The state of Oklahoma is considering a new requirement for teachers relocating from states such as California and New York to take an assessment aimed at identifying whether they hold left-wing beliefs that could influence their teaching.
The test, developed by Prager University, must still be approved by the state’s Board of Education before it can go into effect. Superintendent of Public Instruction Ryan Walters told CNN that applicants who do not pass would be denied teaching certification. Walters said the measure is intended to prevent “woke indoctrinators” from entering Oklahoma classrooms.
“Every teacher that teaches in the state of Oklahoma will have to have a certificate that goes through my office. It has my signature on it. So that those will not move forward until this is done,” Walters said.
“We will not allow these leftists’ plans and schemes to take place here in Oklahoma,” he added. “They are trying to warp the minds of our kids to turn them into social justice warriors, instead of kids that are getting the most of their god given talents to go get a good job, to go live a fulfilling life.”
Some of the reported questions on the test include basic civics, such as identifying the opening words of the Constitution and explaining the importance of freedom of religion. Other questions center around gender ideology, with one question asking applicants to determine which chromosome pairs determine a person’s biological sex.
Back in July, Oklahoma’s Department of Education shared the state’s required standards and tests with PragerU. Walters explained that the company compared these against standards for teachers in California and New York to develop the new test being used.
“You’re gonna teach that there’s biological differences between males and females, period,” Walters said regarding what standards should be met by applicants. “You’re going to teach American history and use primary source documents, not pushing a left-wing agenda on to our kids.”
