Posted on 08/31/2025 11:27:00 AM PDT by DFG
If you want to apply to be a teacher in Oklahoma, prepare a resume, references — and to take a 34-question test about civics. Here, Marissa Streit, the CEO of PragerU, which developed the test, and Ryan Walters, the superintendent of education for Oklahoma, explain the reason behind the test and respond to the backlash.
Oklahoma and PragerU have introduced a Teacher Qualification Test: a straightforward assessment to ensure educators know American civics, constitutional values, parental rights, and the basics of history and literacy.
Before the questions were even published, national media outlets launched a coordinated smear campaign. That isn’t fair-minded criticism. It’s sabotage.
When Oklahoma asked PragerU to assist, it was not to impose ideology, but to restore competence and ensure that new teachers understand what Oklahoma’s families expect in their classrooms.
Parents expect teachers to be able to identify the three branches of government, understand Supreme Court precedents that affect education, protect children’s innocence, and recognize why freedom of religion matters.
That is not “extremism” — it is the bare minimum.
Instead of waiting for facts, the press pounced. That tells you everything about their motives. As Ronald Reagan warned, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.”
If our teachers don’t understand the basics, how can they prepare the next generation to defend their rights?
Americans have awakened to the problem: students are falling behind, parents feel ignored, and classrooms too often replace fundamentals with politics.
Families want teachers who teach — not activists.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
36. Is it okay to fire a Native American worker for missing work due to alcoholism?
37. Did Timothy McVeigh act alone?
6th grade level questions.
Except for the lack of a teaching degree, I could be a teacher in Oklahoma.
Only disagreed with #6.
I’m a big free speech fan, and that the most protected speech is that which is the minority position. If a teacher stops teaching and starts converting, then it’s up to the parents and school board to argue it out. But the teacher get’s a chance to be different and screw up. I don’t like the idea of educators being in lock step with the government.
Far too easy.
It’s gonna be “Back To Basics” sooner or later. Might as well start it on our own terms.
Background checks, loyalty tests. Sort of like the old school TS clearance.
They do everything backwards now. “Teacher Certification” is mostly 6months of nonsense crammed into 3 or 4 years. They are “qualified” to be a teacher, but in many cases have no particular aptitude or skills. But they are “qualified” and that’s what is important.
I got a few wrong...Mahmoud vs Taylor, and embarrassingly, the first three words of the Constitution.
I incorrectly recalled that Mahmoud vs Taylor was about the hiring practices of religious organizations.
Sigh. I just had a brain cramp on the first three words.
Aced it!!
I would have added this question.
#35 In your opinion, who did the most harm to the country?
A. Barack Obama
B. the mainstream media
C. the Democrat Party
D. None of them harmed the country.
Answer: A, B, or C would be acceptable.
Anyone who picked D should be immediately thrown out of the state.
Once they pass this test, they need to test to see if the teachers can do basic reading comprehension, English grammar, and math.
Also see if they know the difference between fact and opinion. Just because something is stated as fact, doesn’t make it a fact. It’s very often an opinion.
Actually, you don’t need a degree of any kind to be a substitute teacher in my town in Oklahoma. At least, that’s the way it was a several years ago. Basically, you’re a babysitter. At the time I saw the ad for subs in the paper, it was basically a non-paid job; well, $5/hour. Less than minimum wage. Unbelievable, huh?
A close friend’s mother retired from teaching - starting in the late ‘40s. She had a rather thick book that she used back when she was being trained as a teacher. I believe that few “woke” eddikators could pass any of the end-of-chapter tests in that book. So goes our ‘publik skoolz’.
There's a reason white rich folks send their kids to private schools.
I’m a retired urban public school teacher. Teacher certification is important. But it often certifies folks who are not competent to teach.
A step in the right direction would be to get rid of the worthless general education degrees. You want to teach math? Get a math degree first. Then apprentice under a master math teacher for a year. (That could be a paid position.)
Only then are you certified to teach math.
Not giving them all my info for a mildly interesting test.
“ 34 question test and answers are at the bottom.”
Bottom of what. I can’t find them
Should be can you find this test. If you can you can be a teacher
I could argue out of the country as an option.
History was never my strength but even I knew the answers to these questions.
How about teachers being required to take the English language test that CDL license applicants have to take. No need to reinvent the wheel. Also the civics portion of the citizen naturalization exam. THAT would be interesting.
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