Legislature(2001 - 2002)
04/25/2001 08:40 AM House EDU
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 86-TEACHER EMPLOYMENT & SUBJECT EXPERTISE CHAIR BUNDE announced that the final order of business would be CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 86(FIN), "An Act relating to employment of teachers who have subject-matter expertise; and providing for an effective date." Number 2255 KRISTOPHER KNAUSS, Staff to Senator Pete Kelly, Alaska State Legislature, came forth on behalf of the sponsor of SB 86. He stated: We all know that there is a teacher shortage in the state. Senate Bill 86 would help alleviate some of that problem by allowing persons with subject-matter experience to enter the classroom and teach with a limited certificate. ... Senate Bill 86 requires that a person have a bachelor's degree, at least five years of work experience before they can enter the classroom. ... If I'm a subject-matter teacher or wanting to become a subject-matter teacher, I would approach the local school district, [and] I would take a competency exam on whether or not I'm suitable to teach in that subject matter. [For the reader's information, SB 86 requires that a person seeking to be a subject-matter teacher have at least a bachelor's degree and either have majored or minored in the subject that person will be teaching, or have five years of work experience in that subject.] CHAIR BUNDE stated that he noticed that [the bill] says a person has to take [the competency test], but it doesn't say he or she has to pass. He asked if that is assumed. MR. KNAUSS responded that he would hope so. CHAIR BUNDE announced, "For the record, you will take and pass a competency exam." MR. KNAUSS stated: Once the competency exam is passed, the [teachers] can then start teaching in a classroom. However, for the first year they must have a mentor teacher ... overseeing the introductory process to the classroom. ... During that time, during the first year, they have a limited certificate. They can receive pay, they can be working on their tenure ... [and] they have to enroll in a methodology course requirement [that] approximately has to be finished in two years' time. ... Once that is completed, they have a regular teaching certificate. Number 2338 CHAIR BUNDE asked how many people might be interested in this alternative route to teaching. MR. KNAUSS responded that there have been a lot of letters and public comments from people who either want a change in career or want to teach. He said from studies, one of the most important things in the classroom is the subject matter. TAPE 01-31, SIDE B CHAIR BUNDE stated that he assumes this refers to secondary education. MR. KNAUSS responded that the person would receive a regular teaching certificate after two years, which is a type A certificate, and could teach in a variety of subjects after that. CHAIR BUNDE asked if [the requirement of five years of work experience] must be in the area of the subject matter. MR. KNAUSS answered yes. Number 0061 REPRESENTATIVE STEVEN said he has been reading quite a bit about this lately and that New York City has been working hard to implement a program like this. He stated that it seems to him that in his community there are a lot of U.S. Coast Guard people retiring after 20 years who have had a lot experience, but not necessarily in a field that would transfer immediately to being a high school [teacher]. He remarked that he has some concerns with the issue of having five years of work experience. He said he read that in New York City, for example, a stockbroker who was tired of the "rat race" started teaching physics in a high school. The big problem for him was that he had not been working for five years in the area of physics. He asked, in regard to the issue about mentoring, whether this would be a one-to-one mentor or if there would be multiple mentors. MR. KNAUSS responded that as the bill reads, [mentoring] would be at the discretion of the local school district. REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS stated that he thinks this is just another way to try to help solve the problem of teaching shortages. Number 0209 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked if there would be a requirement that the person go directly from his or her work experience into teaching, for example, if he and [Representative Fred Dyson] had been working for 35 or 40 years, then took a 10-year break in the legislature, and then taught. MR. KNAUSS responded that the bill doesn't mention any timeline or a lapse. REPRESENTATIVE WILSON stated that she thinks [the committee] needs to look at the fact that it is possible people will be retiring from their fields and then realizing that they want to go back and do something else. She stated that [the bill] should be careful not to say that it has to be right away [after the person retires]. However, she added, just because someone is good at what he or she does, does not mean he or she can teach it. CHAIR BUNDE remarked that Representative Wilson hit on something that often comes to mind when people say, "Well, if we just had mathematicians teaching math." He said he would refer [the committee] back to college professors who were experts in their fields but were far more of an impediment to