The outcomes of the 2022 spherical of state checks present Oklahoma college students have begun to regain some tutorial floor misplaced throughout COVID disruptions however outcomes on almost all checks stay properly under the pre-pandemic norm. And even previous to COVID, nearly all of Oklahoma college students failed to attain proficiency in all grades and topics examined.
Annually, the state administers checks in English Language Arts (ELA) and arithmetic within the third by way of eighth grades in addition to grade 11, and administers checks in science in grades 5, eight, and 11. In 2022, the Oklahoma State Division of Schooling (OSDE) reported that 98 p.c of Oklahoma’s public-school college students took state checks.
Few Brilliant Spots in Outcomes
The share of scholars testing proficient or higher exceeded the pre-pandemic stage in solely two areas: Eleventh grade English Language Arts and Eleventh grade science.
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Within the 2018-2019 college 12 months, the final wherein state checks had been administered previous to the pandemic, 33 p.c of Eleventh-grade college students examined proficient or higher on the ELA take a look at in comparison with 38 p.c in 2022. On the 2019 science take a look at, 24 p.c of Eleventh-grade college students examined proficient or higher, however 25 p.c did so in 2022.
On a 3rd take a look at, college students have nearly recovered all floor misplaced since COVID. On the fifth-grade science take a look at, 38 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019 in comparison with 37 p.c in 2022.
Outcomes on Most Exams Effectively Beneath Pre-Pandemic Ranges
Nevertheless, on the remaining 14 state checks, scholar outcomes stay properly under the pre-pandemic stage.
Regardless of record-high ranges of funding, a big majority of Oklahoma college students in all grades and topics are usually not proficient in tutorial efficiency.
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On the ELA checks, 38 p.c of third-grade college students had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 29 p.c in 2022.
On fourth-grade ELA checks, 30 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 23.5 p.c in 2022.
On the fifth-grade ELA take a look at, 35 p.c of scholars had been proficient in 2019, however simply 28 p.c had been proficient in 2022.
On the sixth-grade ELA take a look at, 36 p.c of scholars had been proficient in 2019, however simply 26 p.c had been proficient in 2022.
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On the seventh-grade ELA take a look at, 29 p.c of scholars had been proficient in 2019, however simply 22 p.c had been proficient in 2022.
On the eighth-grade ELA take a look at, 31 p.c of scholars had been proficient in 2019, however simply 25 p.c had been proficient in 2022.
On third-grade math checks, 43 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 33 p.c in 2022.
On fourth-grade math checks, 38 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 33 p.c in 2022.
On fifth-grade math checks, 31 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 26 p.c in 2022.
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On sixth-grade math checks, 30 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 22 p.c in 2022.
On seventh-grade math checks, 33 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 24 p.c in 2022.
On eighth-grade math checks, 23 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 16 p.c in 2022.
On Eleventh-grade math checks, 23 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 19.48 p.c in 2022. The 2022 leads to Eleventh-grade math weren’t solely decrease than the 2019 outcomes, but in addition decrease than the 2021 outcomes, marking two consecutive years of decline. (No checks had been administered in 2020 because of the outbreak of COVID.)
On eighth-grade science checks, 40 p.c of scholars had been proficient or higher in 2019, in comparison with 30 p.c in 2022.
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Total, a big majority of scholars in all grades and topics examined scored under the proficiency stage. Between 62 p.c and 84 p.c of scholars on all checks scored on the “primary” or “under primary” ranges, which the OSDE reported means these college students “will not be” or are positively not “on observe for faculty or profession success.”
Studying Loss Persists Regardless of Report Funding
The continuance of serious studying loss in Oklahoma faculties has occurred regardless of file ranges of funding, together with a large infusion of federal money to handle COVID-related issues.
Throughout the 2022 legislative session, Home Speaker Professional Tempore Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow, famous that schooling funding had elevated by 33 p.c within the prior six years, and mentioned Oklahoma public faculties “have extra money than they’ve ever had within the historical past of the state, and it’s not even shut.”
The finances deal subsequently authorized on the finish of the 2022 legislative session augmented that spending additional and set a brand new file for Okay-12 funding.
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Oklahoma faculties have additionally obtained an infinite infusion of one-time federal funding to take care of COVID points, together with fee for efforts to handle studying loss.
Three rounds of federal COVID-bailout funding have been supplied to states since spring 2020. Oklahoma college districts obtained $144.8 million from the primary spherical, $598.5 million from the second spherical, and $1.34 billion from the third spherical. These three rounds of COVID-bailout funds generated a mixed whole of greater than $2 billion in further funding for Oklahoma college districts.
Initially of 2022, Oklahoma faculties nonetheless had $1.4 billion of that whole out there to handle COVID challenges together with studying loss.
