Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
02/24/2012 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Klawock City School District | |
| HB330 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 330 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 24, 2012
8:04 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Alan Dick, Chair
Representative Lance Pruitt, Vice Chair
Representative Eric Feige
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
Representative Sharon Cissna, via teleconference
Representative Scott Kawasaki
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: KLAWOCK CITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 330
"An Act establishing a Joint Legislative Task Force on Education
Standards; requiring the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development to provide information and resources to the task
force; establishing state education standards; amending the
authority of the Department of Education and Early Development
to adopt education standards; and providing for an effective
date."
- HEARD & HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 330
SHORT TITLE: STATE EDUCATION STANDARDS
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) DICK
02/17/12 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/17/12 (H) EDC, FIN
02/24/12 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
RICH CARLSON, Superintendent
Klawock City School District
Klawock, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided the presentation of the Klawock
City School District.
CHAIR ALAN DICK
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced HB 330 as the prime sponsor.
STEWART MCDONALD, Superintendent
Kodiak Island School District
Kodiak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified by request on HB 330.
GRANT FUNK, Teacher
Hooper Bay, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 330.
PEGGY COWAN, Superintendent
North Slope Borough School District
Barrow, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 330.
JOE BANGHART, Superintendent
Denali Borough School District
Healy, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HB 330.
DR. CHIP MCMILLAN, PhD, Assistant Professor
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 330.
MIKE HANLEY, Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (EED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 330.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:04:41 AM
CHAIR ALAN DICK called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:04 a.m. Representatives Dick, Kawasaki,
Seaton, and Feige were present at the call to order.
Representatives P. Wilson and Pruitt arrived as the meeting was
in progress. Representative Cissna attended via teleconference.
^Presentation: Klawock City School District
Presentation: Klawock City School District
8:05:21 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the first order of business would be a
presentation from the Klawock City School District.
8:06:28 AM
RICH CARLSON, Superintendent, Klawock City School District,
began the presentation with a geographic and demographic
outline. The district is located on Prince of Wales Island,
with a total population of about 850 primarily Alaska Native
Tlingit, in the Southeast Region of Alaska. Klawock is the
smallest single site district, with a k-12 enrollment of 136.
The staff is comprised of 18 certified and 14.5 classified
employees. He termed the district as being impoverished, with
73 percent of the students eligible to receive a free or reduced
school lunch. Additionally, 19 percent of the students are
classified as special needs. He presented the mission statement
indicating that it holds the belief of providing a well-rounded
education, with a focus on educating the whole child toward
being a productive member of the community. The administration
is dedicated to academic achievement, while also presenting
students with a hands-on relevant education. In that endeavor,
the mission statement is the driving force behind every program,
and school sponsored activity.
8:09:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked about the source of the mission
statement, and whether the community is involved in supporting
the mission goals.
MR. CARLSON responded that it was developed about nine years ago
through a collaborative process that included community members,
district staff, and the school board. Following a number of
revisions, it has become an enlivened, important aspect of the
Klawock educational system.
8:11:00 AM
MR. CARLSON reported that the average yearly progress (AYP)
requirement has been achieved in eight out of the last nine
years; the dropout rate was zero last school year, 2010-11 and
is generally low; attendance rates are high, over 90 percent,
which is above the state average; and the graduation rate is
always high, over 90 percent. Among accomplishments of the
district, he said that 100 percent of the teachers meet the No
Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) definition for highly
qualified. Also, Klawock was named among "America's Best High
Schools" for 2009, by U.S. News and World Reports magazine. The
district has a teacher turnover rate of less than 10 percent,
nearing zero, and occurs primarily when someone retires.
