Oklahoma, a state that consistently ranks at the bottom of national education metrics, has ignited a fierce national debate by introducing a new mandate: teachers from California and New York must now pass an "America First" certification test before they can set foot in an Oklahoma classroom. The measure, announced on August 19, 2025, by Republican Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters, is already being described by critics as a politically charged loyalty test rather than a genuine measure of teaching ability.
According to USA Today and CNN, Walters—an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump and his policies—has partnered with the conservative media group PragerU to design the test. Walters claims the move is necessary to protect Oklahoma students from what he calls "radical leftist ideology" imported from blue states. "As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York," Walters declared in a public statement.
The certification, which is set to roll out "very soon" according to Quinton Hitchcock, a spokesperson for the state’s education department, is required for all teaching applicants from California and New York, regardless of their area of specialty. The test, described as a "partisan filter" by education experts, is comprised of approximately 50 multiple-choice questions. While some questions cover basic civics—such as the first three words of the Constitution or the structure of Congress—others delve into far more controversial territory.
Sample questions, shared with USA Today and CNN, include: "Which chromosome pairs determine biological sex?" and "Why is freedom of religion important to America’s identity?" The exam also features queries on the number of U.S. Senators and the two parts of Congress, but it does not stop at simple facts. Teachers are required to affirm "biological differences between males and females," accept Oklahoma’s revisionist American history standards, and agree with lessons that include debunked claims about the 2020 presidential election.
Walters, in an April 29 post on X, wrote, "These reforms will reset our classrooms back to educating our children without liberal indoctrination. We’re proud to defend these standards, and we will continue to stand up for honest, pro-America education in every classroom." He further explained to Fox News Digital that the test was designed to keep "woke, indoctrinating social justice warriors" out of Oklahoma schools, explicitly referencing California Governor Gavin Newsom’s policies on gender identity education as a primary impetus for the change.
PragerU, the think tank behind the test, is known for its ultra-conservative stance and its mission to "change minds through the creative use of digital media." The organization’s spokesperson told Fox News Digital that the test would be available to the public soon, but declined to provide further details. Walters emphasized that the test was made in response to states like California and New York adopting standards "antithetical to Oklahoma values," pointing specifically to curriculum requirements about gender identity, sexual orientation, and the harms of negative gender stereotypes in California schools.
The certification test’s content is not limited to civics and basic government. According to reporting by USA Today, the curriculum also includes modules on alleged mail-in voter fraud, debunked theories about the certification of the 2020 presidential election, and COVID-19 lab leak theories. Notably, it excludes lessons on George Floyd’s murder and the Black Lives Matter movement. Walters has also mandated Bible instruction in public schools, though these lessons are not part of the certification exam.
Education experts and union leaders have responded with alarm. Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, dismissed the initiative as a "MAGA loyalty test," asserting that Walters is prioritizing culture wars over educational outcomes. "Ryan Walters appears to be trying out for MAGA in chief, not educator in chief, because everything that he’s doing is about the culture wars, not about the reading, writing, and arithmetic," Weingarten told USA Today. "If he wants to be MAGA in chief then go be MAGA in chief. But let someone else be educator in chief and focus on other things people deserve, which is reading, literacy, and wraparound services – and actual teachers who want to be in Oklahoma."
Jonathan Zimmerman, a University of Pennsylvania professor specializing in the history of education, called the move "a watershed moment," warning that Oklahoma has institutionalized political ideology into teacher certification in a way not seen elsewhere in the country. "Instead of Prager simply being a resource that you can draw in an optional way, Prager has become institutionalized as part of the state system. There’s no other way to describe it," Zimmerman told USA Today.
For many, the policy’s timing could hardly be worse. Oklahoma, which is ranked 50th in education nationwide, is grappling with a severe teacher shortage. The state has offered bonuses of up to $50,000 to recruit qualified educators from across the country, but union leaders warn that the new ideological screening will only deter potential candidates. "This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage. His priority should be educating students, but instead, it’s getting Donald Trump and other MAGA politicians to notice him," Weingarten said in a statement.
The demographics also raise questions about the policy’s necessity. Few teachers from California or New York move to Oklahoma to begin with, given the stark political and cultural differences. State Representative John Waldron, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party and a former teacher, derided the test as "political posturing." "If you want to see a textbook definition of indoctrination, how about a loyalty test for teachers," Waldron said. "It’s a sad echo of a more paranoid past." He added that the requirement for ideological allegiance would have discouraged him from teaching in Oklahoma decades ago, and he noted that the state’s teacher shortage is unlikely to be solved by such measures: "Teachers are not rushing here from other states to teach. We’ve got an enormous teacher shortage and it’s not like we have a giant supply of teachers coming in from blue states anyway."
Despite the controversy, Walters remains resolute. He points to the fact that every county in Oklahoma voted for Donald Trump in the last presidential election as evidence of the state’s conservative values. "We’re going to make sure that this isn’t creeping into our schools. When we see Maine take the extraordinary steps to fight President Trump… Every county in Oklahoma voted for President Trump," Walters said, as reported by CNN.
In the end, Oklahoma’s new certification test for out-of-state teachers has set off a national conversation about the role of politics in public education. As the state doubles down on ideological vetting, questions remain about whether it will help or hinder efforts to address chronic teacher shortages and improve educational outcomes for students who, perhaps more than anyone, need innovation, creativity, and honest engagement with the complexities of American history and society.
