OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — State Superintendent Ryan Walters filed revisions to the state’s district accreditation rules on Monday.

Walters’ office released a statement about the proposed revisions and said the purpose is to link accreditation to the academic outcomes of students in the school district.

In the statement released, it says Oklahoma’s accreditation standards do not currently meet the legal requirement to be “equal or exceed nationally recognized accreditation standards to the extent that the standards are consistent with an academic results-oriented approach.”

“We have tried a system that gave districts a free pass while their students suffered, and the results failed our students and failed their parents,” Walters said in a statement. “Just last week, it was revealed that in an international evaluation, US students scored among the lowest ever measured in math. Closer to home, Oklahoma students had the second-greatest NAEP (”the nation’s report card’) score decrease in reading and the greatest NAEP score decrease in math in the nation. The status quo is unacceptable and puts our state at risk for generations to come.

Revamping our accreditation standards is a strong way forward for Oklahoma students. These standards are clear and achievable, and we know that setting high standards will produce the best results. We will not sit back and watch Oklahoma students fall farther behind. Most importantly, setting these standards will ensure every Oklahoma student gets a quality education while providing necessary supports for districts that need more help.”

This filing will be considered at the next state school board meeting and will go on to be considered in the next legislative session.