Oklahoma tried out a test to ‘woke-proof’ the classroom. It was short-lived, but could still leave a mark
Oklahoma has emerged as a focal point for the intersection of education and conservative ideology, particularly under the leadership of former state education Superintendent Ryan Walters. His tenure, marked by controversial policies aimed at reshaping public school curricula to reflect conservative values, culminated in the introduction of the “America-First Assessment,” a teacher evaluation tool designed by PragerU, a nonprofit media organization known for its conservative perspectives. This assessment, which Walters claimed was intended to eliminate “woke indoctrination” from the classroom, was implemented in August 2025 but was short-lived, as his successor, Lindel Fields, quickly rescinded the assessment and the controversial mandate requiring teachers to incorporate the Bible into their lesson plans.
The America-First Assessment consisted of 34 multiple-choice questions focused on topics like the U.S. Constitution, government, and religious liberty. Critics have labeled it a “political ideology test,” arguing that it lacks the rigor and professional standards typically associated with teacher licensure exams. Unlike traditional assessments that evaluate subject-specific knowledge, this exam was designed to align with conservative talking points and was structured in a way that ensured all participants would pass, effectively rendering it a loyalty test rather than a legitimate measure of teaching competency. Observers noted that this experiment in teacher assessment reflects a broader trend of politicizing education, with implications that could extend beyond Oklahoma as other states might consider adopting similar measures.
PragerU’s involvement in teacher assessment underscores its growing influence in shaping educational content and standards. Founded by conservative radio host Dennis Prager, the organization has produced a vast array of videos promoting a conservative worldview, including topics that downplay the historical significance of slavery and climate change. With the recent expansion into teacher assessments, PragerU is not just influencing what is taught in classrooms but also who gets to teach. As conservative policymakers continue to advocate for measures that align educational practices with their ideological beliefs, the America-First Assessment serves as a cautionary tale about the potential future of teacher licensing and the politicization of education in America.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZUZ5UJ_5tM
Oklahoma’s short-lived PragerU teacher assessment was one of the final projects under former Superintendent Ryan Walters, who resigned in September 2025.
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Oklahoma has become a testing ground for reshaping public school curriculum to reflect
conservative viewpoints
,
Make America Great Again priorities
and a push for Christian nationalism
in the classroom
.
Oklahoma’s former state education Superintendent Ryan Walters oversaw several
controversial education policies
in recent years, including
mandating in 2024
that all Oklahoma public teachers incorporate the Bible into their lesson plans.
Walters
resigned from his position
in September 2025 to lead
Teacher Freedom Alliance
, a conservative advocacy group that opposes teachers unions.
One unprecedented move Walters made was adopting a teacher assessment called
The America-First Assessment
, designed by PragerU, a conservative nonprofit media company. Walters said the purpose of this exam, which went live in August 2025, was to screen out “
woke indoctrination
.”
By authorizing this assessment, Walters signed off on a conservative and far-right political organization having a say in which prospective teachers from out of state receive their Oklahoma teaching licenses.
The exam was short-lived. Walters’ replacement,
Lindel Fields
, announced at the end of October 2025 that
Oklahoma would no longer
use this assessment. Fields
also rescinded
the Bible mandate for Oklahoma schools.
But other states could still adopt
the exam
, free of charge. The exam and its controversy offers a window into the current politicization of state education systems, this time with respect to the licensing of teachers.
As an education researcher
, I have written about other teacher assessments and some of the
issues surrounding
them, such as screening out Black teachers.
Walter’s “anti-woke” teacher exam is a unique kind of experiment. The test was not made by a professional assessment company and does not legitimately assess professional knowledge related to the subjects teachers teach.
Ryan Walters bows his head in prayer alongside the state’s Board of Education members in April 2023, during his time as Oklahoma’s education superintendent.
