Though it’s unclear what school will look like, recent graduates and others will be able to teach in Oklahoma in fall 2020.
The state school board voted to unanimously allow a one-time, single year certification for people who were on track to get their certification. Typical certification procedures were halted because teaching candidates couldn’t finish student teaching or take some final required tests.
The move will help with the state’s teacher shortage. Currently about 3,000 teachers are on an emergency certificate, which allows them to teach even though they haven’t met every requirement.
The move will allow at least 1,000 new teachers to educate Oklahoma students.
What they’ll be stepping into remains unclear, State Superintendent for Public Instruction Joy Hofmeister said.
In a news conference following Thursday’s meeting of the State Board of Education, Hofmeister told reporters districts will ultimately decide what education looks like for themselves. But the state will share input and put together a plan to help students prepare over the summer.
Once school wraps up in May, the state will look at programs over the summer to help students re-acquire skills before school starts again in the fall.
“There is a phase that we are entering into which is really going to focus on the recovery of learning loss for hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma school children,” she said.
