Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/03/2021 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB8 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | SB 8 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 8-PRE-K/ELEM ED PROGRAMS/FUNDING; READING
9:02:36 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 8
"An Act relating to early education programs provided by school
districts; relating to school age eligibility; relating to
funding for early education programs; establishing early
education programs and a voluntary parent program; relating to
the duties of the Department of Education and Early Development;
relating to certification of teachers; establishing a reading
intervention program for public school students enrolled in
grades kindergarten through three; establishing a reading
program in the Department of Education and Early Development;
establishing a teacher retention working group; and providing
for an effective date."
He stated his intent to continue to hear invited and public
testimony and hold the bill in committee. He called on invited
testimony.
9:03:03 AM
JAMIE BURGESS, Superintendent, Nome Public Schools, Nome,
Alaska, said that before she became superintendent, she was
director of federal programs and instruction and oversaw the
district's pre-K grant, so she is intimately familiar with the
benefits of pre-K as seen in Nome students. She supports Senator
Begich's premise that pre-K is a key part, but not the only part
of comprehensive (indisc.--noise interference). She would share
data from her school district showing the connection between
high-quality pre-K program and improved student achievement. She
acknowledges that the data set is small and does not fit any of
the criteria for a rigorous scientific study, but the patterns
are seen in her district on a consistent basis and provides
anecdotal evidence of the impact of pre-K in a rural district
composed primarily of children of color.
MS. BURGESS presented a brief history of prekindergarten in Nome
on slide 2.
Nome Public Schools has partnered with the two existing
preschool providers from 2009-2019
Two preschool providers
Nome Preschool - private non-profit organization
founded in 1970, mainly parent- driven
Head Start - administered by local tribal non-profit
organization
These providers have the capacity to serve approximately
2/3 of the average kindergarten class each year (40 out of
60)
The State of Alaska Preschool Grant allowed placement of
certified teachers in the classrooms of the partner
organizations
9:05:16 AM
MS. BURGESS stated that beginning in 2009, Nome received one of
the state's preschool grants and began a formal partnership with
the preschool providers to improve the quality of preschool
programming. Each year Nome has about 20 children entering
kindergarten who have not attend any preschool program. With the
preschool grant, Nome placed a certified early elementary
education teacher in each classroom.
MS. BURGESS said the grant originally funded up to three
teachers, two at Head Start and one at Nome Preschool. Nome has
had difficulty finding early elementary certified teachers and
retaining them. In the latter years of the grant uncertainty
around the funding of the grant program, often extending into
the early summer months, made finding a highly-qualified, early
elementary certified teacher in June or July almost impossible.
Eventually, the district was unable to hire any teachers in the
spring of 2019 and had to decline the grant in the fall of 2019.
The last year with a certified preschool teacher was the 2018-
2019 school year.
MS. BURGESS presented data on slide 5 of the fall 2016
kindergarten DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy
Skills) scores. DIBELS is a nationally recognized assessment for
determining if children are developing foundational literacy
skills and eventually fluency and comprehension in reading. The
graph shows the percentages reaching proficiency on the DIBELS
for kindergarten students who attended preschool and those who
did not. There is clearly a significant difference.
9:08:29 AM
MS. BURGESS showed MAP reading scores for the same cohort in
second grade on slide 6. MAP is a nationally normed assessment
comparing students from across the country. The MAP benchmark
for grade level performance is typically around 40 percent, but
Nome Elementary looks for students falling below 25 percent as
candidates for reading intervention. The slide shows that
children who have not attended preschool were more likely to be
identified as needing to be enrolled in the district's reading
intervention program.
MS. BURGESS showed the fall 2018 kindergarten Alaska
Developmental Profile results on slide 7. Students are scored on
the various goals. A score of 2 means consistently demonstrating
the skill or behavior, 1 means sometimes demonstrating the skill
or behavior, and 0 means almost or never demonstrating the skill
or behavior. The graph shows the results for students who did
not attend preschool, those who attended preschool not led by a
certified teacher, and those who did. Only 17 percent of
students assessed met at least 11 of the 13 goals, but more
students who attended preschool met the goals and the largest
group who met the goals was children who attended preschool led
by a certified teacher.
MS. BURGESS showed the MAP data for the fall of 2018 for the
same cohort on slide 8. Seventy-two percent who attended
preschool scored at the 40th percentile or higher, indicating
they are reading close to grade level, while only 55 percent of
student who did not attend preschool met the same benchmark.
MS. BURGESS showed on slide 9 a further break out of the cohort
showing who had the benefit of a certified teacher.
