Legislature(2009 - 2010)CAPITOL 106
03/16/2009 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Overview(s): Drop-out Prevention | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 16, 2009
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Paul Seaton, Chair
Representative Cathy Engstrom Munoz, Vice Chair
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative Wes Keller
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Robert L. "Bob" Buch
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
OVERVIEW(S): DROP-OUT PREVENTION
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided an overview of issues related to
the dropout prevention.
JENNIFER DOUNAY, Senior Policy Analyst
Education Commission of the States
Denver, Colorado
POSITION STATEMENT: Reviewed the presentation entitled "Dropout
Prevention: Recent Research and State Policy Responses."
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:03:08 AM
CHAIR PAUL SEATON called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Representatives Seaton, Wilson,
Edgmon, Buch, Keller, and Gardner were present at the call to
order. Representative Munoz arrived as the meeting was in
progress.
^OVERVIEW(S): DROP-OUT PREVENTION
8:03:38 AM
CHAIR SEATON announced that the only order of business would be
an overview regarding high school drop-out prevention. He noted
that the committee packet should include a PowerPoint entitled
"Dropout Prevention: Recent research and state Policy
Responses," a Wikipedia document entitled "Education in the
Netherlands," and a number of other materials from the SouthEast
Alaska Career Center (S.E.A.C.C.). He also noted that members
should have a memorandum from him listing topics for
consideration, including how to correlate actual criteria and
achievement scores with graduation and a diploma in order to be
an incentive for continued work. There was also a topic related
to the High School Qualifying Exam and how that would be
meaningful in order to avoid students believing that passage of
the aforementioned exam means that they don't have to work
anymore.
8:06:28 AM
LARRY LEDOUX, Commissioner, Department of Education and Early
Development (EED), informed the committee that he has brought
with him various documents regarding graduation rates, including
research from the National Dropout Prevention Center that
address strategies and summary statistics regarding why students
don't make it through school.
8:08:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER recalled the suggestion at a prior
hearing to have mandatory attendance begin at age six. She
inquired as to Commissioner LeDoux's thoughts on that
suggestion.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said that since the department hasn't
researched that suggestion, he couldn't speak to the
department's opinion. However, he related his personal belief
that every child has access to quality education as early as
possible. He noted that research indicates that quality
education should begin at an early age, and six may be an
appropriate age.
8:09:43 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON inquired as to how many children don't
attend school until age seven.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX responded that he knew of very few children
who don't attend school until age seven. Drawing from his
experience as an elementary principal, Commissioner LeDoux
opined that most parents send children to school as soon as
possible. Those children who aren't attending school at an
early age are usually being homeschooled. He said, "So, I don't
see it as a problem in Alaska at this point in time."
CHAIR SEATON requested additional information from EED regarding
an earlier start age for Alaskan children.
8:11:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH recalled hearing remarks that parents intend
to withdraw their junior high/middle school age children from
school in order to home school them. He expressed interest in
knowing the numbers of students in the aforementioned situation.
He questioned how many children who are not attending school are
in the care of their parents.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX highlighted that the number of children in
Alaska is unknown because parents don't have to register their
children with the state. Therefore, the only data available
regarding the number of children in the state would be from
permanent fund applications and the census. Alaska doesn't have
a way in which to keep track of the number of children in the
state, save the number of children enrolled in public schools in
Alaska. The aforementioned is problematic, he said.
8:13:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH indicated that would seem to be one of the
base numbers to acquire.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX noted his agreement, adding that he is
concerned with the lack of data on young Alaskans. In Alaska,
once a parent says he/she is home schooling their child, there's
nothing to be done whether the child is actually homeschooled or
not. Therefore, the attendance log has many holes in it because
the state is very supportive of parents' home schooling their
children. Still, the aforementioned prevents the state from
knowing where these [home schooled] children are and ensuring
that these children have the opportunity for an education. In
Alaska, once a parent says he/she is home schooling their child,
the district stops all attempts to determine what is going on
with the child [education-wise] because the district no longer
has the authority to investigate whether the child is receiving
an education or not.
8:14:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH suggested that the state could work with the
federal government, which will be collecting information for the
2010 census, in order to acquire numbers of children. The
aforementioned would provide a base number for 2010.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX explained that although the attendance
information provides good information, by the time it's
available it tends to be old information. He opined that the
best information can likely be gathered in conjunction with
permanent fund applications for which there is an economic
interest for parents to register their children.
