Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/14/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB197 | |
| HCR18 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 197 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HCR 18 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 197-GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS
8:04:15 AM
CO-CHAIR JOE THOMAS announced the consideration of SB 197.
8:04:26 AM
CO-CHAIR KEVIN MEYER moved to adopt CS for SB 197, labeled 27-
LS1168\D, as the working document.
8:04:39 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS objected for discussion purposes and asked Mr.
Murray to walk through the changes.
8:04:51 AM
MURRAY RICHMOND, staff for Senator Joe Thomas, sponsor of SB
197, explained that on page 3, line 12, the CS changes the
multiplier for establishing the grant from $4,800 to $1,800 and
the draft fiscal note was changed from $15 million for startup
costs to $6,000,029 including $92,000 for one full-time position
with $6,000 for travel. The grant would be replenished each year
assuming the dropout rate would be either stable or decreasing
by around $1.2 million per year.
8:07:04 AM
MR. RICHMOND said the first exhibit indicated that in 2001
Alaska ranked 9th in the nation for graduation rates (41 states
were ahead of us) and moved up to 10th and back down to 6th in
2004; currently Alaska is in 12th place. The National Dropout
Prevention Center self-reported reasons for students dropping
out (when they can be found) were: 1. didn't like school; 2.
failing school; 3. couldn't get along with teachers and couldn't
keep up with school work were the next; low attendance, failing
grades, repeating grades, low student achievement and lack of
student engagement were other major reasons for dropping out. A
student often gave more than one reason, so they don't add up to
100 percent. Most studies show behavioral problems in school, as
well.
8:09:03 AM
MR. RICHMOND said the same exhibit indicated that 12 percent,
about 2,000, of the lowest performing schools in urban areas
produced nearly half of the nation's dropouts. Alaska is
significantly different, because it doesn't have large urban
areas. He explained that part of the reason for the grant is to
come up with programs that are specific to the Alaska condition.
The last exhibit was a California dropout research project
highlighting that dropping out is a process that begins fairly
early for some students. Having to repeat a grade by the 9th
grade is a good indication that a student will drop out.
There are two ways to look at the reasons for dropping out; one
is to say there are cultural and social reasons why students
drop out. Not doing well early in school and being behind
consistently are some things that dropouts all have in common.
Socio economic factors are major predictors of students dropping
out as well. How a student does in third grade is another major
predictor of whether he will graduate or not.
8:11:21 AM
MR. RICHMOND also provided a matrix of known programs from the
Center for the Prevention of Violence used mostly for high
school students that found a connection between student violence
and dropping out. The programs were ranked by eight different
organizations to figure out whether they are working or not, and
they had all been proven in one instance or another to stave off
the symptoms of dropping out of school.
8:12:47 AM
KERRY BOYD, Superintendent, Yukon Koyukuk School District
(YKSD), Fairbanks, stated support for SB 197 and explained that
the district had been in intervention status and removed from
corrective action last year. She said this bill would provide
districts with low performing schools a chance to provide
students with additional support to help them develop their
skills.
She related that YKSD has 9 schools with 300 students spread
over an area the size of the State of Washington; their
correspondence school has 1,000 students. Fortunately, YKSD
received a large federal grant five years ago that provided
funding for professional development, asset development of
students and communities and research-based strategies. This
grant was very difficult for them to receive, because the
federal government looks at sheer numbers in its assessment, and
YKSD is a small district. It is the only one in the State of
Alaska to receive that grant, which they will not receive this
year. Using it, they were able to increase their teacher
retention rate for the last three years, and they combined it
with state funding to bring at least two of their schools from
level five to making AYP.
MS. BOYD said she supported this bill, because the people
issuing federal grants don't understand Alaska's geographic
isolation and are more likely to fund the large urban districts.
SB 197 provides the opportunity to write grants with the
necessary components including the research-based practices,
sustainability and the necessary accountability specifically to
meet local needs. She said they would use this grant for
extended school days and summer programs as they used the school
improvement funds, which have helped a couple of schools go from
level 5 to making AYP consistently. However, once you make AYK
the state removes those funds; so the grant in SB 197 would help
continue that funding.