Student accomplishments include athletic championships in
regional and state competitions. Also, the student council has
received the national Student Council Award of Excellence, as
well as other distinctions. He said one of the unique aspects
of the district is the focus on providing a real world
experience by addressing soft skill acumen as well as acquired
abilities for job application. Soft skills represent the work
ethic necessary to hold a position of responsibility. The high
school teachers are required to base 10 percent of a student's
grade on employability skills using a matrix specifically
established for this purpose, which includes: attendance,
punctuality, being prepared, time on-task, respect, cooperation,
teamwork, and productivity. In addition, he said that Klawock
offers an extensive variety of extra-curricular activities,
which include: academic decathlon, baseball/softball,
basketball, battle of the books, cross country, band/choir,
Native arts, spelling bee, student council, volleyball, and
wrestling.
8:14:46 AM
MR. CARLSON described the weekly communication and recognition
assemblies, which are held every Monday morning for the 7-12
grade students and faculty, providing an overview of the coming
week's activities and events. He stressed that an important
aspect of these gatherings is the recognition that is given to
each student for the past week's accomplishments. Each
individual is honored for an achievement, and birthdays are
celebrated. The students and faculty of the k-6 classes have a
similar gathering on Friday mornings. These informal assemblies
connect everyone into the everyday, integral aspects of the
school. Additionally, the students gain a sense of ownership,
which helps to create a generally positive school atmosphere.
Regarding the educational application of technology, he said
that Klawock was one of the first schools to participate in the
Association of Alaska School Boards (AASB) one-to-one program
[through the Consortium for Digital Learning], and today every
student in grades 1-12 has a personal laptop computer. The
kindergarten students have easy access to iPads in the
classroom. Mr. Carlson said that the art program is consistent
with the mission statement, and stated his belief that the
district has one of the premier Native Arts programs in the
state; led by Jon Rowan, a renowned wood carver.
8:17:05 AM
MR. CARLSON relayed that Klawock has a long history of providing
a quality vocational education program. The program focuses not
only on the development of the technical skills, but also on
work ethic, cooperation, and pride in what is accomplished.
Noting faculty development, he explained that the district has a
number of committee meetings, which are conducted once a month
on a Saturday, so as not to interfere with the instructional
day. A variety of topics may be taken up such as technology,
school improvement, staff development, and career/technical
education. The meetings are in depth, beginning at 9:00 a.m.,
continuing through a working lunch time, and adjourning at 3:00
p.m. During the past 11 years, this approach has proven to be
extremely successful, and lends an integrated approach to all
facets of education. He said that, similar to other single site
schools, the building doubles as a community center, hosting
weddings, funerals, community meetings, and basketball.
Finally, he provided the challenges that the district faces,
beginning with the loss of federal funding from the Secure
Reserve School Act (Forest Receipts) and the expected flat
funding from the state. The anticipated deficit will cause a
serious reduction in staff, and preparations are being made for
a 20-25 percent cut in the teaching staff. Also, the waning
economy is causing families to move resulting in a declining
enrollment. Lastly, keeping up with the state and federal
regulations is burdensome. Despite these challenges, he said
that the district is proud of the schools accomplishments, and
committed to continued improvement. Finishing, he said he has
taught in rural Alaska for 31 years, and the progress in
Alaska's educational system has been tremendous during his
tenure. However, the future appears to be somewhat devastating
with the program cuts that are imminent. Declining oil funds
contribute to this, but he said the future is the children and
that investment needs to me a priority.
8:23:38 AM
CHAIR DICK asked whether the district contracts to Southeast
Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) for any services.
MR. CARLSON responded yes, for special education, preventive
maintenance, as well as a significant number of special
contracts. He stressed that without SEARHC the district would
not be able to provide the current level of services.
8:24:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON referred to the flat funding, and asked
why it presents some schools with more of a challenge than it
does other schools. Additionally, she queried whether other
programs were cut in order to maintain the vocational programs
that are offered.
MR. CARLSON replied that programs have not yet been cut, but
this year will be the breaking point. Further, he said that the
flat funding has allowed a maintenance level of services to
continue, but will no longer be enough to cover inflationary
costs; thus placing programs and positions on the line.
8:26:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE FEIGE asked what other funding sources are
available to support the district.