8:15:43 AM
CHAIR SEATON said that although he couldn't recall all the
information required on the permanent fund application, he
recalled that a sponsor has to fill out an application for a
minor. He then highlighted that the legislature controls what
data is required, and therefore data important for the state
could be required. To that end, he requested that EED review
the permanent fund application and determine whether there is a
data requirement for a minor's application that would provide
needed information.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER interjected that the permanent fund
application does require the child's date of birth and
residence.
CHAIR SEATON surmised then that the question is whether EED, as
a state agency, can obtain the information.
8:17:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER related her understanding that the HSQE
was originally a high school level exam, but was ultimately
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watered down to a 10 grade level because of opposition. Given
that the HSQE isn't really an indicator that a child has
mastered high school level material and that a lot of
information is obtained from the exams required by the No Child
Left Behind Act (NCLB), she inquired as to the benefit of
retaining the HSQE.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX opined that any time a child is assessed it
should inform instruction and specify what the student knows and
is able to do. Furthermore, an assessment should be diagnostic
in order that programs can be redesigned and parents can
advocate for their child. Any assessment that doesn't inform
takes away from instruction. Commissioner LeDoux informed the
committee that the reading and writing components of the HSQE
are generally at the sophomore level while 80 percent of the
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math component is at the 8 grade level. Since the HSQE doesn't
necessarily inform parents with regard to what can be done to
achieve a higher level of achievement, one would question the
validity and usefulness of the HSQE as a diagnostic tool for a
parent or student to use to improve the student's achievement.
Only about 30 states require high stakes exams for graduation,
he noted. He mentioned that the cut score can be set at any
level that the state determines. He suggested a review of the
purpose of the HSQE and whether it provides good information to
parents and students. Commissioner LeDoux opined that he would
rather have any type of assessment that teachers, parents, and
students could review the students' performance levels in terms
of the skills that are necessary to achieve a successful life.
He informed the committee that currently schools take six to
seven days of instruction to administer the HSQE. Due to the
complexity of the exam, some schools essentially shut down
school for juniors and seniors. Therefore, that's a tremendous
investment statewide in terms of money, instructional time,
teachers' salaries, and learning time. If such [an exam] is
going to be utilized, it should be determined whether the
investment pays off. He indicated that he didn't believe many
people believe the HSQE is paying off. Therefore, the HSQE
should be reviewed and standards should be raised. Currently,
the expectations in Alaska are too low, he opined. He predicted
that students will achieve whatever standard that is set for
them; the expectations for Alaska's students need to be raised.
In conclusion, Commissioner LeDoux related his belief that the
HSQE is not a measure of high expectations.
8:21:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER recalled testimony that some students who
have passed the three areas of the HSQE feel that they no longer
need to attend high school.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX acknowledged hearing such from many
principals and parents; and opined that if the parent and
student buy into it, so it is. However, he maintained that
passage of the HSQE isn't an indicator that they've met the
state's high standards for graduation.
8:22:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON opined that the schools are not using the
HSQE as a tool, but rather are administering it only because
it's a requirement. She further opined that if the HSQE is a
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graduation exam, it shouldn't test students on 8 and 10 grade
level material. She suggested that the WorkKeys program may be
more effective than the HSQE. Representative Wilson then turned
to the October attendance counts upon which school districts
receive their formula funding. She suggested that perhaps the
attendance counts should occur in the spring as well in order to
create an incentive for schools to make the effort to retain
students through the year.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX recalled that when he was the principal of
an alternative high school, he received a number of referrals
after the October attendance count but never prior. Therefore,
the high school was allowed to count that student in their
formula fund base. In this case, students become a commodity,
which he indicated wasn't appropriate. Commissioner LeDoux said
that there is merit to reviewing alternative attendance count
dates.
8:26:54 AM
CHAIR SEATON remarked that he believes the committee is in
agreement that the [attendance count dates] are an area needing
review. He recalled a similar situation with the Student
Military Academy when it experienced an extremely high dropout
rate after the attendance count period. In order to address the
aforementioned, the legislature changed the incentive and the
program was realigned in order to avoid a high dropout rate
after the attendance count period. He requested that EED
prepare a proposal [addressing the effects of the attendance
count] for the committee's review.
8:28:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER opined that the HSQE isn't the enemy as
there has been much written about the last two years of high
school being wasted. The HSQE is providing a tool that wouldn't
be very wise to just throw out, he said.
8:29:39 AM
CHAIR SEATON, referring to his memorandum dated March 13, 2009,
pointed out that Item 2 specifies [original punctuation
provided]:
If students take and pass all three sections of the
High School Qualifying Exam prior to graduation,
school districts will pay for these students to take
college credits or vocational school credits. This
could allow students to be on their way to an
associate degree or vocational ed. certificate by the
time they have graduated high school. The High School
Qualifying Exam has been identified as a problem
because students interpret that passing exam means
they have met their high school qualifying criteria,
leading to students losing interest in school
afterward.
