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and personal because it’s happening in your living room. They are teaching in a brand new way. They are reassuring in a brand new way; they’re building culture in their classrooms virtually. I just can’t believe that right now we aren't taking the position of, ‘What can we do to help everybody survive this school year?’” While Harris is currently operating under the assumption that the RSA tests will go forward in April 2021, she said there are ways in which the data received from the tests can be improved in future school years. “We know that these assessments are given in an equitable way for our students to access the information, and so we know that it is a way that we can actually think about schools across the state and be able to compare performance and things like that,” said Harris. “But we also know in this time we have to really be creative and help schools really engage with the information they already know about these kids.”
“I think that Oklahoma has made a lot of progress on the Reading Sufficiency Act where it’s not as punitive and it becomes much more about collaboration and getting kids support that they need, which is really how to solve the problem,” said Jacobs. “If the issue is that we want to improve literacy with our kiddos, that translates to additional support or literacy, it doesn’t translate to testing and punishing.” Jacobs believes testing should be waived in 2021. In the meantime, she has nothing but praise for teachers who are innovating during every school day, developing new tools for teaching in an abnormal time. “The things that our teachers are doing right now for our kids are exceptional,” said Jacobs. “As a parent you see that up close
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Educational Options at Oklahoma Hall of Fame/Gaylord-Pickens Museum We talked to the education staff at OHOF to find out about their programming available to classes and families. How does the museum teach history? Our museum shares Oklahoma’s story through its people. We are dedicated to helping Oklahoma educators and students have meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences as they are learning about the people who have impacted and shaped our state. For kids, we offer several interactive exhibits at the museum that really bring these stories to life! What field trip options do you offer? Field trips to our museum are free for all Oklahoma students and teachers and even include fuel stipends. Public and private schools and homeschool groups can register on our website for field trips that meet Oklahoma Academic Standards for grades K-12 and include follow-up activities. Because of the pandemic, we have implemented procedures to make field trips and all museum experiences as safe as possible, including capacity limits, social distancing requirements, frequent cleaning and mask requirements for all staff and visitors.
What virtual options do you provide? Free OHOF Adventures virtual field trips engage students and educators with subjects ranging from astronauts, art and citizen- ship to engineering and science, while meeting Oklahoma Academic Standards. For those looking for a different option, we have a Pioneer Spirit pop-up exhibit that we can ship to schools, also for free. Find more information about these virtual options at oklahomahof.com/ohof-adventures.
1400 Classen Dr, OKC 405-235-4458, oklahomahof.com
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