MR. CARLSON indicated that federal impact aid and city
contributions are received. He explained that the federal funds
are received via the Secure School Rules, which allows the city
to tally the impact aid as part of the local contribution. When
the impact aid is not provided, the local funding is
significantly reduced and the state foundation formula, in turn,
is reduced. The impact to the district, in losing Secure School
Rules contributions, compounds to a loss of about $425,000, from
a $3 million budget.
8:29:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI questioned how much of the 20-25 percent
cut in classified staff is attributable to the loss of federal
receipts, due to program expansion, or from the decline in
enrollment.
MR. CARLSON answered that it is primarily due to the loss of the
federal Forest Receipts, and that none can be attributed to the
declining enrollment, or to new/bolstered programs.
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI mentioned that a bill has been
introduced to increase the base student allocation (BSA) and
asked what type of impact it might have, and if it passes
whether cuts would still be necessary.
MR. CARLSON noted that passage of SB 171 will be helpful;
however, receiving a $100.00 increase on the BSA is a minimal
amount considering the low number of students in the district.
The BSA increase would provide the district with about $34,000,
when the deficit is closer to $400,000.
8:32:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON acknowledged the successes that the
district has attained, the successful Saturday committee
meetings, and other innovative actions that have been
implemented. He asked whether the Alaska Performance
Scholarship is a goal for the students.
MR. CARLSON answered yes; however, because of the district's
size, courses need to be taken on line, which creates some
problems including: high costs, ineffective delivery methods,
and not as robust as the students require.
HB 330-STATE EDUCATION STANDARDS
8:35:04 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 330, "An Act establishing a Joint Legislative
Task Force on Education Standards; requiring the Department of
Labor and Workforce Development to provide information and
resources to the task force; establishing state education
standards; amending the authority of the Department of Education
and Early Development to adopt education standards; and
providing for an effective date."
8:36:43 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:36 a.m. to 8:37 a.m.
[Chair Dick passed the gavel to Representative Pruitt.]
8:37:32 AM
CHAIR ALAN DICK, Alaska State Legislature, speaking as the prime
sponsor, introduced HB 330 paraphrasing from the sponsor
statement, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
The State educational content and performance
standards are the foundation of our educational
system. Upon them are built a massive superstructure:
The writing of the Grade Level Expectations (GLE's);
The choice of expensive curricula in 53 different
districts;
Thousands of teacher hours aligning new curricula to
the new standards;
Hundreds of thousands of dollars of professional
development;
Millions of dollars of new assessment tools;
Millions of dollars using those tools annually
($7.5M/yr over a six-year period);
Over $1.2B annual funding supporting the system driven
by the new standards; and
The quality of instruction for over 130,000 students.
The cost-to-date of producing the standards the
Department of Education & Early Development is
proposing for adoption has been $270,886. The
standards were created in eight separate meetings
attended by a sliver of stakeholders. The
superstructure built upon them as well as annual
maintenance will cost multiple billions of dollars and
directly impact every facet of instruction statewide.
My research has clearly shown that the proposed
standards have not been properly vetted by industry
and those involved in the career destinations of our
students. All curriculum presented to students should
have a clear pathway to potential careers.
Educational funding and student performance are under
continual intense scrutiny. These subjects are the
source of great consternation for parents, educators
and policy makers. It only makes sense that the
foundation of our educational system for the next six-
year cycle should be of the highest quality and
directed at fulfilling our mission statements.
The purpose of this bill is to gather a representative
working group that will develop a process by which the
standards are vetted. Once the vetting process is
developed, it will be available for all future cycles
of standards creation and modification.
With well-vetted standards, we can be confident that
the billions of dollars spent over the next six-year
cycle will bring the best result possible. We can
also be confident that we are creating a clear pathway
for intelligent, productive and engaged young people
to become successful at whatever endeavor they choose.
To do less would be irresponsible.