8:31:03 AM
CHAIR SEATON remarked that it doesn't matter whether a student
convinces a parent that [passing the HSQE means he/she has met
the high school qualifying criteria], but rather the student's
internal motivation to complete the final two years of high
school is important. He requested a comment from the
commissioner regarding the point at which it's determined that a
student should be educated differently or allowed greater
opportunity through distance courses from colleges throughout
the U.S.
8:31:59 AM
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX related his belief that the final two years
of high school should provide the student with maximum
flexibility. "The idea of keeping kids in classrooms and seats
for four years is a thing of the past," he remarked. The last
two years of high school should provide students with the
opportunity for apprenticeships, college courses, distance
education, and opportunities to explore their own interests.
The opportunities should be individualized and connect students
to a broader vision. He noted that many high schools in Alaska
offer opportunities for co-credit for college courses taken
while in high school. One school district, for example, offers
college courses for free while another offers such courses at a
reduced rate. Commissioner LeDoux emphasized the need for high
school reform to be at the top of the agenda because the needs
of youth today are very complex. To treat every youth exactly
the same, is to treat them unfairly, he opined. He related that
the main reason a student drops out of high school is because
he/she feels disconnected from the system. However, a student
who is engaged in and has a vision for his/her future doesn't
try to escape school after passing the HSQE. Many who pass the
HSQE and leave school are not planning to go to college; rather
they just want out of school in order to get on with their
lives. Too many schools in Alaska are giving credit for seat
time, he said. He further said, "Learning should be the
constant and seat time should be the variable." Adding a
requirement, such as a civics credit, will decrease the
graduation rate in some areas and decrease a student's option to
explore areas of interest. High school methods need to be
reformed and what is being suggested is a step in the right
direction, he opined.
8:35:46 AM
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX, in further response to Chair Seaton,
reiterated his belief that Chair Seaton's suggestion is a step
in the right direction. However, Commissioner LeDoux expressed
concern with spot zoning [in which reform is done only in
spots]. He pointed out that schools today look much like they
did 50 years ago and aren't flexible enough. In fact, one of
the reasons alternative schools are necessary is because they
wrap the program around the needs of the student, rather than
expecting the student to fit into a program of instruction.
Therefore, Commissioner LeDoux characterized Chair Seaton's idea
as one step in what Commissioner LeDoux would rather have occur,
a comprehensive plan for high school reform. He opined that a
comprehensive plan for high school reform will result in an
increase in the graduation rate and produce youth who are ready
to work and/or enter college. Furthermore, schools aren't
currently tied to the regulation of seat time and have the
ability to award credit to those with the understanding of the
content desired. Commissioner LeDoux said he wasn't sure all
the schools knew the aforementioned.
8:38:00 AM
CHAIR SEATON surmised then that regulations are such that
students are allowed to test out of a course and obtain credits
for it.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX answered that's the case theoretically. The
regulation specifies that the local school board has the ability
to establish courses that would give credit to those students
who indicate they have mastered the content. School districts
aren't restricted to the Carnegie unit of 180 hours of
instruction for a credit. Therefore, although there's
flexibility, he wasn't sure that everyone knows it's available.
Furthermore, it's difficult to reorganize the state's high
schools. He pointed out that there are some incredible
alternative schools, which should become the state's high
schools. The unfortunate reality is that many students aren't
passing the HSQE, even set at the 8th grade level, which he
characterized as a professional embarrassment. The
aforementioned is indicative of the need to do systemic reform.
8:39:14 AM
CHAIR SEATON recalled receiving information that the Chugach
School District has a 98 percent graduation rate. He asked if
that school district have more resources, or is it a different
model of education.
8:39:44 AM
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX acknowledged that when the Chugach model was
first initiated, the [Chugach School District] had lots of
funding. However, the most important aspect of the Chugach
model is that the entire community stands behind the program.
He opined that a standards-based program must have community and
teacher support as well as longevity. A number of districts in
the state are using the Chugach model in which once a student
masters standards in certain content, the student moves on.