learning than an asset. Number 0366 REPRESENTATIVE GUESS asked if this bill would only be for secondary school, since there are just as many problems in some areas for primary schools. MR. KNAUSS stated that it is his understanding that the majority of these people would be in the secondary school. REPRESENTATIVE GUESS asked who judges whether the teachers are working in the subject matter. MR. KNAUSS responded that he believes it would be the local school district. REPRESENTATIVE GUESS referred to page 2, paragraph (3), and asked if the regionally accredited institution would preclude a possible teacher in a distance education program. MR. KNAUSS responded that he is not sure about that. REPRESENTATIVE GUESS asked whether the competency examination that teachers currently have to take is the Praxis, or is an actual competency examination in the subject matter. CHAIR BUNDE responded that in the statute that passed it was a basic literacy test; however, the university chooses to use the Praxis as its competency test. He stated that in this case it would probably be a basic literacy test unless the university would require it as part of [the teachers'] participation in the [program]. REPRESENTATIVE GUESS stated that her only concern is that there may be some problems in transitions when certain restrictions are required. For example, someone who had a course of study in which he or she had to use math all of the time may not have minor in math. Number 0655 RICH KRONBERG, President, National Education Association-Alaska (NEA-Alaska), came forth and stated: National Education Association-Alaska appreciates the efforts of Senator Kelly and his cosponsors to address the issue of teacher shortages around our state. And we also want to thank Senator Kelly for working with us to improve, in our mind, the bill. This is an extremely serious problem, and all efforts to deal with it ought to be considered. National Education Association-Alaska believes that the best program for all children is a quality teacher in every classroom. We know you believe this as well. ... Senate Bill 86 provides us with one tool to meet our needs. In the scheme of things it can't be viewed as a panacea or a silver bullet. In fact, it will only allow our districts to meet a relatively small portion of their needs. We don't believe that there is any one single solution to teacher shortages, though offering competitive compensation is undoubtedly one area where we've lost ground to other states. I've provided you with some data. It comes from what we fondly call a competing organization, and it shows that we are dead last in the change in teacher compensation during the decade of the 90s. ... In relation to SB 86, NEA-Alaska is generally supportive. We have some questions about the details. These questions relate to the tests [that] districts are going to administer, and who's going to gauge the progress of subject matter teachers toward completion of the programs. We want to know whether the tests are going to be appropriate and that the university, which is offering the coursework, is going to be involved in gauging the progress towards meeting the degree. We are reassured by language in the bill that individuals who are employed as subject-matter teachers will receive mentoring from veteran teachers, that they're going to be part of an approved apprenticeship program, and that they are going to need to meet the same performance standards as all other teachers. Our goal is your goal - to make sure all children in the state get to work with quality teachers. We are hopeful that SB 86 will move us closer to that goal. Number 0850 LARRY WIGET, Executive Director, Public Affairs, Anchorage School District, came forth on behalf of the Anchorage School Board in support of SB 86. He stated: Senate Bill 86, we feel, will give school districts such as any school district in the state more flexibility and options to deal with the shortage areas such as special education - for us - related services, librarians, foreign-language teachers, math, and science teachers as well. Debbie Ossiander also told me this morning ... that it also encourages people, she believes, to get into the profession, something we hadn't considered previously. So for all of us within the state, we recognize that this is not a panacea to solving teacher shortages, but it does become for us another tool to help us meet our critical needs. And there are some built-in things within the bill that provide local control over the process. CHAIR BUNDE remarked that there was an attempt a few years ago to have an alternative entry into teaching. However, it "fell of its own weight" because it was too cumbersome. He asked Mr. Johnson, Deputy Commissioner of Education, if he has a view regarding how many people might be interested in taking advantage of this. BRUCE JOHNSON, Deputy Commissioner of Education, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Education and Early Development [EED] answered that [the EED] is not sure how many people will take advantage of this. He stated that in rural Alaska there's rarely a full-time job in mathematics or science; therefore, it would be part-time. However, this would add to an individual's capacity to take the teacher education program in conjunction