TULSA — Each year, the National Assessment of Educational Progress issues a report on the educational standards set by the states in literacy and mathematics for grades 4 and 8.
Oklahoma has ranked near the bottom of that list in recent years, but the report released today, better known as “the nation's report card” saw double-digit improvements in the state's rankings.
The largest jump was in standards for eighth grade mathematics, which now ranks Oklahoma as fifth in the country.
However, she stressed, high expectations are the first step towards getting those higher test scores.
State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister told KRMG Wednesday the report doesn't measure actual proficiency, but rather the expectations for students and teachers.
It's vital, she said, “to set a high bar, to believe in our kids, and then to insist on strategic investment so that we can work that plan, and that we can pull out all the stops and our kids can be all that they want to be.”
She applauded the legislature's decision to pass pay raises for teachers two years in a row, and noted that they didn't stop there.
“They doubled the amount of funds, and gave $12 million to support our struggling readers in pre-k through second grade, and then also, in addition to that, gave nearly 75 million new dollars directly into the classrooms.”
She hopes the forward momentum continues, as Oklahoma works to meet Gov. Kevin Stitt's goal to become a “top ten state” in education.