Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
02/14/2011 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB9 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 9 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 83 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| = | SB 43 | ||
SB 9-RAISE COMP. SCHOOL ATTENDANCE AGE/TRUANCY
8:02:56 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced the consideration of SB 9.
SENATOR DAVIS said that this bill was heard during the previous
legislative session but did not pass. She explained that
lowering and extending the mandatory school age attendance for
students has great benefits and it would not be a large hardship
on the state for this to happen since 90 percent of children
enrolled in school are already in kindergarten. She added that
there are also allowances for a student, through parental
consent, to stop attending school after the age of 16.
8:05:04 AM
TOM OBERMEYER, Staff to Senator Bettye Davis, Sponsor of SB 9,
read the following sponsor statement:
This bill changes the Alaska compulsory school
attendance ages from 7-16 to 6-18. At the same time it
necessarily amends the criminal statute of
contributing to the delinquency of a minor from the
maximum age 16 to 18. The legislative intent of this
bill is to require all students to start school
earlier when their brains are growing and developing
at a dramatic rate from birth to age 7 and to stay in
school long enough to graduate. This bill allows
earlier identification of children with learning
disabilities and more time to take successful
corrective action. This bill will not preclude parents
from homeschooling children, or using charter or
alternative schools, or any other of the twelve
enumerated exceptions to compulsory education under AS
14.30.010(b), including completion of grade 12 or
graduation from a secondary school before age 18.
The Alaska compulsory school age statute is out of
date with modern educational practice and thinking.
The law has not changed since territorial days when
few children attended school beyond 8th grade or
bothered to graduate, because most jobs did not
require much education. The majority of Alaskan
students today are already in school by age six and
many by the minimum age five. Head Start and
prekindergarten programs are growing in popularity.
The state already funds a pilot pre-kindergarten
program and SB 6 this year proposes funding such a
program statewide.
In 1852 Massachusetts became the first state to pass
compulsory school attendance laws, and by 1918 all
states required children to receive an education.
Today every state and territory requires children to
enroll in public or private education or to be home-
schooled. Thirty-two states require students to begin
their education by age 6 or 5 and to remain in school
until 16 or older. Twenty-four states and American
Samoa set the minimum at age 5. All children are
required to continue their education into their high
school years, with twenty states setting the
compulsory cutoff age at 18; eleven at age 17; and
nineteen states including Alaska and the Virgin
Islands at age 16.
By increasing the school attendance age to 18, this
bill should discourage earlier dropouts and reduce
juvenile crime, teen pregnancy and other at risk
behaviors. Studies have found that students without a
diploma earn less than 75 percent of those with a
diploma; they are more likely to live in poverty, go
to jail, and have health problems.
The Department of Education and Early Development
reported 8,245 students or 67.7 percent graduated in
2010 while 3,186 dropped out. The graduation rate of
Alaska Native students was 55.4 percent, a group which
experienced twice the dropout rate of all students.
These rates remain well below the national average.
The National Education Association's first priority
two years ago in its "12-Point Action Plan for
Reducing the School Dropout Rate" was to "mandate high
school graduation or equivalency as compulsory for
everyone below the age of 21." It reported:
"Just as we established compulsory attendance to the
age of 16 or 17 in the beginning of the 20th century,
it is appropriate and critical to eradicate the idea
of 'dropping out' before achieving a diploma. To
compete in the 21st century, all of our citizens, at
minimum, need a high school education."
Opponents to increasing compulsory school age who are
concerned about forcing students to be in the
classroom against their will argue that these students
may become disruptive and require more time and
expense on behavior and truancy problems. This bill,
however, is directed at more than just "seat time." It
is to become part of a larger plan to motivate rather
than punish or ignore students. It aims to help
students stay in school long enough to graduate and go
to college or better-paying jobs. Students will want
to come to school, stay in school, and graduate, if
academic problems are identified early and they are
helped long before they dropout. For those student who
want to work or are not as academically inclined,
school districts are encouraged to continue accredited
alternative schools and work-study programs to help
students earn credits toward a diploma if they must
work at the same time. Coupled with early efforts to
retain, train, and graduate, this bill can bring hope
and success to thousands of Alaskan students who
otherwise might not stay in school long enough to
graduate or develop to the best of their potential.
