DUNCAN — Dr. Janet Barresi came into a new school year realizing 2012 could become a controversial landscape, with a focus on school reform.

During a stop at the Lincoln Day celebration the Stephens County Republican Party hosted Tuesday night at the Duncan Golf & Country Club, the still-new Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction noted this school year marks the implementation of the C3 Plan.

The C3 Plan strives to make sure each student in Oklahoma’s public school is college, career and citizen ready. The reforms include a teacher and leader effectiveness evaluation system, third-grade graduation and A to F “performance grade” for schools.

“This year, we are working on implementing these reforms,” Barresi said, prior to the start of the Lincoln Day event. “We’ve reformed the department, and we’re funneling funds into the classroom.

“(The instructors) are learning to teach children with different learning styles we want them to implement and make effective in the classroom.”

Under the reforms, the school districts will ensure they have an effective teacher in each classroom and an effective leader in every school. Third-grade students who aren’t reading at grade-level won’t be promoted to the fourth grade, beginning with the 2013-14 school year.

Each school will also be evaluated with a letter grade (A, B, C, D or F) to show progress and standing within the state.

Barresi felt Academic Performance Index (API) scores have little meaning to parents. By putting a letter on the score, it gives parents a better understanding of how each school and school district is doing.

“Instead of looking at the metric that has little meaning, they’re looking to see where their schools are,” she said. “It’s increasing accountability. It’s enhancing school performance.

“In the states where this has already been implemented, they’re seeing an enormous amount of growth.”

She noted a lot of work has gone into the reforms, but much more will transpire by the time the reforms are fully in place. “We are implementing the C3 Plan to prepare students for college and occupations,” Barresi stressed. “We want to make sure all are good citizens.”

While reforms may be the main focus, Barresi said there are many other things happening in school districts in Oklahoma, one being the waiver of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reform, which will provide more flexibility to state schools. Oklahoma is one of 10 states to receive the waiver.

The states in the “Chiefs for Change” group composed the waiver request to emphasize more accountability and have more control on learning in the classroom. Barresi said NCLB was a positive reform that focused on accountability, but increased flexibility will allow school districts to have a more individualized effort.

“This was written by Oklahomans,” Barresi said. “Their words are in this accountability plan.

“There will be less government control. There will be more focus on the growth of each individual child.”

The state’s top secondary education felt NCLB focused primarily on “bubble kids” who make up the average student. By doing that, children struggling to reach grade level or take standardize tests were struggling more, while students who are gifted were being ignored to a degree.

By waiving the NCLB reform, each student will receive more individualized focus.

Aside from the coming reforms and the waiver of NCLB, Oklahoma schools are also focusing on reading and math.

“Duncan is actually a district we turn to for reading,” Barresi noted, acknowledging the reading program in Duncan Public Schools is among the best in the state.

She said ideas from Duncan’s program will be implemented statewide, including a 90-minute reading block, which Barresi called innovative enough to improve student scores.

Students will encounter an increased need for mathematics in their future careers, and Barresi said many schools are honed-in on implementing new math programs or changing math lessons to better reach students.

The Oklahoma State Department of Education is launching an online math program for students to play a game while learning more about math. The pilot program is focused on eighth- through 10th-grade students, but plans are to expand the program to all students.

Barresi said it will also be up to the state department to educate teachers in how to better teach students with different learning styles.

“It’s a controversial year, but we’re always looking forward,” Barresi said.