Okla. Stat. tit. 70, § 70-6-187

A. Prior to July 1, 2014, a competency examination shall be

adopted by the Oklahoma Commission for Teacher Preparation and

beginning July 1, 2014, a competency examination shall be adopted by

the Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability for the

professional education and various subject areas and grade levels

for purposes of ensuring academic achievement and competency of each

teacher candidate or teacher in the subject area the person is

seeking certification to teach which shall also include

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 421

certification as an administrator, as prescribed by the State Board

of Education.

The Commission, consistent with the purposes of this section,

shall promulgate rules and procedures to guarantee the

confidentiality of examinations.

B. No teacher candidate shall be eligible for certification

until successfully completing the competency examination except

those candidates who make application to the Board and meet the

criteria for the alternative placement program pursuant to Section

6-122.3 of this title. Certification shall be limited to areas of

approval in which the certified teacher has successfully completed

the examination. Subject to the provisions of subsection C of this

section, testing for certification for subjects in which a teacher

candidate or teacher is seeking a minor teaching assignment or an

endorsement to teach shall be limited to the specific subject area

test.

A teacher candidate or teacher may take the professional

education or subject area portions of the examination subject to any

limit imposed by the Commission.

C. 1. Except as otherwise provided for in this subsection, a

teacher may be certified in as many areas as the teacher meets the

necessary requirements provided by law and has successfully

completed the subject area portion of the examination.

2. Except as otherwise provided for in this paragraph,

certification in early childhood, elementary, or special education

shall require completion of an appropriate teacher education program

approved by the Commission and effective July 1, 2025, successful

completion of a comprehensive reading instruction assessment as

provided for in Section 1210.508F of this title.

Any teacher who is certified to teach elementary education may

be certified in early childhood education upon meeting the

requirements provided in law and successful completion of the

appropriate subject area portion of the examination. Any teacher

who is certified to teach early childhood education may be certified

in elementary education upon meeting the requirements provided in

law and successful completion of the appropriate subject area

portion of the examination. Any special education teacher who

becomes certified to teach through completion of an accredited

teacher preparation program may be certified in early childhood or

elementary education upon meeting the requirements provided in law

and successful completion of the appropriate subject portion of the

examination. Any teacher who becomes certified to teach through

completion of an accredited teacher preparation program or becomes

alternatively certified to teach through the Troops to Teachers

program may be certified in special education upon meeting the

requirements provided in law and successful completion of the

appropriate subject area portion of the examination. Any special

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 422

education teacher who has not completed a Commission-approved

teacher education program in elementary education or early childhood

education but who has successfully completed the subject area

portion of the examination may be certified in elementary education

or early childhood education for the purpose of providing direct

instruction and serving as the teacher of record for grading

purposes in special education settings only.

D. The Commission shall offer the competency examination at
tary education or early childhood

education but who has successfully completed the subject area

portion of the examination may be certified in elementary education

or early childhood education for the purpose of providing direct

instruction and serving as the teacher of record for grading

purposes in special education settings only.

D. The Commission shall offer the competency examination at

least four times per calendar year on dates to be established by the

Commission.

E. If a teacher candidate or teacher is a non-native-English

speaker, the Commission shall offer the subject area competency

examination in the native language of the teacher candidate or

teacher only if the teacher candidate or teacher is employed or has

been offered employment by a school district as a teacher in a

foreign language immersion program offered by the school district.

If a non-native-English speaker who has received certification in a

subject area after taking the subject area competency examination in

the native language of the speaker seeks to add a certification area

in the future and that person is no longer employed as a teacher in

a foreign language immersion program, the examination for the

additional certification area shall be taken in English. The State

Board of Education shall issue a restricted license or certificate

to any teacher who has completed a subject area competency

examination in the native language of the teacher as provided for in

this subsection restricting the teacher to teaching only in a

foreign language immersion program.

F. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the

Commission for Educational Quality and Accountability, may grant an

exception to the requirement to complete a subject area examination

for initial certification in a field which does not require an

advanced degree if the candidate has an advanced degree in a subject

that is substantially comparable to the content assessed on a

subject area examination. The advanced degree shall be from an

institution accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency

which is recognized by the Secretary of the United States Department

of Education. The Commission shall provide the Board with the

necessary information to determine comparability.

G. 1. Nothing in the Oklahoma Teacher Preparation Act shall

restrict the right of the State Board of Education to issue an

emergency or provisional certificate, as needed. Provided, however,

prior to the issuance of an emergency certificate, the district

shall document substantial efforts to employ a teacher who holds a

provisional or standard certificate. In the event a district is

unable to hire an individual meeting this criteria, the district

shall document efforts to employ an individual with a provisional or

standard certificate in another curricular area with academic

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 423

preparation in the field of need. Only after these alternatives

have been exhausted shall the district be allowed to employ an

individual meeting minimum standards as established by the State

Board of Education for the issuance of emergency certificates.

2. The State Board of Education may renew the emergency or

provisional certificate of an individual who has been employed by a

school district board of education for at least two (2) years if the

following criteria are met:

a. the individual has been granted an emergency or

provisional certificate pursuant to paragraph 1 of

this subsection for two (2) years,

b. the individual has not successfully completed the

competency examinations required by this section,

c. the individual submits a portfolio of his or her work

to the State Board of Education, which shall include

evidence of progress toward standard certification,

d. the employing school district board of education

agrees to renew the individual’s contract to teach for

the ensuing fiscal year, and
individual has not successfully completed the

competency examinations required by this section,

c. the individual submits a portfolio of his or her work

to the State Board of Education, which shall include

evidence of progress toward standard certification,

d. the employing school district board of education

agrees to renew the individual’s contract to teach for

the ensuing fiscal year, and

e. the superintendent of the employing school district

submits to the State Board of Education the reason the

emergency or provisional certificate should be renewed

and provides evidence of the district’s inability to

hire a teacher who holds a standard certificate.

3. Individuals employed by a school district under an emergency

or provisional certificate shall not be considered career teachers

and therefore not entitled to the protections of the Teacher Due

Process Act of 1990.

H. The State Board of Education may grant an exception to the

requirements for all certification examinations for teacher

candidates who are “deaf”, which for the purposes of this section

shall mean having a hearing loss so severe that the person cannot

process auditory linguistic information with or without

accommodation and whose primary language and teaching environment is

American Sign Language. The Board may grant an exception upon:

1. Verification by a licensed audiologist of a hearing loss so

severe that the teacher candidate cannot process auditory linguistic

information with or without accommodation;

2. Demonstration of fluency in American Sign Language;

3. Demonstration of competency in the subject area of

specialization as approved by the Board in lieu of certification

examinations; and

4. Sponsorship by a certified deaf education teacher for a

mentorship program.

The Board may promulgate rules and other requirements as

necessary to grant the exceptions described in this subsection.

Applicable teaching environments may include American Sign Language

Oklahoma Statutes - Title 70. Schools Page 424

immersion programs, the Oklahoma School for the Deaf, programs for

the deaf, or other classroom settings in which American Sign

Language is the language of instruction.