Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/19/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB32 | |
| HB132 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | SB 32 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 132 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 32-COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
8:05:53 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the first order of business
would be CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 32(FIN), "An Act establishing
the Alaska middle college program for public school students;
relating to the powers of the University of Alaska; and
providing for an effective date."
8:06:39 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature, presented CSSB 32(FIN) on behalf of Senator Gary
Stevens, prime sponsor. He stated that participation in Middle
Colleges and dual credit programs significantly improves student
success, both in completing high school and beginning post-
secondary education. He clarified that the proposed legislation
is "not intended to micromanage," rather, it indicates that the
University of Alaska (UA) and school districts may enter into an
agreement that would establish a dual credit and Alaska Middle
College (AMC) program. He stated that it is consistent with
individual district's needs and capability levels and is meant
to provide a flexible framework without a one-size-fits-all
approach.
MR. LAMKIN provided an overview of the sectional summary. He
shared that Section 1 would amend an annual report to the
legislature to include AMC activity. In Section 2: subsection
(a) would establish a Middle College program so high students
may enroll in courses at UA and earn credit towards both high
school graduation and a college degree; subsection (b) would
establish that UA may enter into an agreement with each school
district that elects to participate in the program; subsection
(c) would speak to eligibility, requiring that students are
currently in high school, haven't yet graduated, and are in good
academic standing; subsection (d) would address awareness
through outreach to parents of students; subsection (e) would
addresses financing; subsection (f) would address course
quality.
MR. LAMKIN continued with the summary of Section 2: subsection
(g) would address a credit cap, limiting students to 15 credit
hours; subsection (h) would hold harmless schools' average daily
membership (ADM) calculation for students participating in the
program; subsection (i) would address transcript sharing between
schools and universities; and subsection (j) would address
definitions relating to "program" and "school district".
Section 3, he concluded, would address the general powers and
duties of the universities in implementing and maintaining the
program.
8:12:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM asked how the proposed legislation was
different from current practices of high school students taking
college classes and receiving credit.
MR. LAMKIN answered that the legislation is intended to embrace
current practices, as the market is "doing a lot of this work
already." He said the state has a significant number of
memorandums of understanding (MOUs) that are on the books. He
explained that the proposed legislation was intended to codify
this in statute, so all districts may have it available.
8:13:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked if each district used its own MOU
with UA for its own funding mechanism. He asked if the costs
are shared differently, and he asked how some MOUs are working
currently.
MR. LAMKIN replied that committee members were supplied with
MOUs [hard copies included in committee packet]. He said there
were some from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) with
Anchorage School District (ASD) and Matanuska-Susitna (Mat-Su)
Borough School District (MSBSD). He commented that costs do
vary. He said he would defer to Dr. Layer, an invited
testifier, for further details.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked how this would impact the ADM in
the foundation formula in different districts.
MR. LAMKIN answered that there would be variance, as each
district would have different situations.
8:14:38 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that MSBSD has a $50,000 fee to help
costs with UA, and she offered her understanding that the cost
per credit varies between districts depending on what is set up
with UA. She asked if larger districts would be able to
negotiate better numbers with the university, and if smaller
districts would have to pay more per credit. She said she was
concerned about the cost and this being an equitable system for
how different districts could afford to participate.
MR. LAMKIN replied that it is important to "keep an eye on the
ball," and that this AMC is for gifted students who could take
advantage of this program. He said there are districts that are
eager and happy to coordinate the details and work out
agreements with UA.
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that according to the literature [hard
copy included in committee packet], other states have had great
results expanding this program to low-income students.
8:17:05 AM
PAUL LAYER, PhD, Vice President, Academics, Students and
Research, University of Alaska, provided invited testimony on SB
32. Dual enrollment, he said, the broader term for these sorts
of programs, provides a great opportunity for students to earn
college credit while meeting high school graduation
requirements. He stated that these sorts of programs have been
around for quite a period of time with very different
approaches. The first, he noted, was that qualifying students
could come to the university and take classes. He said this was
often done by homeschool students, with parents bearing the
costs. He said high school teachers have also been approved to
teach classes in high schools that meet university
qualifications.
DR. LAYER said that several years ago, UA created the Middle
College program with MSBSD and ASD, and more recently, with the
Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD). In these
programs, students are on campus and go to classes alongside
college students and receive both high school and college
credit. He informed the committee that the University of Alaska
Anchorage (UAA) ASD Middle College program has 273 students and
has increased every year in terms of participation. The MSBSD
program has over 130 students, he continued, and the FNSBSD
which just began last fall has 40 students.