Part of the problem with such programs is staff development; the
teachers require extensive training in the model because most
colleges don't train teachers in these models. Therefore, the
program doesn't work well in districts with lots of teacher turn
over. In fact, some of the state's lowest performing districts
utilize standards-based models. "It's not one size fits all,"
Commissioner LeDoux remarked. Therefore, he believes that
across the state schools, such as Kodiak High School, are
blending a standards-based program with Carnegie units, college
classes, etcetera.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX then turned the committee's attention to the
Alaska Education plan, which includes three pages of graduation
expectations. "For a moment I could share with you what I would
really love to see, at some point, and we're not far off if we
had a community and district. Is ... to sit down at the start
of a child's 8th grade year, and to give them an option of
graduation if they meet all of these standards." He explained
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that it begins in 8 grade because that's when one really begins
to mentally prepare for what you're going to do in high school.
Every child has a committee/panel with whom they build a
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portfolio starting in 8 grade. The child explains how he/she
will meet the standards/expectations and present a portfolio to
the aforementioned committee/panel for approval to graduate.
Such ideas are being reviewed as part of high school reform.
Commissioner LeDoux related his belief in the need for the
standards-based movement to be incorporated into the graduation
portfolio.
8:42:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH surmised that Commissioner LeDoux is
describing a model in which every child has an advocate.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX reiterated his earlier comments that the
primary need of young people is to feel connected, valued, and
visible. He informed the committee that he recently put
together a standing committee with the goal of improving the
graduation rate. The committee consists of individuals who work
with at-risk students. At the first meeting, committee members
were asked to specify on a note card the primary reason students
do not graduate. Every note card said that the primary reason
students don't graduate is because of the lack of connection.
Students need an advocate, he said.
8:43:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH then said that perhaps the goal should be
addressing how to get the communities involved to provide these
advocates.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX confirmed that it's one of the strategies
necessary to assist students toward graduation. He reminded the
committee that there is no single strategy that will bring
education in the state to the desired place, but rather there
are many strategies. Therefore, what is known to work has to be
considered. He informed the committee that one school has
broken its schedule into an advisor/advisee program in which
every teacher in the building meets with a small group of
students. Such programs are designed to connect kids with their
community and school. Such programs are successful, he
remarked. He then directed the committee's attention to the
committee packet, which includes information on strategies for
dropout prevention. The aforementioned information is derived
from the National Dropout Center. The strategies discuss the
school and community perspective, early interventions, basic
support strategies, and making the best of education.
Commissioner LeDoux characterized the aforementioned information
as a blue print on which Alaska needs to put its "stamp." He
expressed hope that at some point an Alaska dropout prevention
plan will be developed.
8:45:42 AM
CHAIR SEATON recalled testimony from students of Juneau's local
alternative high school in which the students said that most
students drop out due to problems with a specific teacher. The
students underscored how a person of authority was a major cause
for their decision to drop out. Are there exit interviews of
those who drop out to determine the specific reasons for
dropping out, he asked.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX said that in his experience some students do
drop out because of a conflict with a teacher. However, it's
often difficult for students to explain why they're dropping out
of school. Often a student has so many things going on in
his/her life that a conflict with a teacher may be the final
straw. It doesn't take much to cause a student with a lot of
stress to drop out of school, and therefore it's important for
there to be healthy alternative programs for these students.
Commissioner LeDoux recalled his time as an assistant principal
when the superintendant told him that there will always be
teachers asking for students to be removed because the student
is causing trouble. However, the superintendent pointed out
there are no "throw away" kids, there are just kids with needs
that the school needs to address. If a student left school
because of a conflict with a teacher, the real problem should be
identified.
8:49:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON related her non-support for charter
schools due to the fact that certain students receive an
opportunity that others do not receive. She expressed the need
for work to happen in public schools to create a wonderful
environment. She then recalled the students from the
alternative high school in Juneau who testified that they were
invisible at the regular school. Every teacher should take
their task seriously in connecting with the students, not just
in the alternative or charter settings. Motivation of the
teachers may also need to be taken on as a challenge along with
the other facets being discussed. She anticipated resistance to
change, but emphasized the need to proceed.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX related his understanding that charter
schools were initially opened because the [public education]
system itself was unable to change itself. The same is true of
the alternative schools. In his experience, the best place for
students is the mainstream school due to the many resources.
However, for those students who are unable to perform in that
setting, alternative environments such as charter schools are
important. In fact, he recalled President Obama saying that he
wanted to eliminate the cap on charter schools and desired more
charter schools throughout the nation.
8:53:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON surmised then that public education won't
be changed, which she characterized as a shame.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX clarified his intent to utilize the Alaska
Education Plan to reform and reconstruct high schools. He
opined that there are a very powerful group of principal leaders
and teachers in the state who want to do take on [reform and
reconstruction]. "I believe that Alaska is ready to go," he
said.