8:40:57 AM
CHAIR DICK stated that it would be prudent to review a report on
American education, and consider the need to debunk a long held
myth regarding educational standards. To review three findings,
he directed attention to the committee packet document titled
"The 2012 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well
Are American Students Learning?", distributed by the Brown
Center on Education Policy at Brookings, page 4 and paraphrased
sections from the synopsis, which read [original punctuation
provided]:
Data on the effects of those standards are analyzed to
produce three findings. 1) The quality of state
standards, as indicated by the well-known ratings from
the Fordham Foundation, is not related to state
achievement. 2) The rigor of state standards, as
measured by how high states place the cut point for
students to be deemed proficient, is also unrelated to
achievement. 3) The ability of standards to reduce
variation in achievement, in other words to reduce
differences in achievement, is also weak.
8:44:31 AM
CHAIR DICK stressed that standards do not act as an educational
vacuum cleaner, thus, raising the standards does not change
assessment results; however, teacher expectations will result in
scholastic improvement. He said:
Before the state standard and educational performance
standards are adopted, and the grade level
expectations (GLEs), the following should occur: The
legislature will assemble a task force that will
create a process by which Alaskan state educational
standards have been properly vetted by representatives
of major career paths of a high school graduate. The
legislature will appoint a task force. On that task
force would be a member from the house, member from
the senate, representative from the Department of
Labor [and Workforce Development] (DOLWD),
representative from the Department of Education [and
Early Development] (EED), representative from small
business enterprise, representative from subsistence
lifestyle, representative from parenting and
homemaking, and three representatives chosen by DOLWD
to represent major career destinations of a high
school graduate.
CHAIR DICK noted that a university representative and school
superintendents should be included on the list of task force
members, and welcomed an amendment to correct the omission. He
continued:
The assignment of the task force would be [to] develop
a process by which state education standards are
vetted to make sure that they're preparing students
for higher education, as well as career paths and real
life experiences. I would like to mention that higher
education itself is changing rapidly. Knowledge and
skills taught to prepare students for college and
universities will consider the current higher
educational trends and prepare students for what will
be, not what is or was. It's my opinion [that] we're
preparing students for what was.
8:46:31 AM
STEWART MCDONALD, Superintendent, Kodiak Island School District,
said that the district has invested hundreds of thousands of
dollars on adoption and maintenance of the current Alaska
content standards; an expensive and time consuming focal point.
The costs include: required modifications and alignments,
teacher training and retraining, assessment test changes
utilizing outside coordinators, necessary curricular upgrades
attended to by specialists, and software upgrades to change
grading practices. He stressed that the district makes every
attempt to ensure that standards and measurements are being
maintained; however, capacity for response has been limited in
the past year due to budget shortfalls, and any change at this
point may not be able to be addressed; leaving the district out
of synchronization with best practices of education. He said
that federal demands need to be met, and although recourse for
compliance is allowed, applying for appropriate waivers has
become difficult. In Kodiak, the bar has been raised and the
district has been able to stay ahead of the curve regarding best
practices, but the push from Washington, D.C., is creating a
hardship. Stressing how changes in the standards are a
budgetary burden, he said:
I'm asking for Alaska to take a stand, move slow, fund
the changes, get it right before investing in another
test, because, I can tell you right now, most schools
in the state will simply not have the time, money, or
resources, ... to realign their curriculum again,
train their staff again, and develop those local
formative assessments again, and create the confidence
in their teachers again, that this stuff matters and
connects to kids learning. Every change has an
impact. It's imperative that these changes are made
with long term planning, long term funding, and a
solid realistic understanding of the economics of
education. Give us a fighting chance to make
sustainable adjustments for sustainable results.
8:53:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON queried:
Are you asking to not implement the standards that
were developed through the process that's taken place
over the last couple years; and are you asking to
implement a new regime that would be a new adoption of
standards that would be more geared to career
pathways, that this bill calls for; or are you asking
not to go through a new re-evaluation from a different
aspect of standards that this bill calls for.