8:19:35 AM
DR. LAYER said Alaska has other programs, including the Kenai
Peninsula College JumpStart Program, the UAA Alaska Native
Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP), and several others. He
argued that these have been limited to districts with access to
campuses in the UA system. He shared that a few years ago, UA
created a virtual Middle College called the Alaska Advantage
program through UAF. He said the cost to the district and
students [for this program] was somewhat less. He explained
that the districts provided the advising, proctoring, and
mentoring. He mentioned that different districts have the
ability to support students in different ways, which is why
different districts are getting different agreements. He
clarified that students are enrolled in college level courses
and receive college credit on their transcripts. He emphasized
that students must meet the requirements for a class in terms of
math or writing preparation, and that the grade for the class
goes on a student's college transcript. He noted that these
dual credit programs are not the same as advanced placement (AP)
classes. He commented that this can also include career and
technical education (CTE) classes and programs.
DR. LAYER said that many students who complete the Middle
College program go on to attend UA. He explained that knowing
the professors and the programs increases interest in attending
Alaska universities. He pointed out that if a student has
already completed most of an associate degree [while in high
school], he/she is likely to continue with the baccalaureate
program. He offered that a current virtual Middle College
program student was set to graduate [high school] with her
associate degree in the coming fall, and then would continue her
program at UAF. He said the program was seeing outcomes from
both the on-campus programs as well as virtual programs.
DR. LAYER concluded that the idea was to expand what was being
done in larger cities and districts to students across the
state. He stated that UA is excited to work with all districts
across the state and to meet the students and districts where
they are.
8:23:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked why legislative authorization is
necessary for this. He expressed concern that putting this in
statute would make it inflexible.
DR. LAYER responded that UA is reaching out to districts with
this program, but it is building very slowly. He said
legislation would give more emphasis about the opportunity for
students across the state to participate. He noted that the
program is voluntary for districts, but he believed the proposed
legislation would encourage districts to participate and help
meet the needs of all the students who want to participate.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX commented that kindergarten through twelfth
grade (K-12) funding is separate from university funding and
asked if that was the primary challenge.
DR. LAYER deferred to Superintendent Bishop in discussing
funding issues. He commented that UA saw this as a win for
districts, students, and UA.
8:25:57 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked who is responsible for negotiating
MOUs with the different districts.
DR. LAYER replied that each university negotiates its MOUs. He
offered the online virtual college, the Alaska Advantage
program, as an example and said the UAF e-campus does the
negotiations.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS commented that ASD works only with the
UAA Chugiak-Eagle River Campus. He asked if that meant ASD
negotiated specifically with that campus.
DR. LAYER deferred to Superintendent Bishop. However, he
commented that the negotiation would usually be with UAA, UAF,
or the University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), rather than with an
individual campus. He said the negotiations tend to be at the
university level. He noted that sometimes the Mat-Su Campus
would negotiate on behalf of UAA, but he emphasized that it was
through UAA.
8:27:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked if remote districts, like Kotzebue
and Dillingham, with satellite campuses would negotiate with the
"main campus."
DR. LAYER responded that they would work through their College
of Rural and Community Development (CRCD) as the supervising
entity which is part of UAF in terms of agreements and MOUs. In
areas without a campus, he said the districts would work through
UAF's Alaska Advantage program.
8:28:17 AM
SENATOR GARY STEVENS, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented CSSB 32(FIN). He said CSSB 32(FIN) would be
a win-win for everyone involved. He argued that it was a win
for students, parents, and for the university. He said that
when students have a UA transcript showing credit for the
classes they have already taken, there is a good chance that the
students would continue with the university. He commented that
the legislature has a responsibility to improve the "situation
for the university as well." He said the proposed legislation
would give all districts in the state equal access, which
currently isn't the case. He noted that larger districts such
as ASD, MSBSD, and FNSBSD had done a great job, but other
districts haven't had the opportunity. He said he has heard
that ASD has helped students in smaller districts partake in the
program through ASD.
8:30:29 AM
DEENA BISHOP, PhD, Superintendent, Anchorage School District
(ASD), provided invited testimony on CSSB 32(FIN). She
emphasized Senator Steven's point that CSSB 32(FIN) was a win-
win for all parties involved. She offered background
information and stated that opportunity for Middle College uses
the base student allocation (BSA) funding model to support all
costs. Regarding the concerns about equity, she pointed out
that the funding formula is designed for equity for both size
and cost.
