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Superintendent of Schools Ryan Walters is moving ahead with a requirement that prospective teachers pass a U.S. Naturalization test.
The Legislature approved the proposal in May over concerns it would deter qualified teachers from working in the state.
The Department of Education began requiring the test Aug. 1 for all new teacher certification applicants, according to its website. Legislators declined to apply the requirement to teachers renewing their certification. The agency’s website says it won’t apply to teachers certified before Aug. 1.
Department of Education spokesman Quinton Hitchcock didn’t respond to requests for comment.
The U.S. Naturalization test is a civics quiz for immigrants seeking U.S. citizenship. Oklahoma high school students are required to pass it to receive a diploma.
Walters said his agency is also imposing an America-first test developed by PragerU on teachers from New York and California who apply for certification in Oklahoma. Only 19 of the 573 out-of-state applications since 2020 were from California and New York, The New York Times reported. That test contains questions about U.S. government, religion and gender, and applicants have to answer all 50 correctly.
That test garnered national attention this week, with headlines on CNN and The Washington Post. One critic, education historian Jonathan Zimmerman said Oklahoma’s decision to administer a PragerU exam to teacher applicants represents a new level of power for the organization.
PragerU isn’t a university. It’s a nonprofit organization that produces conservative videos on political and economic topics.
“Up until now, every use of Prager materials has been optional,” Zimmerman, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, wrote. “Now it’s required —not for students, but for the people who will instruct them.”
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Editors note: This newsletter was corrected Aug. 27 to reflect the Legislature approved the proposal to have prospective teachers take the U.S. Naturalization Test. A previous version said legislators rejected the rule.
— Jennifer Palmer
Recommended Reading
- U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon touted school choice and workforce development in Oklahoma as she made the state the latest stop on what she said will be a tour of all 50 states with the announced goal to “return education to the states.” [The Oklahoman] [Oklahoma Voice]
- Glencoe Public Schools filed a lawsuit in Payne County District Court Thursday against the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association over its decision to disallow some students from playing basketball due to an alleged rule violation. [StateImpact Oklahoma]
- The Trump administration has quietly rescinded long-standing guidance that directed schools to accommodate students who are learning English, alarming advocates who fear that schools will stop offering assistance if the federal government quits enforcing the laws that require it. [The Washington Post]
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