9:11:11 AM
MS. BURGESS said that one of the requirements of SB 8 is a
funded preschool program led by a high-quality teacher. In the
absence of the Nome district providing certified teachers, the
preschool partners used staff of varying education backgrounds
and experience. These individuals do their very best and receive
some training from their organizations, but their knowledge of
best practices in early education, especially early literacy, is
often lacking. The most experienced Nome kindergarten teacher
with 15 years of experience was asked to describe her general
impression of incoming kindergarteners after Nome lost certified
teachers in the preschool program. She said she had noticed a
significant change with the 2019-2020 incoming kindergarteners.
It was one of the lowest classes she has ever had. She had to
rethink how she did her centers. Another kindergarten teacher
who had transferred out of the preschool program that prior year
had had most of the kids in her class in her preschool. Her
class had the highest scores in all the assessments. Even before
the shutdown in March 2020, Nome knew there would be gaps for
the 2020-2021 class. For example, Head Start did not have enough
staff and students were not getting a full year of preschool
before the shutdown.
MS. BURGESS said this showed in the social emotional learning
skills of students. It was necessary to work with students on
how to behave in school and how to interact with one another.
9:13:13 AM
MS. BURGESS said that Nome elementary still has a long way to go
to meet the goal of students reading at grade level by third
grade. The school received a designation of comprehensive
support in 2019, meaning it was one of the lowest performing
Title I schools in the state. Nome received a state
comprehensive literacy grant and has been working diligently to
increase the knowledge and capacity of each of its elementary
teachers to be effective in teaching children to read. The
crisis of preschool does not solve all the issues, but her data
shows the absence of high-quality preschool programs creates an
additional hurdle teachers must work even harder to overcome.
Reliable funding to create a solid, consistent preschool program
is a key foundational step to move closer to the ultimate goal
of all students reading at or above grade level. SB 8 in its
present form is supported by the Alaska Superintendents
Association and ties directly to its joint position statements
on the need for universal pre-K. Senator Begich has worked
closely with Alaska Superintendents Association and many other
members of the education community over many months. She has
concern about merging SB 42 and SB 8. She encourages the
committee to put SB 8 forward in its current form. It has the
best chance of making a difference because of its well-crafted,
interrelated components and would be welcomed by school district
leaders. The state should put its money where its mouth is and
invest intelligently in future of Alaska's children.
9:15:26 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said that people keep asking about data points,
and she had compelling data points that underscore not only the
importance of certified teachers, which is part of high-quality
pre-K, but also the impact of that not just on the ability to
read but also social/emotional issues that are emerging as a
result of the pandemic. She had mentioned SB 8, but if there is
a committee substitute adopted, he asked if she would agree that
the committee substitute would have to have all these
components. He, the commissioner of education, and the governor
have talked about the three components of certified, high-
quality pre-K coupled with a literacy program and the Department
of Education and Early Development (DEED) support, which she
mentioned that her district had had to walk away from, to ensure
every district has the opportunity to implement the program. He
asked if she would agree that the three-part comprehensive
approach is necessary in whatever bill this committee produces.
MS. BURGESS replied that one thing that is very important is to
get the university to do a better job at helping teachers ready
to be good reading teachers. Unfortunately, in Alaska, many
teachers come from outside. Even if the state works on improving
the University of Alaska teacher preparation program, the state
has no control over teachers from outside. The key is to have
formalized support. DEED is a perfect vehicle to do that to
continue to help elementary school teachers with the ability to
develop the capacity to become excellent reading teachers. The
comprehensive state literacy grant was a big step forward and
clearly recognized the need for that support. She agrees with
Senator Begich that it is not enough to just have pre-K. It is
not enough to have a good reading program. Support must be
provided to districts. Rural districts have a lot of turnover,
so that has to be ongoing support because there will be new
teachers year after year.
9:19:14 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said the committee has discussed removing the
teacher retention task force from SB 8 and SB 42 because that
work has been initiated and is ongoing. He asked if she would be
comfortable with that element being removed from a bill given
that it is redundant now.
MS. BURGESS answered she would be. Some good work has been
started and is ongoing with the teacher retention task force.
9:20:29 AM
SENATOR HUGHES noted that Ms. Burgess had commented on the
preparation of teachers by universities. Senator Hughes has
discussed with superintendents that some students coming out of
universities are prepared and some aren't, and then Ms. Burgess
mentioned so many teachers come from out of state. The committee
heard on March 1 from Dr. [Kymyona] Burk with ExcelinEd. Dr.