MR. MCDONALD responded that the ideal would be for school
districts to be given time to work with a set of standards that
create predictability within the measurement assessments and
that result in a recognized success mark applicable to whatever
path a student may choose. The department is working to comply
with a federal requirement which, he opined, will probably not
result in the described ideal. He suggested a compromise that
would allow the state to comply with national requirements, in
order to preserve federal funding, while engaging in an
appropriate vetting process to develop meaningful standards, and
remaining mindful of the financial impacts to each district.
8:56:04 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked for the superintendent's perspective
on the effectiveness of the current state standards, whether
they should be retained, and if they are relevant for educating
today's students.
MR. MCDONALD explained that measured learning requires a
stationary target, and continual changes in the
teaching/assessment system creates a loss of predictability
indicators, as well as a loss of the existing knowledge based on
past practices and behaviors. Regarding the viability of the
existing standards, he said, "Do they have holes, of course, the
answer is yes." He said standards are designed to teach
measurable learned knowledge, not necessarily to assess whether
a student will, or how they might, apply the knowledge; holes
exist in the system. However, in Kodiak, the district works
diligently to fill in the holes, based on a constant
measurement. Predictability is lost in a changing landscape,
which means the holes cannot be located and filled. He opined
that the federal common core standards may not meet the ideal,
and there may never be a perfect system, but a constant
measurement would be helpful.
9:01:53 AM
GRANT FUNK, Teacher, testified in support of HB 330,
paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
I have lived in Western Alaska for nearly 20 years and
in the village of Hooper Bay for the past 13 years. I
have raised 5 of our 6 children in this region.
Several of our children are currently raising their
families in Western Alaska. My kids have had the best
of both the public school system as well as a
homeschool education. I am an Emergency Medical
Instructor as well as an Aviation Instructor. I have
volunteered in the local school teaching these skills
for 10 years as well as teaching aviation to the
middle school and high school students full time for
two years. I currently teach an after school aviation
class as well as direct a local teen center. Overall,
I have been involved in education on various levels
for 26 years. I am an Advisory School Board member.
I am also the 2012 Alaska Air Carriers Association
Community Service Award winner for my work in aviation
education in our community.
I am requesting today that the State take the
necessary time to provide educational standards that
lay the foundation for the future success of all
students. We have entered a technological age that
has presented new opportunities and challenges for
this generation. Their foundational years in
elementary, middle school and high school need to be
the trailhead for a successful future.
We have much cultural and geographical diversity.
That diversity should be reflected in the state
educational standards. This diversity is reflected in
my own children. Three of our six kids completed a
course of study in college. Two completed technical
training. One is still in high school but planning on
college. As an educator and as a parent, I want to
provide the best avenues of success for my students as
individuals. They need a set of standards to act as a
guiding boundary into the future they desire to
pursue.
With that in mind I would like to request that the new
standards take a step in a direction that would
eliminate the "one size fits all" approach. We have
students that are hoping to go to college following
graduation and a greater majority of students that
will go into the skilled labor force. There needs to
be at least two sets of standards to better prepare
these students for productive careers in their areas
of interest.
A career technical education track (CTE) would give
students the opportunity to learn applicable skills
for jobs that are more readily available in rural
Alaska. Aviation, health care, commercial fishing and
construction have opportunities that do not require a
college degree. There is also a need in this category
for small business training as well as classes in
small government. College students often leave the
rural areas and enter the job markets appropriate to
their degree. That leaves others to start the small
businesses and sit on the various local councils and
boards. The middle and high school education system
could go a long way toward preparing students as
lifelong learners and leaders in their local
communities through a CTE track standard.
One Western Alaska CTE teacher I met with gave me the
example of six of his former students. They were
hired in various capacities right after high school
and are averaging $40,000 each annual income. These
students will not be a part of the welfare system.
They will have the opportunity to fund further
training or have their employer provide advancement
training. They are becoming productive local citizens
without a college education.