DR. BISHOP said that in 2012, the goal was to have college-ready
students. She said ASD wanted to understand why students [from
the Alaska school system], even those who had performed well in
high school, were not considered college ready. She explained
that students must test into AMC with the Assessment and
Learning in Knowledge Spaces (ALEKS) math test, the Accuplacer
English test, American College Test (ACT), or SAT. If a student
can't test in, ASD teachers work with the student to help them
pass the entry level exam. Alaska Middle College School (AMCS)
makes it possible for ASD high school juniors and seniors to
complete their high school requirements while simultaneously
earning UA credits, she stated. She said that with proper
planning, a student can finish his or her associate degree, and
can also start the track of a program for a Bachelor of Arts or
Science degree. She said that 9 years into this program, 100
percent of the courses have been transferable to other
universities nationwide. She imparted that 72-78 percent of
students who participated have stayed with the UA system.
DR. BISHOP acknowledged that this is happening in other areas,
and nodded to AP, CTE courses, and dual enrollment. She said
this program helps the school district to have a plan for
student success. She shared that ASD had five National Merit
Scholarship Semifinalists. She said ASD aims for diversity,
works to find first time college students, and works with
different community groups to target under-represented students.
She shared that ASD had a senior graduate with a bachelor's
degree in science and mathematics at 18 years old.
DR. BISHOP addressed concerns about equitable education and
argued CSSB 32(FIN) was one of the most important [pieces of
legislation] she had seen in her career, and that it codified
the priority for students in Alaska. She noted that sometimes
students want to remain in their home villages and utilize
online learning. However, she shared that ASD has worked with
Lower Kuskokwim School District (LKSD) who opened the Kusilvak
Career Academy. She said ASD now has its first students in AMCS
through the academy. She said the Kusilvak Career Academy would
open its space to house boarding students from anywhere in
Alaska.
DR. BISHOP noted that she had met with UAF the past weekend.
She said ASD is working to get donations and grants to fund a
teacher's academy for students to enter into through Middle
College. The next two years of college would be paid for if the
student continued through UAA or UAF.
8:38:02 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND commented that Kusilvak Academy took care of
an issue in Spenard regarding the re-use of an old hotel. She
offered her understanding that the basis for coming into
Anchorage was to have students attend classes at King
Technology. She asked if students were also attending the
Anchorage Middle College Program for the tech pathway, or for
the academic pathway as well.
DR. BISHOP answered that last year the partnership was started
to get students career technical certificates and experience.
She said attendance of the Middle College was opened out of
student interest. She commented that the UA system offers CTE
courses as well.
8:40:20 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that Dr. Bishop had said that this is a
funding priority with BSA money. She noted that in a previous
hearing, Dr. Bishop had said ASD received about $11 million less
than the prior year based on BSA funding. She worried that
schools would have to make "really hard choices to provide this
program," because it could mean having to cut other programs.
DR. BISHOP answered that she believes that funding for students
isn't just to maintain a school district, rather the district's
mission is for student success. She said that when there are
programs that lead to student success, ASD stops doing other
things that it has always done in order to achieve that student
success. She stated that funding should follow where student
success leads. She explained that there wasn't money to start
this program; instead ASD had to re-think how it was using its
funds. She acknowledged that some things would need to be
reduced if school districts could not figure the funding out.
She argued that school districts should be nimble and creative
in meeting the needs of students, which can mean changing what
was always done in order to do something new.
8:43:55 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY said she had heard from many superintendents that
the flat funding and BSA since 2017 [has limited budget
flexibility]. She commented that she felt it was a strong
program and would like the legislative body to invest so more
districts could participate.
8:44:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM asked why some districts do not have
access to the program, since there is Internet.
DR. BISHOP answered that access could be figured out no matter
what, although live courses could be difficult [because of
slower Internet connections]. She said she thought it was a
budgeting issue. She also mentioned "having to figure things
out." She pointed to the coordination between LKSD and ASD in
providing CTE courses to students through boarding school
because LKSD didn't have the resources or personnel. She noted
that Alaska "has great distances," but said it could happen
through broadband or cache courses. However, she allowed there
may be other priorities in different places.
8:46:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked why each district is on its own to
negotiate MOUs, and what would happen if a school district and
UA couldn't agree on the terms of an extension of an MOU.
DR. BISHOP replied that statewide implementation would allow
districts to work together to understand each other's payments.