8:17:09 AM
SENATOR STEVENS said he assumed that a grant like this would try
to improve the dropout number and asked if she agreed with the
dropout assessment.
MS. BOYD answered that in her district students who are behind
in the 10th grade feel at a loss, so they tend to drop out. Her
district is so small that they call each student to try to
encourage them to get back in and she heard all of the reasons
mentioned.
8:18:33 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked how the federal government evaluates the
progress that has been achieved through use of their grants.
MS. BOYD answered that federal representatives do onsite visits
to observe the actual implementation of the grants, but they
really don't understand Alaska's isolation. In wrapping up the
current grant, for example, they wanted to see four sites in the
period of a day and a half. They didn't realize it takes three
hours to fly to just one. They also require ongoing reporting.
Districts have submit fiscal reports, narratives, school report
cards, surveys from families and teachers - all focused on
accountability for what you say you are doing with such large
amounts of money.
8:20:01 AM
NORMAN ECK, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, Kotzebue, supported SB 197. He thought Mr. Richmond's
data and Ms. Boyd's testimony were both excellent. He said the
Northwest Arctic Borough has 1,950 students in 12 schools in 11
villages. None of the villages are accessible by roads and all
supplies are flown in. He had been employed in the borough for
14 years; one year as a director, 6.5 years as a principle and
he now is in his 7th years as superintendent. Three years ago he
was Alaska Superintendent of the Year.
MR. ECK said one of the most worrisome issues he deals with as a
superintendent is student dropouts. He worries about the
students who he knows might become a dropout. For some students
school work is too hard; all too often these students have a
sense of futility about school and decide to leave. Some leave
because they come from dysfunctional homes and have no support
network. Some leave school to care for a baby they may have had
or they have to care for very young siblings. However, the most
common reason is that the student does not see the relevance of
the school work to their life. If there is no disability, the
reason the school work is too hard is because the student's
reading ability is way below the grade they are in.
8:22:23 AM
MR. ECK said as caring, conscientious educators, they must use
every tool available to help them. Potential dropout students
need hope that they can earn the credits they need to pass the
high school graduation qualifying exam. SB 197 can become an
important avenue of hope for students. The ability to read and
read close to grade level is the single most important thing
students need for success in school.
He explained that in order to graduate from high school,
students must navigate reading materials that are at the 9th
through 12th grade levels. The HSG2E is written at the 8th to
9th grade level. The 9th grade standards based assessment (SBA)
is written at the 9th grade level and the 10th SBA is written at
the 10th grade level. The average adult reads at about the 8th
to 10th grade level. Most text books for high schools are
written at that grade level, but the specific subject content
vocabulary, especially in the sciences, pushes the reading level
up three to four more grade levels.
MR. ECK said with SB 197 in place, he would apply for funding
for a high school dropout prevention reading specialist
position. He would use his high school SBA reading test results
to determine who the 40 lowest performing students are. This
teacher would work with these students' classroom teachers on
reading improvement strategies, do pull out sessions with
students in small groups and one-on-one tutoring. They would fly
students from villages to Kotzebue for intensive reading
seminars to bring up their reading abilities.
He said they know that intervention is more effectively done at
the younger grades, and in the case of these higher grade
levels, given the fact that these students have made it to the
9th grade or above shows that they have the determination to be
in school, certain remediation techniques can be employed that
can help them to raise their reading levels by one, two or three
grade levels over a period of months and a year or two. That
could be the difference between a student staying in school or
dropping out. It could be the difference between passing the
HSG2E or failing it and not graduating with a diploma. He added
that reading is key to success on the map component of the HSG2E
as well as on the writing.
8:24:25 AM
He summarized that his district would write a grant for a total
of $170,000; it would cover an experienced teacher's salary,
benefits and travel to villages and for students to travel to
Kotzebue for intensive seminars two to three times a year. He
said he hoped that SB 197 becomes law so his students could have
this important additional support for student success and
excellence.