Burk had been involved with the pre-K and early literacy program
and said a licensure requirement solved the problem in
Mississippi. Because teachers had to pass a test with a certain
score to receive a license, higher education in Mississippi
adjusted coursework. Senator Hughes asked if Ms. Burgess would
support that concept, especially if there were no immediate
effective date but students getting an education degree would
have a few years to get the coursework needed to pass the test.
Ms. Burgess would know every teacher being hired was equipped in
that area. Senator Hughes knows Ms. Burgess cannot speak on
behalf of the Superintendents Association, but she asked for Ms.
Burgess' gut feeling about some sort of licensure requirement.
9:22:44 AM
SENATOR STEVENS joined the committee.
MS. BURGESS responded that she would support additional
certification exams in the area of reading for elementary
teachers. However, if that is required for teachers who are
currently certified, there should be financial support if it
means taking additional reading courses. Districts would also
want to provide additional support. She is speaking for herself,
but she thinks she would generally support that concept.
SENATOR HUGHES shared that she hoped to have this conversation
with the commissioner and other committee members because
teachers would need the coursework to prepare. DEED perhaps
could provide the course at low cost or no cost.
SENATOR BEGICH said that a section on page 13 of SB 8 deals with
teacher certification. That was worked on extensively during the
process and added significant language around evidence-based
reading instruction and requirements during the retraining
period. He read, "However, a teacher holding a preliminary
teacher certificate issued under this section must complete
three credits or the equivalent of coursework, training, or
testing requirements in evidence-based reading instruction
approved by the board to be eligible for an endorsement in
elementary education issued by the department." That would
almost be what Senator Hughes is describing. He would like to
talk to Dr. Burk in more detail about that. Many people worked
on this language to ensure that people have the competency level
to do the work and allowing them enough time to attain that.
SENATOR HUGHES replied that three credits of training is
wonderful, but she would want the teachers to have a decent GPA.
That can be discussed further.
9:25:54 AM
SCOTT MACNAMUS, Superintendent, Alaska Gateway School District,
Tok, Alaska, said he is also a member of the executive board of
the Alaska Superintendents Association and the current president
of the Coalition for Education Equity. He grew up with a
subsistence lifestyle in Ambler with parents who were educators.
He served an overseas tour of duty and then went to the
University of Alaska Fairbanks. He started teaching in 1998 and
has been a superintendent for five years. He is typical of many
Alaskans who share a deep love for the state and its children.
He is so excited to discuss improving education in Alaska. This
is what SB 8 is all about. He applauded the committee for its
work on this legislation and for listening to the many educators
from across the state whose expertise and work have contributed
to the careful design of SB 8 over the past two sessions.
MR. MACNAMUS said that SB 8 could become one of the most
significant drivers of improvement in Alaska's schools. When his
district contemplates something new, it looks to its strategic
plan. His board wants to know how changing something is going to
further the goals of the strategic plan and whether the district
can afford it.
9:28:09 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE joined the committee.
MR. MACNAMUS said that is the approach he wants to address this
morning. Like his school district, the Department of Education
also has a strategic plan called the Alaska Education Challenge
(AEC). The AEC was developed with input from hundreds of
Alaskans and approved by the state Board of Education. DEED
Commissioner Johnson said that the Alaska Education Challenge
was a question for all Alaskans, "How will we meet the
educational challenges that we face for Alaska students in the
21st century." SB 8 directly supports the goals of the Alaska
Education Challenge: Support all students to read at grade level
by the end of third grade. Increase career, technical, and
culturally relevant education to meet student and workforce
needs. Close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable
educational rigor and resources. Prepare, attract, and retain
effective education professionals. Improve the safety and well-
being of students through school partnerships with families,
communities, and tribes.
MR. MACNAMUS said that SB 8 checks every single one of those
boxes. It is based on the most current research on reading
instruction in consultation with education experts and vetted
through fierce and passionate argument. It is a model of how
good things get done. There is a broad-based coalition of
support from superintendents to teachers, unions, small and
large school boards, and corporations.
9:29:39 AM
MR. MACNAMUS said SB 8 supports sustainable pre-K. The average
student starting kindergarten in the U.S. has an expressive
vocabulary of 2,100 to 2,200 words. In countries like Finland,
which is currently ranked the number one country to be a working
parent, students start their formal education with an even
higher vocabulary. In his district, which is a high poverty
district with a higher percentage than average of special needs
students and limited English proficiency students, many of whom
have not had preschool, kindergarteners start with an average
vocabulary of just 500 words, which is just a fraction of what
should be expected. Alaska Gateway has a grant-funded program
called Gateway Ready, which is designed to get students ready
for kindergarten. It is one of many grants used over the years
to piecemeal the pre-K program. The difference between those who
attend pre-K and those who don't is clear. With high poverty
students from families where reading is not the norm, getting
students ready for kindergarten is the only way to close the
achievement gap. With Alaska Gateway's piecemeal approach to
preschool programs entirely dependent on grants, it is difficult
to keep staff. The district currently has a state literacy
grant, but it can't be counted on from one year to the next. As
a result, the staff turnover in those programs is high and the
training given to the staff is lost.
