Oklahoma’s education landscape is on the brink of seismic change, as State Superintendent Ryan Walters announced a controversial plan to end statewide student testing in reading and math for the 2025-2026 school year. Instead, Walters proposes that each school district select and purchase its own benchmark assessments from private vendors—potentially making Oklahoma the first state in the nation to replace uniform statewide exams with a patchwork of district-chosen tests. The proposal, revealed on August 8, 2025, has ignited debate across the state and drawn national attention, with education experts and political leaders alike weighing in on the possible implications for students, teachers, and the broader accountability system.
Walters’ announcement comes at a time of mounting pressure to overhaul Oklahoma’s education system, which has long struggled with low student performance on state tests. For years, the majority of Oklahoma students have scored below grade level, even after the state lowered the standards required to meet those targets. Last year, the state raised expectations again, leading many to predict another downturn in test scores for 2025. Walters, however, insists that his plan is not about dodging accountability. “I was elected to make changes, serious changes,” Walters told Oklahoma Voice. “I have done all that I can to bring the changes into place that the voters demanded. And so, that’s where you’ve seen an overhaul of an education system that was failing our kids.”
Federal law currently requires every state to test public school students in reading and math from grades 3-8 and once more in high school. These exams are designed to ensure schools are providing a quality, equitable education and to give families clear information about their children’s academic progress. Oklahoma law also mandates that the state Board of Education adopt a statewide assessment system that complies with federal regulations. Yet Walters contends he does not need a vote from the state Board of Education to proceed, arguing that the Education Department has the authority to choose testing vendors and schedules. “We don’t need a vote from the state board,” Walters said. “We’ve already done everything we need to, so we’re moving forward.”
The plan’s implementation hinges on approval from the U.S. Department of Education, now under the Trump administration. Walters said he expects a “very, very quick” green light from federal officials. In the meantime, the Oklahoma State Department of Education is accepting public comment on the proposal until September 8, 2025, before submitting its final request to Washington.
If approved, Oklahoma’s move could have ripple effects nationwide. According to Dale Chu, a senior visiting fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, “Oklahoma could open the floodgates for other states to do the same.” Texas leaders are reportedly considering similar changes to their own testing systems. Yet Chu and other education experts warn that the proposed shift comes with significant risks. Benchmark assessments, while already used by many Oklahoma districts throughout the year, are not specifically aligned with the Oklahoma Academic Standards—the state’s blueprint for what students should learn in each subject and grade. “This is why I always say all the time there’s no single assessment that can do everything,” Chu noted.
Maria D’Brot, a former overseer of state testing and school accountability at Oklahoma’s Education Department, echoed these concerns. She cautioned that using multiple testing vendors could undermine comparability between districts, raising fairness issues if students lack equal access to testing formats or accommodations. “The success of Oklahoma’s transition will depend on embedding strong psychometric infrastructure, disciplined operations, and fairness safeguards from the outset,” D’Brot said. “Without these, the accountability system risks losing its credibility, jeopardizing federal and state compliance, and failing to deliver fair and actionable information to students, families, and educators.”
Walters has responded to the criticism by assuring that his administration has the necessary infrastructure in place to ensure scores from different benchmark tests can be fairly compared. He argues that eliminating statewide tests could remove unnecessary barriers for parents and teachers, and that benchmark assessments would provide more timely and useful data about student progress. Still, skepticism remains strong on both sides of the political aisle.
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt’s education secretary, Nellie Tayloe Sanders, who also leads the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, offered cautious support for change but warned against hasty decisions. “While we can all agree that the status quo isn’t working, tossing out the tests without thinking through next steps can be short sighted,” Sanders said. She expressed her intent to work with the Education Department to “find a path forward to ensure our kids have the skills they need for their futures.”
Legislative leaders have also called for more collaboration and transparency. Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, chair of the House Education Oversight Committee, stated, “We look forward to continued collaboration with Superintendent Walters and school districts so that any proposed changes to student testing align with state law and provides clear, actionable information on student college and career readiness.” On the other side of the aisle, Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, criticized the timing of Walters’ announcement as “reckless,” given that many districts are just days away from starting the new school year. “Absolutely we should have a conversation about what testing is appropriate and when, and we’ve been bringing up that conversation up for years,” Kirt said. “But him doing it this way, I don’t think complies with state law, and it makes us all have to do a bunch of scrambling to figure out what’s happening.”
The debate over testing comes as Oklahoma gears up for a high-stakes 2026 election cycle, with new candidates entering races for statewide offices. On August 7, 2025, State Rep. Justin Humphrey filed to run for lieutenant governor in the GOP primary, joining a crowded Republican field. Meanwhile, Jerry Griffin, a former Tulsa Public Schools board member, filed to run for state superintendent—a position currently held by Walters, who is widely expected to run for governor in 2026. Griffin, who served on the Tulsa school board from June 2020 through January 2024 and previously ran for Tulsa City Council, emphasized his campaign is about “bold leadership for all Oklahoma children” and returning control of education to educators. He joins other Republican contenders for state superintendent, including retired Bixby Public Schools Superintendent Rob Miller, Peggs Public School Superintendent John Cox, and Ana Landsaw from Northeastern State University.
The lieutenant governor race has also drawn new faces, with Kelly Forbes of Oklahoma City becoming the first Democrat to enter the contest on August 5, 2025. On the Republican side, the field includes state Auditor Cindy Byrd, state Sen. Darrell Weaver, businessman Victor Flores, and now Justin Humphrey. Chris White, another GOP hopeful, has withdrawn his campaign. In the race for insurance commissioner, Marty Quinn, a former state senator and longtime insurance professional, filed his candidacy on August 5, 2025, joining Chris Merideth in the bid to succeed the term-limited Glen Mulready.
As Oklahoma’s education system stands at a crossroads, the coming months will reveal whether Walters’ bold proposal will reshape the state’s approach to student assessment—or whether concerns about fairness, comparability, and legal compliance will slow the march toward change. For now, families, educators, and policymakers across the state are watching and waiting, keenly aware that the decisions made this year could set the course for a generation of Oklahoma students.