She said that with nine years of experience, ASD has been able
to focus in on the university services that students utilize and
more effectively negotiate based on similar districts. She said
the ASD Middle College program was at the Chugiak-Eagle River
Campus, which moved to Mat-Su four years later. She said she
has offered the entire superintendent organization to work with
individual districts to "make these things happen." She said
superintendents don't have to be out on their own but noted cost
differentials. She said if districts worked together, she
believed the economy of scale would be greater.
8:49:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS suggested placing a cost structure in
statute may be beneficial, so each individual district wouldn't
have to renegotiate with UA between MOUs.
DR. BISHOP responded that ASD's needs have changed from when the
program started. She explained that the program began with a
general liberal arts associate degree. She said the school
found that students desired a Bachelor of Science later on and
needed to take lab sciences, which weren't originally in the
MOU. She stated the need for an understanding that costs have
changed. The program is renegotiated every year depending on a
student's cost and the updated costs and tuition of the
university; therefore, although she liked having an agreement
about costs, she questioned whether it would work to set them in
statute. She pointed out that ASD negotiated not using some
services that other districts may utilize. She stated that she
liked the idea of having an understanding of different costs,
but she hoped that each school district could determine what
students want and then negotiate.
8:51:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked whether different districts would
have different costs to implement the same program for their
students.
DR. BISHOP replied that she would assume so and noted how the
delivery model for ASD is different. She pointed out that the
BSA in funding formula takes in cost area differentials, as well
as the size of schools, and other factors. She said there is a
cost per child, but Alaska funds school districts according to
an adjusted ADM. She said that if there is an additional cost
for the university to deliver out in different areas, an online
digital course would be different. She commented that on
campus, face to face learning gave the real benefit later on,
and she also assumed that that cost would be different. She
offered the example that K-12 is a different cost in Skagway and
Bethel than it is in Anchorage, which is supported by the
funding formula. She added that she could understand a common
price for an online version.
8:53:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS commented that all the costs that Dr.
Bishop referenced were in statute, so it would make sense to add
the Middle College program costs to the statute, as well. He
noted that ASD and UAA agreed to an enrollment of up to 200 ASD
students. He asked what would happen if the enrollment
surpassed that number.
DR. BISHOP answered that at the moment ASD actually has 273
students enrolled in the program. She explained that when
beginning a freshman course, the university only has so many
available seats, but as students move to the second course, the
first course opens up again. She said that of the 273 students,
160 are taking 12-18 hours of courses completely through the
university. She explained that ASD doesn't see them unless they
need the district for advising or counseling. She emphasized
that they really are UAA students, through and through. She
said the other students are part time because they may have
passed the Accuplacer or the ALEKS, but not [a complete
placement test]. She said there is a limit on the first "roll-
in," but once students get started, the number can grow. She
said ASD hopes to increase to 600 students in the Middle College
program.
DR. BISHOP stated that the UAA took a big risk. She said she
began looking into this program in 2009, and in 2011 was able to
convince [stakeholders] that the Middle College program would be
good for Alaska. She said UAA allowed only 50 students
initially, but the program grew, because the interest from the
students was there. She said there was too much interest during
the pandemic school year, and ASD had to do a lottery, but the
district can open more seats now. She added that ASD gets
students into ANSEP through the program, as well. She
summarized that the program started small, but now that the
trust has been built and the program has demonstrated success,
it has been growing.
8:57:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS discussed tuition fees and administration
costs in ASD and UAA's MOU [as provided in a handout, hardcopy
included in committee packet]. He asked Dr. Bishop to discuss
the costs for ASD and how the amounts are decided, reimbursed,
or paid.
DR. BISHOP answered that the universities have tuition and fees.
She explained that the fees are for the services utilized, such
as access to the cafeteria, gym, library, and on-campus
transportation. She said there are over 20 different fee
services at UAA, and so ASD considered which of these fees ASD
students would access and negotiated down the cost of the fees
for only what students would have access to. She said she had
also negotiated books, which she stated is one of the most
expensive fees at the university level. She shared that the
program holds onto and reuses books, with the intention of
getting at least a few semesters of use. She stated that the
overall cost of having ASD students at Middle College is less
per student than having them in high school.
9:01:40 AM4
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Dr. Layer if UA was amenable to negotiating
a flat rate for districts across the state. She cited concerns
about it being cost-prohibitive to outlying districts. She
asked if it was possible for UA to help absorb some costs.