If there are CTE standards, the system is freed up for
a college track set of standards that will challenge
and prepare the college bound high school students
with advanced math and science classes. The upper
level students are often the neglected group in the
education process in rural schools. They need
guidelines that will provide realistic challenges
better preparing them for college studies.
Bringing in a vocational track as well as a college
track would not only benefit the student, but the
state in the years to come. When a person has a job,
they are less likely to wind up on the welfare system
or in the court system. At a recent seminar on
international business the speaker said, "Worldwide,
one of the best things you can do for a person is to
give them meaningful work."
That brings me to my final thoughts on plotting the
course for the future direction of education in the
state. One of our embarrassing statistics as a state
is the high suicide rate. Students graduating ill
prepared for the job force or even for a subsistence
lifestyle are left to wander the streets of our cities
or the rural communities looking for something to do.
Hopelessness takes over and lives, that could have
made a difference in this world, are lost.
One school teacher, who has also been in Hooper Bay 13
years, told me that she has lost 40 students or former
students to suicide or tragic death. Even as I write,
our community is again dealing with a suicide of a
young man. It takes its toll on families and friends,
as well as teachers and staff. The education system
suffers as students and teachers are emotionally
functioning at less than optimum performance.
The education system is not responsible for the high
suicide rate. I do feel, however, that it can go a
long way toward prevention by providing standards that
allow a student to learn the relevance of an
education. Vocational math, applied "hands on"
science, and technical reading all connect them to a
future with hope of becoming productive. These type
of classes give the non-college bound student a reason
to succeed in math and science because they understand
how it relates to the world they live in.
As an aviation instructor I have had the joy of
watching kids connect math to life skills as they
calculate take off performance of an aircraft on a
flight simulator. Students disinterested in science
became consumed by science fair projects that utilized
aviation issues. Their eyes were opened to
applications of vocational math that encouraged them
to learn because it had immediate applications in
their world.
In conclusion, I ask the legislature to pass HB 330
allowing time to gain insights from the education
industry. In doing so we will prepare a generation
with a measure of hope for future jobs that will
provide income for their families as well as boost
self -confidence and self- reliance. Anything done to
improve the family has the potential of decreasing the
suicide rates.
9:09:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked whether two scholastic tracks, and
standards are necessary, or if Mr. Funk is advocating for theme
based teaching as the best model for student engagement and
education/skill acquisition.
MR. FUNK opined that the standard system eliminates the high
achieving students and loses the under achievers. The students
that score just below the standard requirement become the focus
for improvement in order for a school to obtain safe harbor
status. A set of standards that would serve to push college
bound students to a higher level of academia are beyond what is
necessary for a student interested in developing skills to enter
the labor force or technical training. He said development of
two sets of standards to address a college track as well as a
vocational track would be helpful.
9:14:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON noted that some countries do have two
track systems. Further, she suggested that relevant education
can be applied to a subsistence lifestyle that would incorporate
math and science skills, such as the movement of a targeted
animal in relationship to the trajectory of the bullet.
MR. FUNK agreed, and said it would be helpful to have a set of
standards to address technical training.
9:16:43 AM
PEGGY COWAN, Superintendent, North Slope Borough School
District, testified in support of HB 330, paraphrasing from a
prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
I reviewed HB 330: State Standards, Representative
Dick's sponsor statement and the material distributed
to school districts by the Department of Education and
Early Development inviting comment on the current
draft of the standards. I agree with Representative
Dick's emphasis on the importance of the investment in
state standards and their effects on and use by the
districts. Our district is in a five year process of
comprehensive curriculum development, alignment,
integration and mapping and the state standards and
grade level expectations are at the heart of rigorous
academic content for this curriculum. We are relying
on a locally developed Inupiaq Learning Framework for
the relevance and integration of local language,
history and culture into our curriculum. We turn to
the state standards and grade level expectations for
guidance on academics. I also agree with
Representative Dick's sponsor statement's emphasis on
a thorough vetting process for state standards. The
Department of Education and Early Development was
right in extending the time between introduction to
the State Board of Education and adoption rather than
the typical cycle of the next meeting. This is a step
in the right direction to allow thorough vetting. As
Representative Dick explained industry representatives
and employers are important in the review of the
standards. Industry and employers are not likely to
review the state standards without the state being
intentional. As a point of reference, let me
summarize the process in the North Slope Borough
School District. The district's Director of
Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment is reviewing
them herself and getting teams within the district to
review them and provide recommendations for our
district's feedback to the Department of Education and
Early Development. These teams are made up primarily
of members of our district's own curriculum committees
who are guiding the work on our curriculum and are for
the most part teachers. We do include what we call
'steering committees' which are made up of parents,
businesses and community members in the review of our
own curriculum, but we are not including these people
in the district's review of the state's standards. I
do not know, but expect that the review by others
districts is similar, so the district's review of the
standards will not elicit industry review. To get
that review, the state will need to invite and solicit
it intentionally.
