TULSA, Okla. — Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) will present its monthly report, including the latest “Measures of Academic Progress” (MAP) test scores in the Oklahoma State Department of Education (OSDE) board meeting on Thursday.

These tests, taken three times a year by TPS students in reading and science, are important for tracking academic growth across the district.

Governor Kevin Stitt recently approved new accreditation standards linking test scores to school accreditation status, adding significance to these presentations.

Last Monday, TPS reported mixed results from the Winter 2024 MAP tests, highlighting improvements in some areas but challenges in others.

According to the TPS MAP Board Report, Winter 2024 MAP testing had the highest number of students taking the MAP reading assessment. Enrollment from fall to winter increased across the district, with a net increase of nearly 600 newly enrolled and/or identified multilingual students across the district since the start of the school year.

6th grade experienced the largest decrease in the percentage of students meeting the Basic threshold. Significantly more middle school students with chronic absenteeism (10 or more absences) are scoring in the projected category of Below Basic. Nearly 5% more females than males are meeting the threshold for scoring Basic.

State Superintendent Ryan Walters said he’s impressed with the school’s progress.

“We’ve looked at the data and we’ve seen dramatic improvement. We have seen steady improvement all year,” Walters said.

He also commented on TPS Superintendent Dr. Ebony Johnson’s efforts to improve the district as a whole.

“I think Ebony Johnson has shown tremendous leadership ability by making some tough decisions, by putting kids first, especially her emphasis on student outcomes and gathering that information to make sure it’s benefiting the students of Tulsa,” Walters said.

Dr. Ebony Johnson expressed optimism about the district’s progress last month.

“I believe because we continue to braid the relationship with the state where they are actually seeing all the work that we’re doing, pitching in with all the thinking, the money and the resources, as well as our teams matching that energy,” Johnson said.

It’s unclear whether any action will be taken in the meeting tomorrow on the MAP scores in relation to the new Accreditation Standards, which are tied to state testing scores.

TPS emphasized the importance of the upcoming meeting.

“Despite school being out, the Summer meetings are crucial in planning for the next school year. We need OSDE support to ensure we’re moving in the desired direction of improvement,” said Johnson last month.

While no immediate actions are expected, these meetings play an important role in planning for the upcoming school year. The summer session aims to secure OSDE support to sustain TPS’s positive trajectory and avoid past challenges with state oversight.

The OSDE agenda for Thursday’s meeting includes a section on accreditation standards, with a presentation and discussion on TPS’s accreditation status for the 2022-2023 school year. The language in the agenda remains unchanged since last September, indicating a routine update rather than immediate action.

The next TPS board meeting is scheduled for July 8th at 8 a.m. where further discussion is anticipated.

The school district shared the following statement about the upcoming meeting.

“At June’s state board meeting, Tulsa Public Schools looks forward to sharing an end of school year summary of TPS data improvements and highlights of current and upcoming initiatives to support student learning.

While state report card and state testing data won’t be released for some time, we are heartened by growth seen in pivotal grades in spring assessments and eagerly await receiving OSTP assessment data to better understand our progress and continue necessary adjustments for improvement.”