9:02:35 AM
DR. LAYER answered that the Alaska Advantage online program
through UAF is a flat rate. However, he said that different
districts can "bring different things to the table" in terms of
support, such as with labs or advising. He said UA wants to
work with the districts to utilize that help and to maximize the
services the university can provide to meet needs. He explained
that there may be services available [at one campus] that aren't
available at others. He said it was important to make this a
partnership rather than a flat rate contract. While some
programs may lend themselves to a uniform fee, he said, for
others when considering services provided, it may be very
different between campuses. He pointed out that many of the
current agreements are in their infancy and are going to evolve.
9:04:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether his understanding was correct
that this would enable school districts to use funds from the
BSA to pay the university system for education.
DR. LAYER responded that the students are getting both
university credit and high school credit. He said that from an
efficiency standpoint, students are getting both for the cost of
one through these partnerships. He commented that while one
could argue the districts are supporting the university, the
districts are also fulfilling their missions as high schools.
9:06:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether quality control for courses is
maintained by the university.
DR. LAYER answered that these are university courses for
university credit, and they must meet established student
learning objectives. He stated that it didn't matter whether a
course was in-person or online or on any of UA's campuses - any
given course would have to meet the same standards.
9:07:04 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that she felt the proposed legislation
was providing a partnership between the university and school
districts, and the legislature would be supporting workforce
development. She said that it was her perspective that if the
legislature really wanted to achieve this, it should be putting
funds towards [the program]. She said school districts have a
wide variety of needs for students to meet, this being one of
them. She saw this as a great opportunity that is worth
investment. She added that this would provide opportunities for
more students from different backgrounds.
9:08:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said she saw how individual MOUs worked
for large and medium school districts but asked how rural
districts without access to a campus could create agreements
where they may otherwise not have economies of scale.
DR. LAYER replied that through the online Alaska Advantage
program there is a lower cost, flat rate option for districts.
He said the program has agreements with over 30 districts. He
opined that in terms of the smaller districts, it makes sense
having a set price, especially when the district doesn't have
access to the services available at a campus.
DR. LAYER directed attention to the Alaska Advantage program
which had a sample agreement in the packet [included in the
committee packet]. He described this as a standard contract
which UA has for smaller districts. He reiterated that smaller
districts are providing most services to their students, which
UA takes advantage of as part of the partnership. In these
partnerships, the districts are co-instructing students using
online resources, which helps lower tuition costs. He noted
that in some districts broadband access can be an issue but said
that UA has reached out to those districts to meet their needs.
He said the objective is to commit to the quality of a course,
no matter where a student is in the state.
9:11:52 AM
SENATOR STEVENS responded to a question about the zero fiscal
notes attached to the proposed legislation. He commended the
set-up of the program, noting that the students are able to get
a college transcript, districts are able to utilize existing
funds, and students receive both high school and college credit.
He said the proposed legislation had developed since its
inception and shared that initially he wanted every district to
be required to participate. He said there was pushback from
districts against that, specifically from smaller districts, and
so the proposed legislation was changed to make the program
optional. He stated that it is up to the districts to decide
what is best for the students. Regarding the fiscal notes, he
said there is no additional cost to the state, and the program
is funded through the foundation formula.
SENATOR STEVENS replied that the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education (ACPE) has been supportive of the
program.
9:14:36 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND said her largest concern for smaller districts
was broadband access. She asked if the state would have to
provide supports in that department and whether that had come up
as an issue for those districts.
DR. LAYER answered that there has been concern, but UA has been
able to work with those districts in terms of how the online
classes are provided. He said they have moved to asynchronous
classes instead of synchronous classes online. He said the
staff of those districts has been very helpful in working with
students with connectivity questions. He stated that this is a
bigger issue for the state. For now, he said, UA is meeting the
needs of the students in the districts with which UA is
partnered and negotiating. He noted that there are outside
competitors coming into the state to try to provide these online
programs. He opined that UA is prepared to meet the needs of
the students better than many of the outside competitors can.
9:16:15 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that she felt it was also a financial
issue for some larger districts because of the associated costs.
She noted that this program was meant to reach students
regardless of socioeconomic background. She referenced Section
1, paragraph (4), subparagraphs (A) through (D), that discussed
a legislative report on the program. She asked whether the
report would have "a breakdown by subgroup and economics."
SENATOR STEVENS replied that he had no objection to including
that in the report. He commented that Alaska had the least
broadband access of any state, but he suggested that "things are
looking better on the horizon." He said money was coming from
the federal government to help with the costs, and he also
mentioned the potential for satellite Internet connection.
9:18:33 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND opened public testimony on CSSB 32(FIN).
After ascertaining that there was no one who wished to testify,
she closed public testimony.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that CSSB 32(FIN) was held over.