MR. MACNAMUS said that SB 8 supports recruitment and retention
of teachers. The state can't just tell schools to hire more
reading teachers. It is not going to work. He has been trying to
hire a reading interventionist for three years. He finally found
one this year. The state must ask where these teachers are going
to come from. It is hard to hire and keep a good teacher, but
even harder with these additional requirements. He is not
against those additional requirements, but to do that there must
be an infrastructure to better train existing teachers and
attract those the state doesn't have. The state must work with
the university and SB 8 does that through professional
development. It will help support homegrown educators. SB 20,
the reciprocity bill, can also help with that, he said.
9:33:06 AM
MR. MACNAMUS said that SB 8 provides the support of DEED that
can work with the university system to develop training
programs, develop in-house reading programs, train
paraprofessionals to provide cost-effective program consistency,
and create micro-credentialing pathways. DEED support for
reading intervention programs is critical. It can be done. Years
ago he wrote a grant to fund a residential summer program for
middle school students that resulted in a full year's growth in
reading and math in 30 days. It was expensive and intense. That
was cobbled together for seven years through various grants. It
made a difference. The dropout rate for that cohort was tiny
compared to students who didn't attend the program. That federal
funding source has long dried up. His point is the state can
make a difference if people put their minds to it. SB 8 is one
opportunity to do that. SB 8 is not just legislation that
mandates improvement. It is a comprehensive plan based on
evidence and research and provides for not only the intended
outcomes in line with the AEC priority of every student reading
at grade level by third grade but also a way to get there. SB 8
is way to reach one of the most important goals of the Alaska
Education Challenge, to get all children to read. It has been
vetted across the state, it is broadly supported, and comports
with what is known about teaching and reading intervention.
9:35:46 AM
SENATOR STEVENS asked how his district tests for vocabulary and
how often.
MR. MACNAMUS answered his district uses several tools. One is
the Alaska Developmental Profile, DIBELS vocabulary assessments,
and AIMSweb. The district can see the difference between kids
who go through Head Start with the Tanana Chiefs Conference and
the district preschools in some schools. The district can see
the difference between kids who come to school ready and those
who do not.
9:37:11 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if he has data similar to Nome's for
students who have attended preschool or if he could give his
observations about the difference it makes.
MR. MACNAMUS answered that the preschool program has never had a
certified teacher. He doesn't have data for that specifically,
but he has a fair bit of experience and he agrees with
everything Superintendent Burgess said regarding the benefits of
having a certified teacher. There is no question that it would
be an improvement.
SENATOR BEGICH asked if he though there would be a better chance
of recruiting certified teachers if the bill became law with a
pathway for pre-K so the process would not be to cobble a
preschool program together every year.
MR. MACNAMUS answered beyond any question. It is difficult to
recruit if a teacher is asked to move to his district without a
guaranteed job from one year to the next. His district has been
relying on aides who are trained but even the aides do not stay
because the district cannot offer them employment after a grant
comes to an end. Consistent and reliable pre-K programming would
be important and critical.
CHAIR HOLLAND stated that Deena Bishop will provide answers
about previous testimony.
9:40:04 AM
DEENA BISHOP, Superintendent, Anchorage School District,
Anchorage, Alaska, said she hadn't received any questions.
9:40:24 AM
At ease
9:40:30 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE said he wanted her perspective because the
Anchorage School District (ASD) has had preschool programs. ASD
is a diverse district with probably some fairly challenged
families. He asked if she sees a difference with pre-K for those
students. He is a huge supporter of pre-K. If funds were
unlimited, this would be an easy decision, but funds are not
unlimited. He asked her how many years she has been in
Anchorage.
DR. BISHOP replied this is her fifth year in Anchorage. She was
superintendent in Mat-Su for five years. They both have pre-K
programs.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked her to tell him about data points for
students they would like to target for improvement and
preparation for K-12. He asked her to talk about her direct
experience, on the difference perhaps between a child who
doesn't have parental support who has not had pre-K and that
same child who has had pre-K.