Sue Ogrocki/Associated Press
A politicized test for teachers
The America-First exam
consists of 34 multiple-choice questions that ask about the U.S. Constitution, government, religious liberty, history and Supreme Court cases. One question asks, “What are the first three words of the Constitution?” Another question asks, “What does the Second Amendment protect?” Other questions inquire about gender and sex, with questions like, “What is the fundamental biological distinction between males and females?” and “Which chromosome pair determines biological sex in humans?”
Walters made the political purpose of the exam clear.
“We have to make sure that the teachers in our classrooms, as we’re recruiting these individuals, aren’t a bunch of woke, Marxist activists,”
Walters said
in August 2025.
Walters has also said
the exam was designed to specifically root out liberal teacher applicants who might fill teacher vacancies in Oklahoma and bring progressive training on race and gender with them, or what Walters called “blue state indoctrination.”
When the test went live in August, it expanded to all teachers from other states trying to get a license to teach in Oklahoma.
An exam you cannot fail
The America-First Assessment is not like the typical licensure exams made by professional assessment companies. These other exams cover the specific subject matter teachers should know to do their job: math for math teachers, science for science teachers, and so on.
Instead of a subject-specific focus, the America-First Assessment is mostly aligned with President Donald Trump’s “America first” talking points, particularly through its focus on gender and sex.
The most striking aspect of the exam, however, is that it is
impossible to fail
. If you don’t know the first three words of the U.S. Constitution, you can guess answers until you get it right. In fact, the test will advance to the next question only after you register a correct answer. Everyone who finishes the test will get 100% correct.
As a result, as some observers have
pointed out
, the exam resembles a political ideology test and not a legitimate assessment of professional knowledge.
Unlike the SAT, which considers its content proprietary, legally protected information, many of the America-First Assessment questions are
publicly available
.
Further, unlike established exams such as the SAT and GRE, the America-First exam has no technical information about how it was designed or what the questions are supposed to measure. As a result, the exam resembles a “MAGA loyalty test,”
according to
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten.
A conservative media company expands into teacher assessment
The America-First Assessment’s unique format and political content reflect the priorities of
PragerU, the conservative media company
that created it.
Conservative radio host
Dennis Prager
founded PragerU in 2009. The company produces educational and entertainment videos rooted in conservative ideology.
PragerU’s more than
5,000 online videos
include short segments such as “Make Men Masculine Again,” “How Many Radical Islam Sleepers are in the United States?” and “America Was Founded on Freedom Not Slavery.” Prominent far-right influencers including Ben Shapiro, Candace Owens and Charlie Kirk have appeared in videos.
PragerU’s primary YouTube page has more than 3.4 million subscribers.
Scholarly analysis of PragerU videos have found the content
minimizes the impact
of slavery and
promotes misinformation
on topics including climate change.
In its
children’s video
“Frederick Douglass: The Outspoken Abolitionist,” the fictionalized cartoon of Douglass warns children to “stay away from radicals” who want to change the American system rather than work within it. “Our system is wonderful, and our Constitution is a glorious liberty document. We just need to convince enough Americans to be true to it,” he concludes.
In 2021, the company launched PragerU Kids, an offshoot targeting school-age children and educators with lesson plans, worksheets and other learning materials tied to its videos. Some
other states
,
including Florida
, New Hampshire and Montana, have approved PragerU’s videos as curriculum for their public schools to consider using since 2023.
The company’s move into teacher assessments in 2025 expands its influence beyond curriculum into who can earn a teaching license.
Copies of the Bible are displayed in August 2024 at the Bixby High School library in Bixby, Okla.
Joey Johnson/Associated Press
A possible strategy for other states
Both Walters and PragerU CEO Marissa Streit
pitched the exam
as an option for all “pro-America” states at its launch in August 2025. Some conservative policy analysts have
also praised
this strategy’s goals of ridding public schools of all “woke” teachers.
As a result, it is unlikely this is the last people will hear of PragerU or other private media companies trying to screen teachers.
Emery Petchauer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
