Legislature(2013 - 2014)SENATE FINANCE 532
02/06/2014 09:00 AM Senate FINANCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB111 | |
| SB155 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 155 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| = | SB 111 | ||
SENATE BILL NO. 111
"An Act repealing the secondary student
competency examination and related requirements;
and providing for an effective date."
9:07:03 AM
Co-Chair Meyer continued public testimony for SB 111.
RACHEL ETCHER, PETERSBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT (via
teleconference), testified in favor of the legislation. She
stated that much of her school's staff time was spent
preparing for the six days of testing required for the
secondary student competency examination. She stated that
the competency tests disrupted teaching routines and
limited teaching time. She stressed that collecting,
accounting for, and shipping the tests consumed valuable
staff time. She felt that greater student needs could be
served during the time-consuming test days. She stated that
a number of students had not been able to display their
abilities and potential with the tests, due to anxiety
related to the high stakes of the exam.
RICK DORMER, PRINCIPAL, PETERSBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT (via
teleconference), spoke in favor of eliminating the
secondary student competency examination and the related
requirements. He stated that the test was not an adequate
representation of students' skills. He explained that two
of the district's students failed the test by one point,
which prevented them from earning a diploma. He informed
the committee that some students were dropping out of high
school as early as 15 and 16 years old because of the
required exam.
9:10:54 AM
GENE STONE, MAT-SU, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT MAT-SU SCHOOL
DISTRICT (via teleconference), spoke in support of the
legislation. He stated that students suffered
disproportionate consequences for failing the high school
qualifying exam. His school district supported alternative
assessment such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT),
the American College Test (ACT), Armed Services Vocational
Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) or WorkKeys exams that could
provide institutions and employers with a clear picture of
a student's readiness for work, military, college or
vocational training.
9:12:48 AM
STEVE ATWATER, SUPERINTENDENT KENAI PENINSULA, SOLDOTNA
(via teleconference), spoke in favor of the legislation. He
strongly believed that the exam had outlived its intended
purpose. He pointed out that the exam's intention was to
provide a quality control for the school districts in
Alaska. He believed that the Kenai district had the
required quality control, making the exam unnecessary. He
added that greater than 95 percent of his district's
students passed the test, but the distraction and burden of
the test were unnecessary.
Co-Chair Meyer asked if Mr. Atwater knew of other available
methods to accurately measure a student's education. He
understood that the governor supported the use of SAT, ACT
or WorkKeys as tools for evaluation.
Mr. Atwater agreed with the governor's proposal of using
the SAT and ACT tests to determine competency. He also
believed that the school districts possessed an adequate
amount of quality control. He wished to see an end of
course exam administered by each district.
9:14:50 AM
Vice-chair Fairclough asked about the historical graduation
rates following implementation of the qualifying exam. She
noted a reported increase in graduation rates following the
implementation of the qualifying exam. She highlighted that
the state saw a graduation rate of 62.9 percent increase to
71.7 percent in 2013.
Mr. Atwater replied that the initial impact of the exam was
positive, and the increase in graduation rates was
attributable to the accountability brought forth by No
Child Left Behind.
9:17:31 AM
AT EASE
9:19:18 AM
RECONVENED
MIKE COONS, SELF, PALMER (via teleconference) testified in
favor of the legislation. He called attention to the change
found on the last page of the bill, lines 25-29. He stated
that the change impacted young adults. He hoped that the
exam could transition out of use with minimal impact on the
students. He stated that a poor transition was limiting for
Alaska's students. He spoke against HB 278, section 2,
which also impacted the legislation.
9:23:23 AM
Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony.
Co-Chair Meyer stated that the governor's education omnibus
bill contained similar intent. He intended to bring the
bill back to committee when the omnibus bill was heard.
9:24:21 AM
Senator Dunleavy pointed out that the bill addressed issues
other than the high school qualifying exam. He noted items
regarding parental inputs, and system reporting included in
the bill. He opined that the bill resulted from SB 36,
legislation that was proposed more than one decade ago. He
advocated for agency testimony prior to merging SB 111 with
the governor's omnibus legislation. He recommended
retaining those tools proven to assist education
evaluations.
9:25:25 AM
Co-Chair Meyer discussed the fiscal note, which provided a
credit.
TIM LAMKIN, STAFF, SENATOR GARY STEVENS, spoke to the
concern about transition language. He clarified that the
2017 phase-out provided an opportunity for students who
failed the exam to take it again. The language was
consistent with the governor's bill.
9:27:01 AM
Vice-chair Fairclough asked if the state had a support
contract to implement the legislation on an annual basis.
Mr. Lamkin replied that he was not acquainted with the
details of the contract.
SB 111 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
9:27:38 AM
AT EASE
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