DR. BISHOP replied that there is a difference and a relationship
among students who have had the ability to pre-learn and move on
to kindergarten. The purpose of each grade level is to learn the
skills needed for the next grade level. Many children won the
parent lottery because those parents have the resources to
engage children in a plethora of experiences and with
experiences come language. Senator Micciche had referred to the
diversity of Anchorage. One of the biggest roadblocks is
language acquisition. People who learned another language know
they need to be engulfed in it and hear it over and over and
then it starts to make sense.
9:44:03 AM
DR. BISHOP said that Anchorage has lots of different layers of
pre-K. For students who are developmentally delayed, state pays
the Base Student Allocation times 13 for those students. They
are well resourced in programs that are part of special
services. Those students have an Individualized Education
Program. Kids with Child Find can access preschool through title
schools and Head Start. The district adds almost $2 million to
the pre-K state grant to offer pre-K. It is for families with
two struggling, working parents, the working poor, so to speak.
Every dollar is spent to live on. They just don't have the funds
available to pay for pre-K. It is generally the upper end of
lower socioeconomic students who don't have access, but they
need pre-K, but not just any pre-K. She uses the term literacy
bootcamp. It should be focused on learning the skills they need
to be successful in kindergarten. Their teachers do a wonderful
job, but if the students start far behind, it is difficult to
make up.
DR. BISHOP said that Florida studies show that pre-K was most
successful with English language learners. She does not believe
that every child in the district needs to be in preschool. That
is overkill. She believes in parent choice. Private preschools
do an excellent job, but the target area is those families whose
kids don't test low enough to be developmentally delayed and the
families too wealthy for Head Start and not wealthy enough to
afford private pre-K. The district has about 200-400 kids on the
preschool waiting list, and Anchorage services about 4,000
students per grade level.
SENATOR MICCICHE said he will submit additional questions. If he
supports a bill that is going to cost x amount over six years,
he wants to be able to go to constituents and demonstrate the
things they care about is what he cares about and it is going to
cost a few dollars and this is what the state will get out of
it. He has a first grader. In her first weeks of kindergarten,
the variation in what the teacher could do between the least
performing and best performing students was extraordinary. He
can see how that is a drag. He doesn't mean it negatively, but
it holds the others back as opposed to the whole group moving
further together.
9:48:11 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND said the committee will forego the fiscal notes
for the day to make time for public testimony. He opened public
testimony.
9:49:16 AM
VALERIE BROOKS, Ed.D., representing self, Ketchikan, Alaska,
said she is a reading specialist and has been a teacher for 25
years. She is representing herself, but she is an NEA-Alaska
board member and a member of the board's reading action team.
She thanked Senator Begich for crafting a bill with input from
stakeholders. She sees the impact of pre-K education daily as
she teaches primary age students. This bill can go far in
addressing school and learning readiness. SB 8 reflects the need
for quality pre-K education and reading support in Alaska. A
great deal of research supports the benefits of quality pre-K.
One major difference between SB 42 and SB 8 is mandatory
retention in SB 42 for students assessed with below grade level
reading at the end of grade three. Mandatory retention is not an
educationally sound determination. Her doctoral research shows
that with one-on-one or small group settings with individual
reading plans for intervention in grade three, the majority of
students were reading proficiently at the end of grade three.
DEED-supported reading program in SB 8 can provide these
impacts. SB 8 is culturally responsive and includes parents in
decision making. She appreciates the voluntary aspect of the
pre-K program and its support for existing Head Starts and other
public pre-K programs. The bill could decrease socio-economic
disparities. The funding for this bill will benefit all Alaska
students. She was an Air Force kid and went to pre-K in England
many years ago.
9:51:55 AM
PATRICK ANDERSON, CEO, RurAL CAP, Anchorage, Alaska, said that
RurAL CAP is present in over 60 communities. Its target
population is those families that live with poverty. It works
with partners to offer Head Start, early Head Start, and Parent
as Teachers in 24 communities. This next year, as a result of
reallocation of funding by DEED, RurAL CAP will be closing a
number of its locations. He doesn't know yet where the closures
will occur, but his understanding is that there will be a net
loss of Head Start seats in Alaska. For that and many other
reasons, RurAL cap is supportive of the bill's goals to increase
pre-K services, especially in rural Alaska. RurAL CAP hopes that
additional state-funded opportunities will replace lost Head
Start seats. Poverty has numerous effects on the readiness of
children for school. Children who are not learning and hearing
spoken words are at a serious disadvantage, but nutrition
deficiencies and Adverse Childhood Experiences also create
disadvantages. Considering Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
in legislation now a policy of the state. He mentioned a famous
study in English in which the bottom performing 20 percent of
children improved significantly with supplementation of Omega-
3s. He hopes the committee will explore some of these topics
later on.
