The Oklahoma State Department of Education is partnering with Prager University to potentially administer an ideological test to new teachers coming from New York and California.
Superintendent Ryan Walters announced the partnership with PragerU, a conservative Christian nonprofit, in July and said the test would be available soon to new teachers.
The 34 multiple-choice, “America First” test, has unlimited guesses and covers a range of topics, including basic civics, Supreme Court decisions, constitutional freedoms, and the proper role of education in a free society, according to the PragerU website.
After taking the test, each teacher will receive a certificate for successfully completing the Teacher Qualification Test.
“As long as I am superintendent, Oklahoma classrooms will be safeguarded from the radical leftist ideology fostered in places like California and New York,” Walter said in a statement.
The test is an essential tool to help “restore integrity, responsibility, and truth to the teaching profession,” according to PragerU.
“This initiative is a direct response to the increasing politicization of our schools … and the promotion of gender-affirming care that undermines parental authority and confuses young children. PragerU stands firmly against this ideological assault and is proud to lead the effort to reclaim the classroom for truth, morality, and American values,” the PragerU website stated.
The Oklahoma Democratic Party chairman, state Rep. John Waldron, called the test political posturing, which means to take action to gain political support through emotional appeal.
“If you want to see a textbook definition of indoctrination, how about a loyalty test for teachers?” said Waldron. “It’s a sad echo of a more paranoid past.”
The American Federation of Teachers, one of the nation’s largest teachers unions, has expressed its opposition to the Trump administration and other Republican lawmakers’ actions on education.
“This MAGA loyalty test will be yet another turnoff for teachers in a state already struggling with a huge shortage,” said AFT President Randi Weingarten.
Superintendent Walters announced on Sept. 2 that over 16,000 people across the country have expressed interest in becoming an Oklahoma teacher by taking the test.
“The largest recruitment effort of teachers in history,” Walters said. “We are restoring truth to Oklahoma classrooms.”