Regardless of outcomes being far under pre-pandemic norms throughout all grades in most topics, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Pleasure Hofmeister proclaimed the 2022 testing outcomes a big achievement.
“The spring 2022 scores present that our college students are turning a nook in tutorial achievement,” Hofmeister mentioned. “In mild of greater than two college years of COVID-related tutorial challenges and interruptions, these outcomes present that native and statewide restoration and tutorial acceleration investments are clearly having a constructive influence.”
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) — Raegan Beers scored 16 points before suffering a left shoulder injury in the third quarter, and No. 10 Oklahoma rolled past Texas A&M 77-62 on Sunday.
Beers, a 6-foot-4 center, was helped off the floor by teammates. She returned to the bench with an ice pack on her shoulder, but did not play again.
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The Sooners (14-3, 2-2 SEC) bounced back from a loss to Mississippi State on Thursday to claim their first home SEC win in their first season in the conference.
Aicha Coulibaly scored 16 points for Texas A&M (8-8, 1-3), which shot 26.9%.
It was the second straight blowout loss for the Aggies, who dropped a 90-49 decision to No. 2 South Carolina on Thursday.
Oklahoma made 9 of 14 field goals in the first quarter and Beers scored 10 points in the period as the Sooners took a 27-10 lead.
The Sooners led 44-23 at halftime after holding the Aggies to 18.9% shooting. Beers scored 16 points and made 10 of 11 free throws before the break.
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Takeaways
Texas A&M: The Aggies tried to rally in the third, but were too far behind to take advantage of Beers’ absence. The Aggies trailed 59-38 when Beers was hurt, and outscored the Sooners 24-18 the rest of the way.
Oklahoma: It wasn’t the cleanest game for the Sooners. They made 8 of 33 3-pointers and committed 19 turnovers. They’ll need to improve those areas against better opponents.
Key moment
Oklahoma, already leading by 17 heading into the second quarter, held the Aggies to one field goal in the first five minutes of the second to resume its defensive dominance.
Key stat
Texas A&M made 3 of 19 3-pointers.
Up next
Texas A&M hosts Georgia and Oklahoma hosts Missouri, both on Thursday.
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When Ben Arbuckle stepped foot on campus at Canadian High School in 2010, coach Chris Koetting felt like he had a crystal ball.
A freshman quarterback at the time, Arbuckle made an immediate impression on Koetting, who mentally made a bold prediction.
“I knew he was going to do big things in football,” Koetting said.
Fast forward more than a decade, and some might think Koetting is a fortune teller.
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Arbuckle, only 29, has already become a successful coach at the collegiate level. He accepted the offensive coordinator job at Oklahoma in December, following stints at Washington State and Western Kentucky.
Now he’s tasked with breathing new life into an Oklahoma offense that was among the worst in college football in 2024. Those who know him are confident he’ll succeed.
Canadian, TX, located on the far-right end of the Texas Panhandle, has a population of just 2,339 — so just about everybody knows everybody else.
Arbuckle’s high school career made him an even more recognizable name in the small town.
In his final two seasons of high school, Arbuckle passed for 7,500 yards and 95 touchdowns. He led the Wildcats to the UIL 2A state quarterfinals as a senior.
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While most of Arbuckle’s high school highlights are passing-related, it’s where he first dove into instructing others.
Canadian’s backup for Arbuckle’s final two seasons was Tanner Schafer, who later played at OU. After waiting behind Arbuckle and learning from him, Schafer led Canadian to back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.
“(Ben) has helped a lot of quarterbacks along the way, not just as a coach,” Koetting said. “He’s special.”
After high school, Arbuckle took two seasons off from playing football before joining West Texas A&M’s program in 2016. Located in Canyon, just outside of Amarillo, Arbuckle continued to learn more about the game on a small scale.
He spent half of the 2016 season as the Buffaloes’ starter, completing 63 percent of his passes for 1,241 yards and 15 touchdowns. Arbuckle didn’t start in 2017, but he was WTAM’s top backup, appearing in 10 games.
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While Arbuckle didn’t break records at West Texas A&M, his time there showed others his work ethic, killer instinct and love for the game — traits that have allowed him to succeed as a college coach.
“I definitely learned about Ben’s competitiveness from my time playing,” said Allen Roberson, who played with Arbuckle at WTAM as a defensive end. “It was always fun competing each day against the offense in practice. As a QB, it’s always important to learn and process quickly. Ben always showed that, along with his enthusiasm and fun spirit every day.”
Arbuckle’s love for the game really shined through at his first collegiate coaching stop.
