Assistant Superintendent Dr. Tiffany Ballard, along with Jamie Smith, Director of Teaching and Learning, teamed up Monday evening at the October 6, 2025, Board Meeting to share the district’s academic progress, outline future goals, and explain the student career pathways offered by Pryor Public Schools.
Smith, a third-generation Pryor educator, stepped into the director position after serving as both a teacher and assistant principal at Roosevelt Elementary.
“One of the first things that stood out to me,” Smith said, “was Dr. Ballard’s focus on customer service for our teachers.” She added that departmental decisions center on providing the best possible support for classroom instruction.
ACT Results and Academic Growth
ACT scores topped Ballard’s presentation. She shared a graph illustrating the steady academic progress of Pryor students and emphasized their continued growth. All juniors take the ACT each year, and Pryor students currently hold an average composite score of 19.8, compared to the Oklahoma state average of 17.9.
With Pryor’s average also above the national ACT score of 19.4, Ballard said, “Our goal is to cross the 20-point threshold,” further widening the Tigers’ lead over the national average.
Understanding Oklahoma’s Newly Released Test Scores
Dr. Ballard acknowledged that recently released Oklahoma testing data indicates a statewide drop in student performance. However, she explained that this decline is largely due to the reinstatement of the more rigorous National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) standards—a program that has measured student performance nationwide since 1969. NAEP sets a higher bar for students to achieve the “proficient” label.
Ballard noted that more students scored “proficient” in the 2023–2024 school year primarily because expectations were lowered during that testing cycle. This year, students were assessed under the reinstated NAEP standards, resulting in fewer students scoring proficient—not because they know less, but because the standards are tougher.
Ballard’s explanation aligns with comments from Megan Oftedal, executive director of the state’s Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, who told The Daily Oklahoman that the results do not mean students are performing worse—only that the bar for what’s considered proficient has been raised.”
Pryor Superintendent Dr. Lisa Muller added that students scoring in the Basic category under NAEP’s rigorous reading standards have demonstrated strong foundations in reading and literacy skills.
At the basic level, NAEP expects students to show key skills such as:
Determining word meanings through context
Making inferences and categorizing story events
Understanding plot and locating supporting evidence
These examples represent only a portion of the broader skills students are expected to demonstrate to meet the basic achievement level in reading.
Similarly, NAEP math standards set a rigorous foundation. Fourth-grade students performing at the basic level are expected to show abilities such as:
Correlating information between tables and data displays
Identifying rules for numerical patterns
Extending or completing sequences accurately
While these are only a few of the basic-level expectations, they illustrate the increased rigor of the NAEP benchmarks, which provide a consistent national measure of student progress.
Ballard emphasized that NAEP provides a consistent national benchmark for gauging student progress. While scores may appear to dip, she said, “It’s truly a reflection of higher expectations—expectations our students are ready to meet.”
Tiger Career Pathways Toward Graduation
The presentation also outlined Pryor High School’s career pathways, which include:
Agriculture & Natural Resources
Arts and Communications
Business
Health Services
Human Services
Athletics & Health
World Languages
Dr. Muller noted that Oklahoma’s flexible system allows students to shift between pathways without losing credits if their career interests change.
Student Leadership and Professional Growth
Ballard also highlighted the continued momentum of student leadership across the district. All Pryor schools have earned Lighthouse status, and Roosevelt Elementary has been designated a Leader in Me Legacy School.
The Pryor High School Lead Team has represented the district at several Leader in Me events, while Lincoln Elementary House Leaders are preparing to present at the district’s Mini Leadership Symposium on November 19, followed by the Leader in Me Symposium in Dallas.
Dr. Ballard thanked the Board of Education for its continued support, noting that board investment has allowed the department to expand professional development opportunities based directly on teacher feedback.
“We survey, we listen, and then we respond,” Ballard said. “If our teachers can dream it, we can make it happen.”
This year, that feedback led to the addition of two new college-level science courses at Pryor High School—an idea first proposed by teachers during professional learning sessions.
Board President Fred Sordahl closed the presentation by reaffirming the district’s shared mission: “We take the resources we have and strive to open windows and doors for every child,” he said.