FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 5, 2022
CONTACT: Jan Barrick, (405) 842-8408
Students, Teachers Honored for Success with the
Oklahoma Academic Standards (OAS) in 2021-22
Oklahoma’s only data-driven educator awards are back after taking a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic years, according to Alpha Plus CEO Jan
“Every April, our team analyzes current school-year interim assessment data for schools where educators use Alpha Plus tools to improve instruction in reading and math,” Barrick explained. “This school year was difficult for students, parents and educators alike, so we celebrate their success whenever we can – but especially during Teacher Appreciation Week nationally.”
Principals were notified earlier this week that students and teachers at 56 schools in 69 districts had qualified for this year’s awards from among 108 schools in 76 districts statewide. More than 19,010 students were engaged in Alpha Plus Online interim assessments this school year.
“Our data allows school teams to monitor – in real time – student, class and school progress learning the subject matter required by the state,” Barrick said. “For these awards, we evaluate formative and summative data to identify the best results in terms of instructional pace and student proficiency.”
Awards announced today:
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OAS GOALS-MET AWARDS go to each class that completed instruction and short formative quizzes on all OAS Objectives by mid-April AND at least 75 percent of students were proficient. Just 248 classes (among 1,489 reading and math classes participating statewide) met these instructional goals for their grade level before the state-test window opened.
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OAS BENCHMARK AWARDS go to each class with more than 50 percent of students proficient on the spring summative benchmark (interim assessment that mirrors the state tests) in ELA or math. There were 135 classes in 39 districts that achieved high benchmark performance this spring.
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MODEL TEACHER designation for classroom educators who led classes qualifying for both OAS awards by utilizing the Alpha Plus Model of School Improvement. We are honoring 48 teachers from among 945 teachers using Alpha Plus interim assessments in districts.
“Alpha Plus Model Teachers are the best of the best, but we are honored to work with more than 1,300 educators and administrators statewide to improve teaching and learning of the state standards,” Barrick said. “We thank all the great teachers who live and work in communities across our state. We are pleased to recognize these educators for going the extra mile for their students.”
The OAS Benchmark Awards are new this year to reflect the Alpha Plus goal of 50% of students proficient on state tests. This benchmark is the state of Oklahoma’s goal for 2030 and, if achieved, could move Oklahoma into the top ten in education nationally. However, in 2019 (pre-pandemic), an average of just 33% of all Oklahoma students in Grades 3-8 were proficient in reading or math compared to 44% of students in schools using Alpha Plus tools.
Alpha Plus provides OAS-aligned curriculum, assessments and resources that are all used in data-driven professional development. Founded in 1990 by an Oklahoma educator, Alpha Plus tools are written by Oklahoma teachers and used only in Oklahoma schools. More information, including a full list of this year’s honorees, is available at www.alphaplus.org.
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BELOW ARE THE 2022 AWARD LISTS. (Please click on the PDF links to view or download.)