State Data Shows Students Enrolled In Virtual Schools Less Likely To Take State Test

Data from the Oklahoma State Department of Education shows students enrolled in virtual schools were less likely to take the state test this past spring. 

In any normal year, schools would be required to have 95 percent of students show up in person for the test. But with a federal waiver because of the pandemic, thousands of students skipped it during the 2020-2021 school year.  

The State Department of Education said when every public school in Oklahoma is considered, about 91 percent of students took state tests at the end of the last school year.  

But state data shows at virtual schools, the participation rate ranges from as low as 31 percent, to as high as 83 percent. 

Most Epic schools had participation rates in the 40s. Epic Charter Schools said this is not a surprise. 

In a statement, the district said in part, "Epic’s students typically take all state tests in one day at a regional testing site to where their families must travel. We believe the required travel, the need for COVID 19 mitigation measures like masks during several hours of test-taking, coupled with concerns about health and safety due to the pandemic, greatly impacted the number of parents who wanted their children to participate in state testing.” 

Other virtual schools, like Oklahoma Connections Academy, followed the same trend with low participation numbers, which makes it difficult for the state to understand how those students are performing during the pandemic.   

Oklahoma Virtual Charter Academy said in a statement in part, "We fully expect our state testing participation rates to return to 95% or more once it is safe for students to test in person." 

The vast majority of schools across the state had a 95 percent or higher participation rate.