8:53:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER, referring to the document entitled "Why
Students Drop Out," pointed out that parental involvement is
last on the list of why students drop out. However, it seems
that reason should be at the top of the list because without
parental involvement everything is an uphill battle. She
suggested that parental involvement affords the student more
resilience for say the teacher with whom he/she has a conflict.
Representative Gardner opined that the document seems to
understate the role of parents in student success.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX noted his agreement that parental support
for education and teachers is critical to success. However,
it's the area in which the education system has the least
ability to control in terms of changing the graduation rate.
8:55:28 AM
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX, in response to Representative Buch,
clarified that national research indicates that about 50 percent
of students come from single parent or broken homes. He said he
would provide the committee data on that statistic.
8:56:09 AM
CHAIR SEATON, referring to his memorandum dated March 13, 2009,
pointed out that Item 1 proposes the following [original
punctuation provided]:
As we have discussed, there is a disconnect between
seat-time and competency for purposes of high school
graduation. The Department of Education and Early
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Development currently has a requirement that all 11
graders take the WorkKeys Assessment. We could build
on this by requiring that the WorkKeys Assessment be
taken before exiting high school, and having those
competency evaluations be placed on the graduation
certificate. This would be an attempt to not just
base a diploma on seat time, but would be a measure of
competency as well.
CHAIR SEATON offered that the aforementioned would also provide
an additional incentive to complete high school. He asked if
the diploma having additional meaning from the WorkKeys
Assessment would be valuable. He further asked if the WorkKeys
Assessment would be an appropriate assessment.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX noted his agreement that there should be
assessment information attached to the graduation certificate.
The WorkKeys Assessment, which is respected throughout the
nation, is the current vehicle being used. However, most
employers don't ask to review a high school transcript. He
opined that providing solid assessment data that has meaning to
employers would be appropriate. Furthermore, it adds another
layer of accountability to the student. Commissioner LeDoux
echoed his earlier comment that students will meet the
standards, even if they are raised. Furthermore, when the
WorkKeys Assessment is taken early enough it informs the student
and the parent regarding the skills the student needs.
8:59:38 AM
CHAIR SEATON asked if the WorkKeys Assessment has to be paid for
each time it's taken or can it be made available on the Internet
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for 8 graders. He then asked at what grade the WorkKeys
Assessment would be beneficial to implement.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX explained that the WorkKeys Assessment has
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an 8 grade component that is web-based. At the highest level,
the WorkKeys Assessment is a rigorous and informative exam. He
said that he is concerned about informing students and parents,
which he characterized as critical. Commissioner LeDoux related
his belief that a standard at the graduation level will work
backwards and thus prepare children for the exam. He opined
that the WorkKeys Assessment is a vehicle [for graduation]. In
fact, some states are using the WorkKeys Assessment in
conjunction with academic assessments in order to perform a
final evaluation of students. At this point, the state is only
using the math, reading, and locating information skills
components of the WorkKeys Assessment. The formula component of
WorkKeys Assessment isn't be used. Commissioner LeDoux noted
there have been some problems with the pilot implementation,
which is mainly attributable to inadequate technology. At this
point, Commissioner LeDoux expressed interest in using the
written model because it works, is reliable, and the only worry
is losing it in the mail.
9:02:01 AM
CHAIR SEATON asked if the test can be sent by disc to be used on
a local computer, or does it have to be used on the web.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX informed the committee that assessments such
as these are very proprietary. If the expansion of broad band
is successful, the existing technology problems will be
eliminated. Commissioner LeDoux expressed frustration with the
technical difficulties that get in the way of the quality of the
pilot. Therefore, the WorkKeys Assessment is being done on
paper due to the technology issues.
9:03:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON asked if the stimulus package for schools
includes funds for expanding bandwidth.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX informed the committee that the broad band
component of the stimulus package is not located in the EED
section. The University of Alaska and others, including EED, is
exploring [the broad band component] and the discussions have
been collaborative. He related the hope that at some point
there will be a comprehensive broad band initiative in Alaska,
even without the stimulus package, to ensure that all
communities have access for education as well as medical and
commercial uses.
9:04:32 AM
CHAIR SEATON asked whether using the WorkKeys Assessment would
be premature.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX explained that EED has a regulation that
will require districts to administer the WorkKeys Assessment
program. With regard to the HSQE and developing quality
assessments that inform teachers, students, and parents, [the
state] needs to take a comprehensive review of how to assess
success in Alaska's schools. Therefore, it would be premature
to say that the WorkKeys Assessment will be the principle method
for assessment. Commissioner LeDoux related his hope to have
quality discussions about this topic rather than react to
topics, which costs money.