8:10:34 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if a student could leave school at the age
of 17 for military purposes.
MR. OBERMEYER answered the language of the bill does not address
military exceptions. He said if there are exceptions it would be
easy to identify for him.
SENATOR DAVIS added that a 17 year old would not be allowed to
enter into military service without parental consent and that
this would not interfere with the bill.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if the real aim of the bill is to keep
children in school until their 18th birthday.
MR. OBERMEYER replied yes. He noted that another intent of the
bill is to give support to schools and parents to work with
students to remain in school and graduate. He said that there
are many states that are currently changing their law to
increase the mandatory age of attendance to 18.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked if statistics are kept as to why students
drop out in the state of Alaska.
MR. OBERMEYER replied that school districts keep track of
students after they drop out.
SENATOR DAVIS noted that this question should be addressed to
the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).
CO-CHAIR THOMAS said in the past he has been concerned about
students who are forced to stay in school and cause disruptions
in the classroom. He noted that he was glad the bill alludes to
correcting these issues at an earlier age.
MR. OBERMEYER said many of the students who are a disruption in
school will not show up. He added that due to the lack of truant
officers in the state, school districts are asked to monitor
students who choose to stay at home.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked what the current penalties are for non-
compliance.
MR. OBERMEYER referred the question to DEED. He replied that, in
his understanding, students with a certain amount of unexcused
absences are either suspended or expelled from school.
CO-CHAIR MEYER said that this does not seem like much of a
penalty for a student who wants to drop out.
8:20:04 AM
LAURY SCANDLING, Assistant Superintendent, Juneau School
District, stated strong support for SB 9. She said the bill is a
"parent empowerment bill." Currently, parents have no backup
from the state to encourage their child to continue with school
until the age of 18. She questioned whether a 15 year old, on
their 16th birthday, can make a decision that will impact the
rest of their lives. She said the HSGQE [High School Graduation
Qualifying Examination] is not the reason students drop out of
school. Students can retake the exam as many times as they'd
like, even after they have received their certificate of credit
completion.
She said that "if we really care about all students being
successful, not only would we raise the age for compulsory
attendance to 18 but we would lower it to age 4." Children who
enter kindergarten behind their peers have a one in eight chance
of ever catching up. She asked the committee to stop giving
youth permission to not attend school. This bill would allow
students to have more choices after high school.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS agreed with the concept of keeping children in
school and beginning at an earlier time. He asked what she has
found to be the most successful program in keeping students in
school.
MS. SCANDLING answered that there is significant data which
shows that students who successfully complete the 9th grade are
more likely to graduate from high school. She said that there
are three important factors to keeping students in school. The
first and most important factor is to create strong
relationships with each individual student. She explained that
many students, especially those of Alaska Native Heritage, feel
disenfranchised or invisible in school. The second factor is to
include curriculum that is engaging, relevant, and hands-on.
Finally, it is important to have a strong academic advisor who
will encourage students to return to school.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked if she thought a fairly broad curriculum
in high school is still needed.
MS. SCANDLING answered that the discussion should not be
"either/or." High school is an opportunity for students to have
the chance to explore a number of areas. The hands-on
opportunities, which lead to the creation of real projects and
products, are critical in keeping students engaged. Vocational-
technical education is as rigorous today as one would find in a
typical academic classroom.
8:32:06 AM
SENATOR FRENCH turned to the National High School Center fact
sheet on high school dropout, which states: "Research has
confirmed that the lowest-performing readers are most at risk of
dropping out of high school." [A copy of this handout can be
found in the bill packet]. He asked whether the school district
has sufficient resources to concentrate on poor readers.
MS. SCANDLING replied that this is not surprising information.
She said for students who are behind in reading, by third grade
these students have a 1 in 8 chance of catching up. The long
term benefits of early childhood education are extremely
important. The expectation in high school is that students
arrive prepared to learn subject content. However, many students
are not. She guessed that, based on local data sets, 20 to 30
percent of students do not arrive in high school ready for 9th
grade English or mathematics.
