HB 330: "An Act establishing a Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Standards; requiring the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide information and resources to the task force; establishing state education standards; amending the authority of the Department of Education and Early Development to adopt education standards; and providing for an effective date."
00 HOUSE BILL NO. 330 01 "An Act establishing a Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Standards; requiring 02 the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to provide information and 03 resources to the task force; establishing state education standards; amending the 04 authority of the Department of Education and Early Development to adopt education 05 standards; and providing for an effective date." 06 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 * Section 1. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section 08 to read: 09 ESTABLISHMENT OF JOINT LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON EDUCATION 10 STANDARDS; COMPOSITION; DUTIES. (a) A Joint Legislative Task Force on Education 11 Standards is established in the legislative branch of state government for the purpose of 12 creating a process for vetting proposed educational standards and advising the Department of 13 Education and Early Development on matters pertaining to education standards for students in
01 grades kindergarten through 12 in the state. 02 (b) The task force established under this section consists of 03 (1) the chair of the 04 (A) senate committee having jurisdiction over education; 05 (B) house committee having jurisdiction over education; and 06 (2) eight members appointed jointly by the chairs of the senate and house 07 committees having jurisdiction over education as follows: 08 (A) a representative of the Department of Labor and Workforce 09 Development; 10 (B) a representative of the Department of Education and Early 11 Development; 12 (C) a representative of small business owners in the state; 13 (D) a representative of subsistence lifestyles in the state; 14 (E) a representative of parents in the state; and 15 (F) three representatives of major career destinations of high school 16 graduates in the state, nominated by the commissioner of labor and workforce 17 development. 18 (c) A majority of the members of the task force constitutes a quorum. A vacancy on 19 the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the original selection or appointment. 20 (d) Members of the task force serve without compensation but are entitled to per diem 21 and travel expenses authorized for boards and commissions under AS 39.20.180. The staff of 22 the legislative members of the task force shall serve as staff for the task force, along with staff 23 appointed by the commissioner of labor and workforce development. 24 (e) The task force shall meet at the call of the chair not more than four times, 25 including during the interim between legislative sessions. The chair of the house committee 26 having jurisdiction over education shall call the first meeting of the task force not later than 27 30 days after the effective date of this Act and shall serve as chair of the task force. 28 (f) The task force shall create a process for vetting proposed education standards 29 before the standards are adopted by the state Board of Education and Early Development. 30 * Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 31 read:
01 DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT DUTIES 02 RELATING TO THE JOINT LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON EDUCATION 03 STANDARDS. The Department of Labor and Workforce Development shall support the Joint 04 Legislative Task Force on Education Standards by 05 (1) providing staffing and data requested by the task force; and 06 (2) identifying major careers in the state, as provided under sec. 1 of this Act. 07 * Sec. 3. The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to 08 read: 09 BOARD OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT; EDUCATION 10 STANDARDS. (a) Notwithstanding the authority in AS 14.07.020(b), the state Board of 11 Education and Early Development shall adopt content and performance education standards, 12 including grade level expectations, only after the standards have been vetted under a process 13 created by the Joint Legislative Task Force on Education Standards under sec. 1 of this Act. 14 (b) Until education standards are adopted by the state Board of Education and Early 15 Development as provided under (a) of this section, the education standards for the state public 16 schools serving students in grades kindergarten through 12 are as follows: 17 (1) the content standards for the subjects listed in this subsection, as set out in 18 the department's publication entitled Alaska Standards: Content and Performance Standards 19 for Alaska Students, as revised on March 2006, are adopted by reference; the subjects are 20 (A) English/language arts; 21 (B) mathematics; 22 (C) science; 23 (D) geography; 24 (E) government and citizenship; 25 (F) history; 26 (G) skills for a healthy life; 27 (H) arts; 28 (I) world languages; 29 (J) technology; and 30 (K) employability; 31 (2) the content standards for physical education, as set out in the department's
01 publication entitled Alaska Physical Education Standards, as revised on March 9, 2010, are 02 adopted by reference; 03 (3) the performance standards for reading, writing, mathematics, science, and 04 Alaska history for grades three through 10, as set out in the department's publication entitled 05 Alaska Standards: Content and Performance Standards for Alaska Students, as revised on 06 March 2006, are adopted by reference; 07 (4) the performance standards for reading, writing, and mathematics for grades 08 kindergarten through two, as set out in the department's publication entitled Alaska 09 Performance Standards (Grade Level Expectations) Kindergarten - Grade 2, as revised on 10 September 28, 2006, are adopted by reference. 11 * Sec. 4. Sections 1 and 2 of this Act are repealed July 1, 2013. 12 * Sec. 5. Section 3 of this Act is repealed July 1, 2014. 13 * Sec. 6. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c).