9:06:54 AM
CHAIR SEATON indicated that legislation could be introduced in
order to illustrate the legislature's intent of accomplishing
achievement.
9:07:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER directed attention to the dropout
statistics encompassed in the March 9, 2009, handout, entitled
"Graduation Rates in Alaska Fact Sheet." The data illustrates
that from 2004-2008 the drop-out rates are consistently falling,
albeit slightly. However, the dropout rates for students
identified for special education services are climbing. She
requested discussion on the aforementioned.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX pointed out that the document entitled "What
do we know about Dropouts and Why" includes predicators and
factors associated with dropouts for students with disabilities.
While many of the alterable variables of students with
disabilities and those without disabilities are the same, more
time for the student to become mainstreamed, a provision for
tutoring services, training for competitive employment, and
attending schools that maintain high expectations of special
education students are associated with a greater likelihood of
graduation. Special education students need special care,
attention, as well as the same things as other students.
Commissioner LeDoux opined that special education students need
more attention given to the skills necessary to obtain jobs;
these are transitioning skills that are required by law. It may
be, he remarked, that the HSQE for special education students is
causing problems in Alaska.
The committee was at ease from 9:10 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
[Although there were technical difficulties, the recording was
not impacted.]
9:30:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER readdressed the increasing rate of
special education dropouts versus the decrease in the overall
dropout rate. She then turned to the packet entitled "Why
Students Drop Out," in which one document entitled "TWENTY
QUESTIONS TO END THE DROPOUT CRISIS IN YOUR COMMUNITY" asks the
following question: "Does your community not expel primary
students nor over-identify students for special education
services?" She remarked that this is the first she's ever heard
about over-identifying students receiving special education
services. However, if students receiving special education
services are being over-identified, that should bring rates
down, she surmised.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX opined that schools make every attempt to
identify students who qualify for special education services.
He pointed out that many students enter school lacking some of
the necessary skills and quickly fall behind. As those students
fall behind it can become cumulative. Furthermore, these
students are sometimes referred to special education services
due to deficiencies in reading and other skills. He opined that
sometimes there's a subtle push to qualify students for special
education services because it allows extra help. However, the
decision regarding whether a student qualifies for special
education services is decided by a team. Regarding the
graduation rate for those students with special needs,
Commission LeDoux explained that often one of the criteria is
already at least two years behind. Therefore, he expressed the
need to review the assessment system and performance over time
to determine whether there's a steady increase in the
performance of the state's special education students. Although
the special education students aren't graduating, they may be
improving, he suggested. He pointed out that special education
students can attend [public] school until age 21. He explained
that the cohort, from which graduation and dropout rates are
determined, is based on those students that were to graduate in
four years and doesn't take into consideration that a special
education student may need to attend high school for five to six
years. A fifth-year senior isn't counted as graduating, he
said. Commissioner LeDoux informed the committee that if the
data of how many freshmen ultimately receive a diploma, GED, or
a school completion certificate is included, the rate is higher,
in the 80-90 percent range. Last year Anchorage reported a
steady increase in the performance of their special education
students, which he opined would be the case in many districts
throughout the state.
9:35:08 AM
REPRESENTATIVE WILSON, also referring to the document entitled
"TWENTY QUESTIONS TO END THE DROPOUT CRISIS IN YOUR COMMUNITY,"
directed attention to the first question, which includes the
question: "Which middle schools send students to high schools
with low graduation rates?" She asked whether EED reviews
whether students are lacking in areas by the time those students
arrive at middle schools and intervene [at the middle school
level] or wait until the crisis arises
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX answered that NCLB allows EED to intervene
in districts that aren't meeting average yearly progress (AYP).
Through Senate Bill 285 of 2008, the State of Alaska allows EED
to intervene in individual schools. Commissioner LeDoux
emphasized that schools closely review their school-based
assessment data, which is used as the basis for individual
school improvement plans. Therefore, Commissioner LeDoux
related his belief that every school has a plan to improve the
success of their student body based on the SBAs. He said that
the SBAs can be plotted out and provided to the committee.
9:37:13 AM
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX, in response to Representative Wilson,
related that students are more successful when they have quality
teachers. Furthermore, all high performance schools have
quality principals and have districts that have an
administrative structure that provides support for teachers and
principals. He acknowledged that in Alaska there is a
leadership problem in some cases. One of the core areas the
district is seeking to address in order to increase the success
of students is to improve the leadership in school districts and
schools. The weakness in leadership is often found in
chronically low-performing schools.
