State
testing in 2021
As Oklahoma schools close, open and re-close with rising COVID-19 cases, the RSA test looms once again this spring. Harris said no states, including Oklahoma, have received waivers for the scheduled April 2021 test. What happens next depends largely on President-elect Joseph Biden’s nomination for Secretary of Education. This individual will be tasked with the decision on state testing, and while it is expected that outgoing Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos’ replacement will take a less hardline position on classrooms and testing returning to normal, it is still an open question. It could turn out that 2020 in America’s public school testing will have an asterisk next to it: the year that could not be analyzed. “So this year looks different from any other year since I've been at the state, and I've been there for a little over four years,” said Harris. “We have to think about the interpretation of what this information means and what we can do with this information differently. A lot of times I think people get really anxious or nervous about these state tests at the end of the year because I think that a lot of it has to do with the use and accountability and the way that we think about school level performance.”
Meet the Superintendent
We asked Dr. Michelle Keylon, Superintendent/ CEO of Francis Tuttle, about the school including their new campus
What makes Francis Tuttle stand out among all the educational choices students have? I believe our reputation for high quality education and experiences sets us apart from other educational choices. Part of our culture is innovation and creativity. We have worked over the years to ensure our place as a leader in career and technical education. We have accomplished this by adding new programs as needed by our community and we have closed those that are no longer needed. We focus on the experience of the students first and foremost. We want them to be completely engaged and gain a sense of confidence, self- worth and belonging and to see Francis Tuttle as their second home. What is the most unique educational opportunity offered by Francis Tuttle? We are currently building a new campus in Edmond that will have a focus of entrepreneurship. There will be an option to focus specifically on entrepreneurship or add entrepreneurship curriculum to other programs. For example, if a cosmetology student wants to open their own business, we can offer additional curriculum for the student to complete that will prepare them to be a business owner. This new campus will also have a business incubator, a pre-accelerator program, a product
being built that has an emphasis on entrepreneurship. What is your educational philosophy and how does that impact the students at Francis Tuttle? I believe we have a responsibility to educate all students but that not all students should be educated in the same way. Students come to us with varying skills, talents, abilities and experiences and they have different goals. We must be able to bring all these factors together to benefit the student. At Francis Tuttle, we create personalized learning plans for all of our students. Because our programs have a career focus, it is much easier to match a student’s learning goal with our offerings. I also believe this increases student engagement and provides an overall better educational experience for the student.
realization lab and several design thinking studios. This campus will also support problem solving across disciplines. This might include a Biosciences and Medicine Academy student working with an Engineering Academy student to solve a problem. We believe the focus of entrepreneurship and collaboration at this new campus will allow us to innovate the way we educate our students. The campus opens in August 2021.
Rockwell Campus 12777 N Rockwell Ave, OKC 405-717-7799 francistuttle.edu
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / JAN-FEB 2021 25
Made with FlippingBook - PDF hosting