement reading strategies that research has shown to be successful in improving reading among students with reading difficulties.”

The House today adopted Senate amendments to a bill that would require school personnel engaging in electronic or digital communication with a student to include the student’s parent or guardians. House Bill 3958, authored by Rep. Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle, now moves to the governor. This is good news for Oklahomans raising children.

“There have been absolutely too many reports of inappropriate digital communications shared between educators and students, whether that be inappropriate pictures or texts of a sexual nature,” Conley said. “These have long-term devastating effects for young people and can ruin the lives of educators when they are wrongly accused. It’s our desire that teachers and coaches be able to share homework assignments or team communications freely with their students, but including a parent or guardian protects the students and the educators from any potential impropriety. This also keeps parents fully engaged in their child’s education.”