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State Department of Education Developing Eight-Year Plan

Hofmeister

The Oklahoma Department of Transportation has an eight-year plan, and now the State Department of Education is working on one.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister said with a record number of emergency teaching certifications approved just three months into this school year, one of the goals should be obvious.

"One of our goals is to reduce the need for emergency certified teachers by 95 percent by 2025," Hofmeister said.

Another goal is getting Oklahoma into the top 20 states on the Nation’s Report Card, an annual assessment of fourth- and eighth-grade math, reading, science and writing proficiency.

Hofmeister also wants to cut the need for remedial education for students starting college in half. As it stands, less than half of the state’s students move on to career tech or higher education after high school.

"And so, when we see that those wo are going, 39 percent are requiring math remediation, that has to change," Hofmeister said.

With the eight-year plan still being developed, it means the State Department of Education will have a lot of work to do.

"It comes with a price tag. It's going to require investment in education. It's going to require sustained momentum with that investment," Hofmeister said.

Hofmeister said Oklahoma has already made improvements in some areas, such as strengthening subject standards and starting to offer individualized plans to help students choose and prepare for a career before graduating from high school.

Matt Trotter joined KWGS as a reporter in 2013. Before coming to Public Radio Tulsa, he was the investigative producer at KJRH. His freelance work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times and on MSNBC and CNN.