Oklahoma is preparing for a significant change in teacher certification. The Praxis Performance Assessment for Teachers (PPAT), a key requirement for certifying educators, will no longer be available after December 2025. With this change, the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability (OEQA) is working to select a new assessment for implementation in the 2025-2026 school year.
A recent survey conducted by OEQA gathered input from educators and stakeholders across the state to guide this decision. The results highlight a strong consensus: the next assessment should be more accessible, relevant, and less burdensome than the PPAT, while maintaining the rigor needed to ensure high standards for teacher certification.
Addressing Challenges as the PPAT Ends
With the discontinuation of the PPAT, Oklahoma has an opportunity to address long-standing concerns about the assessment. To inform the selection of a replacement, OEQA conducted a survey that received over 2,300 responses from a diverse group of stakeholders:
- Teachers and teacher candidates: 79%
- District staff: 19%
- Educator preparation program (EPP) faculty and staff: 6%
Many respondents voiced frustrations with the PPAT’s portfolio-based format, describing it as overly stressful and a distraction from building practical teaching skills.
Key challenges reported by stakeholders included:
- Time Burden: The demands of completing the PPAT alongside full-time teaching or student teaching responsibilities were described as overwhelming.
- Scoring Issues: Respondents noted inconsistencies in scoring and a lack of actionable feedback, leaving them unclear on how to improve.
- Relevance: Many questioned whether the PPAT effectively assessed the skills needed to succeed in real-world classroom environments.
Figure 1: Please rate your agreement with the following statements about the PPAT (n = 1778).
These concerns, shared by teachers, district staff, and EPP faculty alike, highlight the importance of developing a new assessment that better aligns with the needs of teacher candidates and the demands of the profession while maintaining the rigor required to certify high-quality educators.
What’s Next?
Based on these findings, OEQA is focusing on selecting an event-based assessment to replace the PPAT. While practicum-based options may be explored in the future, they are not feasible before the PPAT is discontinued. The selection process will prioritize the qualities identified by stakeholders, ensuring the new assessment is fair, accessible, rigorous, and aligned with national best practices for teacher certification.
Figure 2: Top 5 qualities of a teacher performance assessment rated most important by respondents (n = 1626).
Planned next steps include:
- Recommending a new assessment: By Spring 2025, OEQA will propose a replacement for approval.
- Implementing the new assessment: It will be rolled out for the 2025-2026 school year.
- Providing preparation resources: OEQA will work with educator preparation programs to ensure candidates have the tools they need to succeed.
Shaping the Future of Teacher Certification
The discontinuation of the PPAT offers an opportunity to address long-standing concerns with the current certification process. By focusing on transparency, accessibility, and relevance, OEQA aims to create an assessment that supports both teacher candidates and the broader education system in Oklahoma. While the new assessment will reduce unnecessary burdens, it will also maintain rigorous standards and align with national best practices to ensure that certified educators are well-prepared for the challenges of modern classrooms. This change will help ensure the state continues to certify highly qualified educators who are prepared to make a positive impact in classrooms.
For more details about the survey results and next steps, visit OEQA’s comprehensive report here.
