The number of graduates completing Oklahoma teacher preparation programs, including college degrees in education, has fallen by about 40% since 2013, state officials told the Oklahoma State Board of Education on Thursday. Traditionally certified educators who completed these programs have represented less than half of all first-year teachers entering the state’s public schools since 2018. Emergency certified educators, once considered a stop-gap measure, were the most common of all first-year teachers in 2025. They represented 38.8% of teachers in their first year and more than 5% of all Oklahoma educators, state officials said. Those with traditional certifications counted for 96.3% of the classroom teacher workforce and 64.7% of first-year entrants.