9:54:13 AM
SHERRI BECKER, Superintendent, Southeast Island School District,
Thorne Bay, Alaska, said that her history in education is
primarily in special education. The majority of students in her
career were referred to special education because of difficulty
in reading. Many of those students entered kindergarten without
a foundation they needed to be successful readers. Many of the
kindergarten teachers did not provide high-quality reading
instruction and were not able to identify gaps which prevented
students from continuing to grow in literacy. SB 8 provides the
opportunity for staff to be trained in best practices and
evidence-based literacy instruction. This allow educators to
identify students at risk and provide intervention confidently.
A solid foundation of pre-K programs is desperately needed to
support life-long literacy of students. Early detection, strong
training in providing quality literacy instruction, and the
other components of SB 8 will provide districts with the tools
to improve the education they provide. SB 8 builds on previous
legislation that was not passed last year. Students cannot
continue to wait.
9:56:09 AM
POSIE BOGGS, Alaska Reading Coalition, Anchorage, Alaska,
thanked all for working so hard and long to improve reading for
students because low reading proficiency leads to adverse
childhood experiences. This is an often ignored fact in
education systems. She concurs with the testimony of the Nome
Superintendent Burgess. Regarding Senator Hughes' question about
passing a reading competency exam, the Reading Coalition
endorses that. However, it will take more than a three-credit
course to ensure teachers can pass such a test because teachers
must have skill and practice to do so. A two-week cram course to
pass such a test should not be allowed. The university
undergraduate program can be redesigned in many ways if the
university can find science-of-reading professors, who are hard
to find. Considering the cost of SB 8, what is costly is
students dropping out and those who are poorly prepared in
reading. Just for the school districts represented by the
committee, the cost each year is $116 million, according to the
Education Consumer Foundation. The cost is for healthcare,
public safety, welfare, and education. If that doesn't give
Alaska a sense of urgency to drive for a seismic change in the
education system, what else will drive these changes, she asked.
It is not defensible to not move SB 8.
9:59:28 AM
NORM WOOTEN, Director of Advocacy, Association of Alaska School
Boards, Juneau, Alaska, said the committee has heard the
research. When he was first elected to a school board in the
1980s, they spoke consistently about the need for pre-K. Year
after year in Alaska there has been advocacy for universal pre-
K. The research is clear that quality, early childhood education
pays off in the long run. SB 8 is the opportunity to implement
pre-K. Reading is the most critical determinant in the success
of children and adults. Children who cannot read by the end of
third grade are handicapped for their entire lives and that will
likely affect their earning power throughout adulthood. DEED is
the best entity to provide support to school districts. The
state has to create the ability for elementary teachers to be
experts in evidence-based reading instruction and then support
them in their work. The state must screen early elementary
students for reading proficiencies and be ready with aggressive
interventions to catch them up. Districts need support for
reading strategies and reading interventions. The Association of
Alaska School Boards has 12 resolutions in support of the
elements contained in SB 8. SB 8 has all the elements needed to
provide the education students deserve. He is convinced that
pre-K and research-based reading instruction interventions will
be a game changer for the youngest Alaskans and provide a better
educated citizenry. The Association of Alaska School Boards
strongly supports SB 8.
10:01:40 AM
DIANNE ORR, Director, Teaching and Learning, Anchorage School
District, Anchorage, Alaska, thanked Senator Begich for his
commitment to ensuring that a strong educational foundation is
in place for every Alaskan child. This bill is a nonpartisan
solution that puts the needs children first. It is now settled
science about how to teach reading. Unfortunately, this settled
science has not made its way into all Alaskan classrooms. The
state needs to bridge this gap and provide evidence-based
reading instruction starting in preschool. She was a reading
instructional coach and a principal of a Title I school. These
experiences proved that once teachers were trained in the
science of reading and implemented these instructional practices
and students were provided a multitiered system of support,
student achievement improved. As a member of the state task
force on reading proficiency and dyslexia, the final report of
March 2019 documented that with early intervention and effective
reading instruction, almost all kids can learn to read
proficiently by third grade. Many states have invested in
teaching professional learning around the science of reading and
now have more students reading at grade level by third grade. To
increase reading in Alaska, there must be a supportive
infrastructure. That is why SB 8 is needed. SB 8 provides
standardization along with customization. An assessment system
must be in place that includes universal screeners. A student
who can't read proficiently by third grade is four times less
likely to graduate. If the student comes from a low-income
family, that student is 13 times less likely to graduate. The
state pays a price for those students who do not graduate, such
as with lost earnings, productivity, tax revenue, and increased
governmental services costs. Making sure every Alaska student
can read by third grade starts with providing access to high-
quality preschool grounded in evidence-based practices.