with his or her part-time work. In an urban area, he said, he thinks there is more of a possibility for a full-time assignment. He added that he thinks one of the major differences here from previous conversations is that these people would be paid as teachers from day one. Therefore, a person can earn a salary and move quickly toward the type A certificate, which then gives him or her the opportunity to teach not only courses in the subject area of expertise, but other classes as well. Number 1022 REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS continued, stating that the stockbroker he was talking about earlier had a good deal of experience in graduate school when he went back to teaching. However, his big problem when teaching in an inner-city school was that he wasn't quite prepared for classroom management. Representative Stevens asked if this bill allows for the teacher to be brought up to speed in classroom management. MR. JOHNSON answered that [the EED] has talked with the University [of Alaska] about this concept, and it needs to be front-end-loaded so the subject matter specialist has the survival skills necessary for classroom management. The university has committed to looking at restructuring how things are done. He stated that rather than offering theoretical ideology at the beginning of the program, [students] will look at some of those very practical kinds of things. He added that in the best of all worlds, the person would be hired in the district and get that training prior to actually teaching. If not, the university would offer those courses while the teacher is on the job during the fall semester. REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS asked if the mentoring program is on a one-on-one basis whereby a regular teacher would be "tied up" all day. MR. JOHNSON responded that usually an individual master teacher is paid a stipend to offer guidance and support to a beginning teacher. [The master teacher and the beginning teacher] might coordinate joint "preps," or get together before or after school. For example, some districts have provided substitute time so the mentor-teacher can go into the beginning teacher's classroom to observe and provide feedback. Number 1186 REPRESENTATIVE GREEN stated that some years back he taught in a junior college, but because he had not taken any education courses, he was allowed to teach as long as he [enrolled in] education classes. He said that there wasn't a limit on how long this would go on. He asked, if he and [Representative Dyson] were younger but decided to go into a vocation like this, how long they would be given to get a certificate. MR. JOHNSON replied that he thinks it is conceivable to accomplish the teacher certification program and secure a license within two summers and one academic year. The person would be on campus the first summer then, during the year, he or she would take courses in methodology, which would provide an opportunity for reflection on what he or she is doing and experiencing. Finally, the person would come back [to campus] the following summer and "wrap" it all together. REPRESENTATIVE GREEN asked, if a person were to get this certificate, whether he or she would have to actually have a degree in education. MR. JOHNSON responded that [the EED] is anticipating that if the person completed this [program], he or she would be within 15 or 20 hours of a master's degree. Number 1299 CHAIR BUNDE noted that on page 2, paragraph (3) [of the bill] it states, "currently enrolled in an approved post-baccalaureate teacher education program". He stated that he supposes a person could enroll and take one course. He asked if it would be appropriate to add, "and making satisfactory progress toward completion". MR. JOHNSON responded that [the EED] would not object to that. He stated that that is the intent - a person has to complete [the program] in two years or he or she is "out of luck." CHAIR BUNDE asked if the committee and the sponsor would support a conceptual amendment that would add the words "making satisfactory progress". MR. KNAUSS responded that page 3, subsection (d), refers to the limited teaching certificate. CHAIR BUNDE remarked that he thinks that answers his question. He asked Mr. Johnson if he could describe the different endorsements as far as secondary and primary. MR. JOHNSON replied that he doesn't think there is any prohibition in [the bill] for mathematicians to work with primary age students, be paid, and receive a certificate for that period of time. Obviously, he said, a math period at the primary level is about 30 minutes, so it is highly unlikely for that to occur. He added that it has been talked about that this should be a secondary program, mainly at the high school. CHAIR BUNDE asked if, when the person completes the program and gets the type A teaching certificate, it would have an endorsement of either primary or secondary on it. MR. JOHNSON stated that it would. Number 1475 REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS made a motion to move CSSB 86(FIN) from committee with individual recommendations and the attached zero fiscal note. There being no objection, CSSB 86(FIN) moved from the House Special Committee on Education.
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