9:20:17 AM
JOE BANGHART, Superintendent, Denali Borough School District,
testified in support of HB 330, paraphrasing from a prepared
statement, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Over the past fourteen years I have had the
opportunity of serving on various standards
committees. These committees have always been
composed of educators that have volunteered to help
design standards. Our state is fortunate to have
these professionals give of valuable time for the
process. Our state standards are vital for the
continued educational progress of children in Alaska.
HB330 would offer the involvement of the Department of
Labor and Workforce, Department of Education and Early
Development, small business owners, subsistence
lifestyle, parents, and three representatives of major
career destinations. This type of partnership could
be the very foundation that would provide a consistent
state network of business, education, parents, and
other partners for career technical training,
continued high academic standards, and the Department
of Labor and Workforce guidance. Our state stands in
vital need of this type of Task Force for the vetting
of all future educational standards. This Task Force
could provide information for resources available
across our state. This link will build a firm
foundation for future grant potential, partnerships,
and the combination of state educational standards in
English/language art, mathematics, science, geography,
government, history, healthy lifestyles, arts, world
languages, technology, and employability. All the
consistent and professional work that has been given
towards the development of state standards would
benefit from this Task Force.
How can we not afford to stop and evaluate our current
educational standards and properly align them with
clear pathways to successful careers in Alaska.
Accountability is best found in the involvement of
multiple partners that design not only assessments for
each Performance Standard but consider the application
of these skills into actual practice. Accountability
measures in this process would include academic growth
and employment skills and successful job placement.
True accountability is being tested by all our
legislatures in consideration of this Task Force.
This approach would help lower unemployment, provide
future employees across the state, and encourage
accountability at every level. If we ignore this
vetting of our standards we are turning our backs on
the future of Alaska and our children.
9:25:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON indicated that he is, or has been, a
member of several other educational task force committees. He
referred to HB 330, page 2, line 28, and paraphrased the
language, which read [original punctuation provided]:
(f) The task force shall create a process for vetting
proposed education standards before the standards are
adopted by the state Board of Education and Early
Development.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON reviewed the development of the proposed
state standards, which stand in lieu of adoption of the federal
common core standards. He said the process has been underway
for about two years, and vetting, as well as solicitation for
public comment, has been occurring for the last six months. He
asked how, under HB 330, the vetting of the standards in every
content area by the broad spectrum of named entities is
envisioned, and how it will be accomplished; will there be veto
power.
MR. BANGHART agreed with prior testimony that if the state leads
the way in bringing industry to the table, there would be
involvement that could help the educators draw career pathways
in a way that would be helpful to students to understand the job
market. He said HB 330 provides a forum to bring big business
to the table in order to understand the process, and provide
input regarding industry related careers. Regarding veto power,
he deferred.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked whether the employment community
would be charged with creating or vetting the educational
standards.
MR. BANGHART responded that everyone mentioned in HB 330 should
be seated on the task force to be involved in the process and
industry would then be allowed input.