10:05:52 AM
ROZLYN WYCHE, Cofounder and President, Alaska Coalition of BIPOC
Educators, Anchorage, Alaska, said that she is a member of
Mountain View Community Council. She is a paraeducator and
mother of five. Her children are part of a Title I preschool
program. She is working on a dual degree in elementary and
special education. She went to preschool that her mother paid
for, but Ms. Wyche could not afford to pay preschool programs on
her own. Her children have gained so much with Anchorage School
District preschool. She urged the committee to pass SB 8.
10:09:00 AM
DAVE MUSGRAVE, Ph.D., representing self, Hatcher Pass, Alaska,
thanked all for the work on the bill. SB 8 will increase
educational outcomes by creating pre-K programs that have been
shown to work throughout Alaska and the nation. Many cannot
afford preschool. His son attended pre-K. He had cognitive
disabilities and had an Individualized Education Program
throughout school; he graduated from a career tech high school
in the Mat-Su and was able to obtain an Alaska performance
scholarship with the University of Alaska. Pre-K is especially
important for families in rural Alaska or those in disadvantaged
neighborhoods in urban and suburban areas. Early education must
be part of the curriculum for Alaska students. He also supports
the reading program in the bill.
10:10:29 AM
LAURA NEVADA, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said she
works with the Anchorage School District and worked 25 years in
education. Every child deserves the fundamental right to learn
to read. For this to be accomplished the state must provide
children with evidence-based reading instruction starting in
preschool. This is why Alaska needs SB 8. Reading is not a
natural process. To crack the code of written language, science
say evidence-based reading instruction must be used, teachers
must have professional development and a multitiered system of
support must be provided, which includes universal screening,
interventions, and progress monitoring. This bill mandates that
children be provided explicit instruction in phonological
awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension
strategy. Reading proficiency depends on expert and integrated
teaching of these skills. There is a need for thoroughness and
depth of teacher training. Students deserve mastery of evidence-
based reading instruction, not familiarity of best practices.
All children deserve the right to learn to read. Passing SB 8 is
essential to Alaska's future.
10:13:10 AM
TERRI WALKER, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, Kotzebue, Alaska, said she is Inupiat and a graduate
of one of the villages in Northwest Arctic. She was raised by
her grandfather and great-grandmother. Her great-grandmother did
not speak English well and never attended any type of schooling.
Her grandfather went to school up to third grade. Her mother as
a graduate of Mt. Edgecumbe was the first generation to graduate
high school. Ms. Walker says all this because reading was not
always a primary activity in her household as few families were
lucky enough to have books in their homes. The Inupiat are proud
of their culture, values, and traditions. Reading still needs to
become routine in family activities. In her region, the district
is the sole provider of pre-K. There are no daycares, Head
Starts, or any other resources for young children. Children need
exposure to a classroom setting before entering kindergarten.
Having a pre-K program promotes social skills to practice being
around others besides family members. It promotes the social
well-being of children and builds fine motors skills needed for
kindergarten. This year, COVID has resulted in a loss of
instruction. Through the support of DEED, the district will need
to adjust strategies to meet students where they are at. The
district must plan a new timeline for learning. Students will
catch up over time. Retention will only create stigma for many
students. Built-in intervention strategies is the key to helping
students to develop the skills to put them grade level. Today
students must learn to carry on the traditions of their
ancestors and also learn to read in order to be successful and
independent.
10:16:12 AM
TAMMY SMITH, representing self, Fairbanks, Alaska, said that she
is representing herself, but she is an NEA director. She has
been an elementary teacher. Now she is a special ed teacher. She
has taught every aspect of reading. She asks for support of SB
8. Even as a young teacher she saw the effect of not having a
comprehensive reading programs in schools. This varies across
schools and across districts. When she first came to Alaska, she
was surprised to discover the lack of preschool in Alaska. She
came from Minnesota, where it was a standard part of education.
Preschools are an integral part of education. Children in
preschool have an advantage over those who have not attended.
She asked the committee to look at a 2010 Children's Defense
Fund study about the advantages of preschool, including economic
advantages. Ben Bernanke also did a report in 2012 on the
economic value of preschool.