9:38:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH opined that reform and systemic problems in
Alaska's schools will take time. He then pointed out that one
of the components that may need to be addressed is the public
awareness and involvement in these discussions.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX related that EED has worked hard to expand
the involvement of the public with regard to developing a
comprehensive plan. The department's first step toward
improving public education was to expand public involvement in
developing a comprehensive plan. Therefore, the first step of
the educational summit was to bring together 450 people across
the state to publicly discuss the challenges that Alaska faces
from early learning to obtaining a successful job. The
aforementioned was a very public process and as the results were
analyzed, the Alaska Education Plan was published. Comments
have been solicited and integrated in the action plan. That
plan will be brought before the Alaska School Board for
approval. Once approved by the board, it will be published and
sent out statewide. The process defined in the education plan
also involves the public in that specific work groups have been
brought together to develop specific action plans to achieve the
specified goals. The aforementioned is being done now. He
informed the committee that by this summer, all of the actions
of the Alaska Education Plan will have specific actions
specified. Additionally, Commissioner LeDoux related that he
has been traveling throughout the state to talk with Alaskans
regarding educational issues. He characterized the Alaska
Education Plan as an invite to anyone who would like to become
involved in improving education in the state. He mentioned his
hope to work more with principal associations because they need
to be involved in their own leadership development. He then
noted that he has worked closely with the Alaska Association of
School Boards and the Alaska Council of School Administrators
and has met with representatives of the state Parent Teacher
Association.
9:43:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE MUNOZ related that many of the strategies
discussed to [address the dropout rate] have been implemented in
Juneau. Strategies such as alternative high schools, career
academies, and vocational education have been successful.
However, in the Juneau School District one of four to five
students don't graduate. Furthermore, 54 percent of the Native
students aren't graduating. Therefore, she expressed the need
for a bold step to turn around the aforementioned. She recalled
that the former principal of the alternative high school has
expressed the need to strengthen the state's compulsory
attendance laws.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX related his agreement that the existing
compulsory attendance law should be strengthened. He explained
that around the state parents aren't being sued for their
children not attending school because the parents can just say
that they're homeschooling their child. He clarified that this
has nothing to do with the outstanding home school programs that
are available. He expressed the need to know how many children
are in Alaska and how many aren't attending school.
9:47:34 AM
CHAIR SEATON inquired as to the commissioner's thoughts on
raising the compulsory attendance age to 18.
COMMISSIONER LEDOUX clarified that EED doesn't have an opinion
on the legislation proposing to raise the compulsory attendance
age. However, he characterized raising the compulsory
attendance age as having pros and cons. If students don't want
to attend, it becomes an administrative difficulty. If raising
the compulsory attendance age is used to develop a plan to allow
a child to graduate, it could be a good thing, he surmised.
Still, using a higher compulsory age to force students who don't
want to attend school to do so could be negative, he said. He
noted that raising the compulsory attendance age could also be
used to bring students to crisis so that they are expelled or
forced to leave in some other way. There is research, he
related, that indicates raising the compulsory attendance age
improve the graduation rate nationally. Commissioner LeDoux
said that he didn't know how raising the compulsory attendance
age would play out in Alaska. He noted that other states have
more stringent compulsory attendance laws, and therefore he
questioned what would be accomplished with raising the
compulsory attendance age, but not providing any [enforcement]
teeth to the entire spectrum of compulsory attendance.
9:50:41 AM
JENNIFER DOUNAY, Senior Policy Analyst, Education Commission of
the States, referring to her presentation entitled "Dropout
Prevention: Recent Research and State Policy Responses,"
directed the committee's attention to the slide entitled "Middle
grades." The aforementioned slide relates the findings of a
2007 Johns Hopkins study. The study found that 60 percent of
the students who eventually dropout can be identified by one or
more of the following grade 6 indicators: failing English,
failing math, attendance 80 percent or less, or receiving at
least one out-of-school suspension. When a student, for
example, failed English and had the behavior or attendance
indicator, the likelihood of that student dropping out
increased. The study also found that most students positively
responded to general interventions, such as getting the message
to parents and students that English and math grades matter as
does attendance and behavior. Ms. Dounay further related that
15-20 percent didn't respond to the aforementioned intervention.
