Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Assessment And Accountability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
OEQA seeks funding for Strong Readers implementation, psychometrics and data capacity
Summary
Oklahoma Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) told the committee it has modernized operations and requested recurring and one‑time funds for Strong Readers Act implementation, psychometric support for test standard setting, a data integration specialist and expanded shared services to maintain growing deliverables.
An OEQA representative presented the agency’s accomplishments and a multi‑part funding request tied to statutory responsibilities, test development and data services. OEQA reported internal reorganization savings and new digital tools but asked the committee to consider a modest package of additional funding linked to new duties and operational needs.
OEQA outlined three funding buckets. First, roughly $300,000 would shore up work required by recent and pending statutes: $50,000 to contract a reading specialist to support implementation of the Strong Readers Act (screening tool selection, professional development and test design), $100,000 for psychometric support tied to test standard‑setting and national best‑practice review, and $50,000 to sustain OEQA’s test development program while piloting some national test series; $30,000 to contract a data‑integration specialist to build robust data flows and automation; and $35,000 for a dedicated allocation of attorney time through the Attorney General’s office to ensure statutory compliance and timely legal review.
OEQA said it currently runs a teacher testing scholarship program that had limited capacity: for the most recent round OEQA received 1,279 applications for 200 scholarship slots. The agency proposed a reallocation and expansion that would prioritize scholarships for certification tied to reading foundations (science of reading) under the Strong Readers Act to reduce financial barriers for teachers who must take new certification assessments. OEQA suggested a possible reallocation of existing scholarship dollars to cover a broader set of candidates or an increase to $180,000 to fully fund all teachers who need the new reading certification.
OEQA also asked the committee to fund recurring subscriptions and shared services that previously had been paid from carryover: an ongoing subscription package (several consortia and membership payments) and additional OMES HR and shared‑services support estimated at $30,000. The agency also asked for modest support for media/communications contract hours and professional development for staff working on dashboards and AI tools.
The OEQA presenter said the agency has launched new dashboards and is redesigning the Oklahoma Educational Indicators tool to reduce duplication with federal reporting and create a more useful, public‑facing set of indicators. The presenter described ongoing coordination with the State Department of Education, CareerTech and the workforce commission to build the statewide longitudinal data infrastructure needed to track education and career outcomes across systems.
Ending: OEQA asked for a combination of one‑time and recurring funds to meet statutory implementation obligations and build data and psychometric capacity. The presenter invited follow‑up questions and said specifics about contracts and pilots would be provided as work proceeds.