10:20:00 AM
KIM SAUNDERS, representing self, Kodiak, Alaska, said she works
in early childhood education for the Kodiak Island Borough
School District, but she is representing herself. She wants to
reinforce the importance of early childhood programs. The key
component for early literacy success in schools and strong
reading outcomes is rooted in language, such as how many words
are spoken to children and how many books are read. The links
between literacy outcomes and poverty are closely aligned.
Whether someone went to preschool affects income level. Alaska
families are struggling. The state mitigates the impacts of
trauma and poverty on young children by ensuring they have high-
quality, early childhood experiences, tons of language exposure,
and good, solid phonemic awareness. SB 8 is about more than
reading. It is about advocating for access for students who are
already behind when they walk through the door to kindergarten.
It is about equity and ensuring all children have a fighting
chance to learn to read and graduate. The bill can't fix
poverty, but it can help children who need to climb over
barriers that poverty creates.
10:22:31 AM
SUSAN MULLANE, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said that
she is a retired Anchorage teacher. She taught special education
at Mountain View. She loved Superintendent Walker's testimony.
It spoke to her. From her experience working in high-poverty
schools, pre-K makes a difference. It makes her breathless to
think of children not having access to pre-K. It is a matter of
equity. It is a matter of reducing poverty. It is a matter of
future employment and executive functioning. She asked why the
state continues to have this discussion because it is so
important. She is consultant now and has been working in
Appalachia for five years. Now she is looking at indigenous
communities in the lower 48 with an 18 percent literacy rate.
She is frustrated that universal pre-K is not a national
mandate. According to Harvard University, children who attend
pre-K are 50 percent less likely to need special education, have
lower rates of teen pregnancy, decreased delinquency, and higher
rates of employment. If Republicans who gripe about handouts are
serious about reducing welfare, then the state should get
serious about what other countries do, like Finland and
Singapore, with universal pre-K. Every dollar in pre-K
investment returns seven nationally. The state should be
equitable to all its citizens.
10:26:05 AM
MARGO BELLAMY, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, said she is
a retired educator and advocate for all Alaska children. She
serves families and children in several capacities. She is on
the Anchorage School District school board, board of directors
for the Alaska Children's Trust, and the board of directors for
the Alaska Association of School Boards. Literacy is a
fundamental human right. Every child deserves to have high-
quality, evidence-based learning opportunity with highly trained
teachers who prepare children to enter first grade ready to
learn and to read by third grade. This will ensure equity, close
opportunity gaps, increase graduation rates, and most
importantly, alter the trajectory of success in school and in
life for children. She encouraged the committee to invest in
children by passing SB 8 as a primary infrastructure to support
successful outcomes for children and youth from birth to school
age and young adulthood. Universal pre-K is a critical component
in the learning continuum. She realizes the investment comes at
great cost but these upfront investments will save money down
the line. Alaska's children cannot wait. The inequities are even
greater because of COVID. She asked the committee to close the
equity gaps and invest in pre-K and reading interventions now.
10:28:42 AM
JEREMY O'NEIL, representing self, Valdez, Alaska, said he works
in hospital administration. As he approaches the middle part of
his career, he will be a zealous advocate for early childhood
education. As an employer who needs an educated workforce, the
state must move the dial. He has gained an appreciation for
population health and what happens in the early years of a
child. As a metaphor, if people are trying to get a rocket out
of the atmosphere, it is the energy in the first minutes that
propels that rocket on its path. If the fuel and energy are not
there in the first impactful minutes, the rocket doesn't get to
its destination. Science bears out that children develop at a
rapid pace. He hears concerns about money. For a long time,
Alaska's per capita spending on education has been remarkable
when compared to other locations. It should be balanced by an
investment in early years so that kids can achieve their greater
potential.
10:31:13 AM
PATRICIA CHESBRO, representing self, Wasilla, Alaska, said she
is a retired educator who has been a principal, teacher, and
superintendent and spent 10 years at the university level. She
thanked those who collaborated on this bill. Early childhood
education will help to level the playing field for those
children who do not have the same skills and advantages as other
children. The teachers coming out of teacher education now may
be better prepared because the accreditation processes are
rigorous and teacher programs must have excellent reading
programs to pass accreditation, but any kind of teaching is an
ongoing learning experience. She likes the part of the bill that
speaks about culturally responsive teaching and interventions.
Alaska has wonderful diversity. One size doesn't fit all. The
state should consider the expansion of early childhood program.
If there is not enough money to put into early childhood, the
state would be better off to put the money into early childhood
education and cut 12th grade. The reality is that the earlier
people are helped, the more successful they will be later. In
her experience seniors in high school are ready to leave anyway.
10:33:39 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced that he will keep public testimony open.
CHAIR HOLLAND held SB 8 in committee.