Immediately after graduating from West Texas A&M, Arbuckle joined the staff at Houston Baptist (now Houston Christian), which competes at the NCAA Division I FCS level.
Arbuckle was an unpaid quality control assistant for the Huskies — and it got his foot in the door to where he wanted to be.
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Koetting guided Arbuckle as he entered the college coaching realm. And it didn’t surprise Arbuckle’s high school coach that he’d be willing to coach for free — or take a second job as a food delivery driver to make ends meet.
“His trail to get to where he’s at right now is kind of crazy,” Koetting said. “His work ethic is something else.”
After that, Arbuckle returned to the Texas Panhandle for one year, serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Seminole High School.
Arbuckle then landed his first paid college coaching job at Western Kentucky, where he started as an offensive quality control assistant. He was then promoted to co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Hilltoppers in 2022, helping lead the nation’s No. 1 passing offense (433.7 passing yards per game) with eventual NFL quarterback Bailey Zappe.
That instant success helped Arbuckle land the same job at Washington State.
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The body of work is just three years for Arbuckle-led college football offenses, but he hasn’t missed yet. After heading a successful air-raid system at WKU, he was just as successful in Pullman.
In 2023, Arbuckle worked with Cam Ward — who later transferred to Miami (FL) and was a 2024 Heisman finalist — and produced a passing offense that was fourth nationally with 336.8 yards per game.
A year later, Arbuckle ran an offense with John Mateer, who recently transferred to Oklahoma. The Cougars finished 2024 with 30 passing touchdowns, which was sixth in the nation.
“One of the best offensive minds in the last several decades in college football,” Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said in December. “He has his own report — everything that I continue to look at.”
Now, Arbuckle heads to his biggest program yet — and it’s a full-circle journey for him.
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Canadian is just over three hours away from Norman, and his wife, Lauren, grew up a die-hard OU fan. On their first date, Arbuckle took Lauren to an Oklahoma game.
Game day for those two will look quite different when Arbuckle takes the reins in the fall. But it’s a return to the place that sparked their love for one another and Arbuckle’s love for OU.
“Here we are 12 years later, and we’re very proud to be here,” Arbuckle said on the National Signing Day show on Sooner Sports TV in December. “We’re ready to get this thing rolling.”
In addition to Arbuckle’s short-but-impressive resume and his family ties, his leadership is what those closest to him think will stand out.
Rosemary Koetting, Chris’ wife, described Arbuckle as a “player’s coach” who is kind, intelligent and competitive.
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“He makes everybody feel important,” Rosemary Koetting said. “Kids flock to him.”
Jett Niu, a 3-star quarterback prospect who signed with OU in December after Arbuckle’s hiring, had similar first impressions.
Arbuckle recruited Niu to Washington State early in his recruiting process, but the quarterback prospect ultimately chose to commit to Oklahoma State. But the two kept in touch even after Niu’s OSU commitment, and once Arbuckle landed in Norman, it was a no-brainer for him to flip.
“I love the way that he coaches and talks to his players,” Niu said. “He really just develops them.”
At 29 years old, Arbuckle is just over a decade older than Niu. His new coordinator’s youth — plus his proven track record with Zappe, Ward and Mateer — excites the Sooners’ incoming signal caller.
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“He’s developed multiple quarterbacks that have been successful in college football, and I think I can be one of them,” Niu said. “We’re going to have a great next couple of years.”
Arbuckle’s time in Norman could span more than a decade. It could last only a year. Regardless, Koetting thinks Arbuckle is the right man for the job.
But wherever Arbuckle’s coaching career takes him, Koetting will always see him as the small-town quarterback that he predicted to one day be a star.
“I have coached a lot of great quarterbacks, and he’s been my favorite,” Koetting said. “He’s one of ours. He’s special, and I can tell you that.”
The Texas A&M Aggies (8-7) will try to stop a three-game road skid when taking on the Oklahoma Sooners (13-3) on Sunday, January 12, 2025 at Lloyd Noble Center, airing at 5:00 PM ET on SEC Network.
Texas A&M is coming off of a 90-49 loss to South Carolina in its last game on Thursday.
Prepare for this matchup with everything you need to know about Sunday’s college hoops action.
Check out: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
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Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M: How to watch on TV or live stream
Watch women’s college basketball on Fubo!
Texas A&M scoring
The Sooners put up 24.5 more points than the Aggies allow (64.8).
Oklahoma is 13-3 when scoring more than 64.8 points.
Oklahoma is 8-7 versus the spread and 13-3 overall when scoring more than 64.8.
Texas A&M is 2-3 versus the spread and has an 8-5 record overall when conceding fewer than 89.3 points.
Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M computer pick
Prediction: Oklahoma 81, Texas A&M 62
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