8:25:37 AM
TRACEY MARTIN, Teacher, Meadow Lakes Elementary, Mat-Su Borough
School District, Wasilla, said she supported SB 197. She said
her students have benefited directly from the reading specialist
funded by these grant monies and her own further training to be
a better interventionist. They are able to have smaller groups,
which helps them use more targeted interventions for more
success.
MS. MARTIN said they can tell as early as the 2nd grade which
students are going to be in danger of dropping out later on; it
has a direct correlation to their ability to read along with
their attendance.
8:27:06 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS closed public testimony and removed his
objection.
8:27:48 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if Alaska ranked the 12th lowest or 12th
highest in dropout rate.
8:28:22 AM
MR. RICHMOND answered that means there are 48 states that are
doing better than Alaska; but the good news is that we are
moving up. Other states are moving up as well and instilling
these types of programs. It's easy for some districts that have
more problems to get those federal grants.
8:29:19 AM
SENATOR STEVENS said Alaska had gone from being 6th in 2004 to
10th in 2008 and e asked how the Department of Education and
Early Development knows that any progress took place. He
recalled putting substantial amounts of money into education in
2004.
MR. RICHMOND responded since 2004 the way to measure dropouts
across the nation was standardized. Before that, it was kind of
haphazard. For instance, Georgia was at the top of the list for
graduation rates, but it was discovered they were taking the
number of their high school seniors, not the 9th grade cohort
and checking along those lines. Once they had to count all four
cohorts, their dropout rate went significantly higher. A long
term BSA (base student assessment) was established around that
time as districts had the ability to do better budgeting and
accounting.
8:30:53 AM
SENATOR STEVENS said at some point it would be nice to take the
bigger view and ask the department to explain why Alaska
improved between 2004 and 2008 and how it can continue that
improvement.
8:31:21 AM
LES MORSE, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, commented that he
could point to a few things, but couldn't definitively answer
the "whys." He said the dropout rate hasn't significantly
changed, but the calculation for the graduation rate had. In
2002 they began collecting dropout data by individual student
using the state individual ID system. This allowed them to track
actual students who dropped out and find who re-enrolled
somewhere else in the state, a transfer. That might have cleaned
up a very small percent.
The other thing that has happened since 2004 is that standards
by grade level were put in place. This assessment program
provides better data and that may have helped illuminate
students' academic deficiencies, because the testing program was
more specific to what was supposed to be learned at grade
levels.
8:33:25 AM
SENATOR STEVENS recalled a big infusion of funds in the 2004
timeframe and he thought the results were tied to that, and said
it would be nice to have some data collection on that.
8:33:49 AM
MR. MORSE said he thought the three-year plan was laid out in
2006. Then over the last couple of years, the federal government
put a significant amount of money into education through
different stimulus packages.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked if their tracking program is being
expanded to gather better statistics on things that are actually
having an impact.
MR. MORSE answered they do have very good tracking of individual
students in terms of academic achievement, so they look at
schools that have more and less gains than other schools and
provide that information to districts. The only data collection
is done for the money received through the Quality Schools
funding, which is in the same chapter. They collect what it is
they are using those dollars for. Nothing has been done to tie
those two data sets together, but it could be done without much
difficulty.
8:36:11 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER moved to report CS for SB 197, version \D, to the
next committee of referral with individual recommendations and
forthcoming fiscal note.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced that without objection, CSSB 197(EDC)
moved from Senate Education Standing Committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB0197A.PDF |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 197 |
| CS SB 197.pdf |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 197 |
| SB 197 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 197 |
| SB197-EED-TLS-2-29-12.pdf |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 197 |
| Taking Stock.pdf |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 197 |
| HCR018A.PDF |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HCR 18 |
| HCR018B.PDF |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HCR 18 |
| HCR018C.PDF |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HCR 18 |
| HCR018-1-2-021512-FSH-N.PDF |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HCR 18 |
| CSSB 197.pdf |
SEDC 3/14/2012 8:00:00 AM |
SB 197 |