8:35:18 AM
CARL ROSE, Lobbyist, Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB),
testified in support of SB 9. He commended Ms. Scandling on her
testimony. He said the current law legitimizes students being
able to leave high school. Currently the state is asking the
school system to provide a curriculum with more rigor and
relevance, yet students are allowed to leave school if they do
not "want the rigor." The evidence shows that by 3rd grade if
students are not prepared they will struggle throughout the rest
of their school experience. He said as a former student who
struggled, if he had been allowed to drop out, he might have
considered it.
8:39:22 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if the traditional expectation that a boy
must work and support the family after the age of 16 still
exists in rural Alaska.
MR. ROSE replied that for some of the young men in rural Alaska
the expectation that they can pursue a subsistence life style is
very seductive. This life style is very easy to do in the short
term. However, those decisions will set these individuals on a
trajectory that they may not be able to recover from in the long
term. Young people, given the opportunity to take the easy or
hard road, will choose the easy option.
8:42:47 AM
CAROL COMEAU, Superintendent, Anchorage School District (ASD),
testified in support of SB 9. She said 16-years-old is too young
to make the decision to drop out of school. She noted that the
army is no longer accepting students without a high school
diploma because there are enough recruits that it doesn't need
to accept anyone with just a GED [General Education Diploma].
Many parents have emphasized the importance of having the law as
a "backup" when encouraging their child to stay in school.
Having students attend school by kindergarten or 1st grade will
also make a difference. She emphasized that the district would
like to see more children in prekindergarten as well.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked how the existing law is enforced.
MS. COMEAU replied that the school district tries to make a
connection at home through home visits and communication with
parents. She said ASD have also developed a lot of alternative
programs for students. However, the district does not have
truant officers and the police do not have time to "collect"
students. The overall strength of SB 9 would be the message it
sends to students: that dropping out early is not ok.
SENATOR FRENCH asked if raising the compulsory age has increased
graduation rates in other states.
MS. COMEAU answered that she did not know. She said,
anecdotally, superintendents in other states have said that it
works.
SENATOR DAVIS added that she has some information on this and
would be happy to include it at the next hearing.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS noted that not only does the military require a
minimum of a GED, apprentice programs also have these same
requirements. Further, these programs also require additional
testing.
MS. COMEAU concurred.
8:49:16 AM
BRUCE JOHNSON, Executive Director, Alaska Council of School
Administrators (ACSA), testified in support of SB 9. He said
ACSA membership consists of superintendents, principals, and
business officials who are all strong supporters of early
childhood education and keeping students in school for as long
as possible. He spoke of his experience as a superintendent at
Mt. Edgecombe High School.
8:52:11 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER closed public testimony.
SENATOR DAVIS said she would like to give the public another
opportunity to testify.
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced he would hold SB 9 in committee.
He said that the intent was to hold public testimony today and
if there is anyone else who would like to testify they can do so
by invitation.
SENATOR DAVIS said SB 9 will also be heard in the Senate Finance
Standing Committee and the Senate Judiciary Standing Committee.
She said that community, parental and state involvement is
needed as a tool to keep students in school and encourage them
to graduate. Some of the worse things that happen to children
occur after school when they are unsupervised. She requested
that the committee hear from the Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), on SB 9 at the following hearing.
CO-CHAIR MEYER concurred; he would like to hear from the
administration on how this bill would be implemented. He also
encouraged parents to contact the committee on their views of SB
9.
SENATOR DAVIS agreed. She noted that she has received parental
input in the past and she would like to have more.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB009-EED-ESS-2-10-11.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 27-LS0085M Compulsory School Ages 6-18.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Docs -Letters from SB 102 in 26th Legislature.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Docs -National HS Ctr - HS Dropout Stats.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Docs-BostonGlobe-Law Urged Teens Stay in School.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Sponsor Statement Rev 1-31-2011.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| SB 9 Request for Hearing -(S)EDC 1-31-2011.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Sectional Analysis SB 9.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |
SB 9 |
| Supporting Documents.pdf |
SEDC 2/14/2011 8:00:00 AM |