OEQA highlights dashboards, teacher-apprenticeship pilot and cell-phone grant; flags data gaps on adjuncts

Connie Riley, director of the Oklahoma Educational Quality and Accountability Agency (OEQA), told legislators the agency is focused on data transparency, educator preparation and practical workforce solutions and outlined priorities for FY2027.

Riley said OEQA redesigned the Oklahoma educator indicators report into a public dashboard (soft-launched in October 2025) and will publish a teacher-workforce dashboard by the end of the month to track certification type and early-career status. “Every Oklahoma student deserves access to a high quality certified teacher,” Riley said, framing the agency’s emphasis on pipeline metrics.

OEQA reported several accomplishments: a dashboard soft launch with more than 230 visits, the awarding of $450,000 in August 2025 to 84 districts for cell-phone storage solutions (which districts report has improved engagement and reduced behavior issues), and the completion of a transition from the PPAT certification assessment to the nationally recognized APK test (state transition date 11/07/2025).

Riley described the registered teacher-apprenticeship pilot (Teach Forward) that launched in late 2025 and said FY2027 priorities include an implementation/results report on the pilot, dashboard enhancements (multi-year trend analysis and educator workforce data), and targeted statutory cleanup. The agency characterized several FY2026 appropriations as one-time, including $500,000 each for Teach Forward (Senate Bill 212) and cell-phone grants (Senate Bill 1129); OEQA said those program-specific funds are not included in the FY2027 base request.

Committee members probed adjunct-teacher counts and certification testing. OEQA staff said preliminary data indicate roughly 370 adjunct teachers statewide and acknowledged fragmented data-sharing with the State Department of Education has made program-level outcome tracking difficult; OEQA said it is working to link educator identifiers and student testing numbers to improve program evaluation and that a teacher-workforce dashboard will publish further detail soon.

OEQA requested a recurring $100,000 reduction in the FY2027 base budget based on efficiencies and said it will continue supporting scholarships for reading foundations testing and other targeted workforce efforts.