Therefore, if the student doesn't attend school one day, a phone
call to the student's parents and talking one-on-one with the
student on a daily basis could be helpful. Only 5-10 percent of
students didn't respond to the aforementioned intervention and
social services and/or counseling had to be utilized for the
student and/or family. Ms. Dounay said that she likes this
research because it utilizes information that school districts
already have, and therefore it's relatively low cost. She then
related that Mississippi has developed a middle grade dropout
prevention program that is modeled on a successful Maine
program. Directing attention to the slide entitled "State
policy responses," Ms. Dounay highlighted that in Georgia
graduation coaches are used in middle schools, which have proven
to have some positive results so far. Rhode Island and
Louisiana enacted legislation requiring the state board to
identify interventions for districts with graduation rates below
a certain threshold. One of the options the boards in these
states can choose for a district is supplemental education
programs or coaching for middle grade students who are below
grade level in reading or math.
9:54:10 AM
MS. DOUNAY, referring to the slide entitled "Rigor and
Relevance," related that many studies have found that students
who are held to higher expectations typically have higher
graduation rates. In fact, in 2006 there was a survey of
dropouts between the age of 16-24 that were asked why they
dropped out and what would've made them stay in school.
Although there were a number of responses, one of the common
messages was that teachers didn't expect much out of the
students. There are several different approaches in terms of
rigor and relevance. She highlighted dual enrollment. She
informed the committee that ECS has launched a state database on
dual enrollment policies based on a review of statutes and
regulations in the 50 states. Although ECS didn't identify a
statewide program in Alaska, she said she understood that there
are some local programs. She related that there are some key
issues when establishing a statewide policy that are likely to
increase access, including students who have been disengaged
from high school.
9:55:23 AM
MS. DOUNAY continued with the slide entitled "Rigor: Higher
expectations (and supports)." Based on research performed by
ACP and private researchers, ECS has defined a college and work-
ready core as the following: 4 units of English, Algebra I,
geometry, Algebra II, 3 lab sciences, and 3 social studies.
While most of the unit requirements are in place in Alaska, most
of Alaska's rules don't have specificity in terms of the type of
courses students can complete to earn Carnegie units.
9:55:56 AM
CHAIR SEATON, returning attention to the slide entitled "Rigor
and relevance," pointed out that it mentions proficiency-based
credit. He requested that Ms. Dounay relate the proficiency-
based requirement to the rigor requirements.
MS. DOUNAY explained that in a number of states a student may
complete Carnegie units by demonstrating proficiency versus seat
time. She offered to provide the committee with copies of
policy briefs of this matter. When discussing how to make high
school more meaningful, one must realize that a growing number
of states are moving to a proficiency based policy in which
students who demonstrate proficiency can move on rather than
have to fulfill seat-time requirements. She offered to provide
the committee with ECS's forthcoming policy brief on these types
of state policies.
9:57:29 AM
MS. DOUNAY moved on to the slide entitled "College/work-ready
core." She related that raising the Carnegie unit requirements,
even when there's a proficiency piece in place, isn't
necessarily enough. Many other considerations need to be
addressed, including end-of-course or other means to demonstrate
attainment of standards, which are often end of course exams
that are a statewide assessment. Ms. Dounay said that one must
also consider the need for high quality, targeted remediation.
The ECS compiled a 50-state database on remediation policies in
2007. The study found that many states don't actually require a
student who isn't meeting a certain threshold to go through
remediation, which is something that Alaska may want to review.
There is research that suggests when career technical education
(CTE) teachers team with a traditional math teacher who
integrates the traditional component into the CTE program,
students who participate in the aforementioned score about as
well as traditional academic students on math assessments and
better than CTE students without the integrated approach. The
aforementioned has no impact on the skills acquired in CTE.
Just within the last week or two, Kansas has announced that it
is going to utilize math and CTE grants statewide.
9:59:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE BUCH asked if integrated means that there is a
practical means for the math to be introduced and that it is
displayed in different ways.
MS. DOUNAY replied yes. For example, a drafting course could
integrate traditional Algebra or geometry components rather than
the student being required to complete the traditional Carnegie
unit for the math course.
10:00:47 AM
MS. DOUNAY, continuing with the slide entitled "College/work-
ready core," highlighted the need to backmap from high school to
the earlier grades. Therefore, to accommodate the higher
expectations at the high school level, the curriculum at the
elementary and middle grade levels should be "beefed up."
CHAIR SEATON offered to have Ms. Dounay continue her
presentation at a future meeting, to which she agreed.
10:01:20 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:02 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| drop out materials from Karen Martinsen.pdf |
HEDC 3/16/2009 8:00:00 AM |
|
| 2003-2004 Dropout Statistics.xls |
HEDC 3/16/2009 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Drop-out discussion materials.pdf |
HEDC 3/11/2009 8:00:00 AM HEDC 3/16/2009 8:00:00 AM |
|
| NevadaDropoutPreventionNov2008.ppt |
HEDC 3/16/2009 8:00:00 AM |