CHAIR DICK interjected that the intent of HB 330 is to have the
task force define the vetting process.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked for clarification of the vision for
the vetting process: creation of new standards or review of the
proposed standards. Further, he indicated that a definition of
vetting would be helpful.
CHAIR DICK asked for the question to be held, in order to
continue taking testimony.
9:32:08 AM
DR. CHIP MCMILLAN, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of
Alaska Southeast, testified during the hearing on HB 330,
stating that the STEM approach is missing from the existing
standards, and could provide a means to fill the hole that
exists. He continued, paraphrasing from a prepared statement,
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
I prepare K-8 teachers to teach math and science in
Alaska.
What I am about to say will appear critical of our
State Standards. It is important that you know that I
participated in the writing of the science content
standards, the performance standards and the science
SBA items. I am as responsible as anyone for any
deficiencies in these documents.
I also believe any deficiencies in these documents are
not the result of negligence or malfeasance on
anyone's part. As we say, hindsight is 20/20.
US [United States] students [are] not keeping up with
other nations in math and science.
AK [Alaska] cannot afford to lag behind the rest of
the country or the rest of the world in math/science.
We are currently falling behind in an even more
important area: Science Technology Engineering Math
(STEM) Education.
"We're doing students, parents and America's
competitiveness a disservice by not demanding higher
standards for STEM learning," Craig Barrett, former
CEO [Chief Executive Officer] of Intel and current
chair of Change the Equation, a group of 110 business
executives from Exxon, Lockheed Martin, Google, Dow
Chemical, etc.
"It turns out the most common educational background
for the Fortune 500 CEOs in the US is not business or
law but engineering."
42 out of the 50 highest paying jobs in Alaska are in
STEM fields.
The problem is
done by people who live down south.
Every state I have looked at has some kind of
statewide STEM initiative.
We have no engineering standards today. The word
"engineering" does not appear anywhere in any of our
content standards.
The Science and Technology GLEs have an implied focus
on engineering but never call for actually touching or
manipulating anything.
I have been unable to find any science SBA items
referencing engineering.
The irony is we used to have engineering and
technology standards for K-12 in AK. We used to have
an engineering and technology curriculum for K-12 in
AK.
It was mandatory for all children in Alaska!
The technologies include
Alutiiq kayak
Athabascan snowshoe
Tlingit fish trap
Aleut basketry
Even today these are marvels of technology and they
resulted from true engineering.
Problem solving, innovation, designing, then testing,
refining, optimizing those designs; demonstrating
grit, and working cooperatively. These are
engineering attributes.
These are what our resource and communication
industries are looking for in the workforce.
We should infuse these engineering skills and
dispositions into the current math, science,
technology standards.
We should seek input from business and industry, e.g.,
ARCO, Greens Creek Mine, GCI, and NOAA.
Teachers in AK will not teach to STEM without
leadership.
We need STEM in our standards, our curriculum, our
SBAs, our teacher evaluations.
It seems to me that passage of this bill will assist
in the appearance of STEM in our state standards,
GLEs, SBAs, district math and science curricula, and
thus our K-12 classrooms.
DR. MCMILLAN added that engineering is not mentioned in Alaska's
educational standards. As a participant in writing the content
standards for the current science curriculum, he said the focus
on STEM is relatively new. He said the engineering behind the
Native kayaks, snowshoes, and other culture related items, is an
inherent knowledge. Today, he opined, students lack grit and
attention span. The proposed standards should have STEM
inserted prior to adoption, in order to fill an existing hole
and help the Alaskan educational system to be aligned with the
rest of the nation.
9:40:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON agreed, and said it would be
inappropriate to have teachers create standards for areas that
they themselves have not studied. She surmised that the current
standards are workable but require review and possibly an
infusion of material in some areas.
9:41:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON restated his question regarding the vision
for the vetting process, with the entities named in subsection
(b) of the bill.
DR. MCMILLAN answered that the proposed standards are 100 pages
long, and oil production representatives may not be available to
review the full document, but could perhaps provide written
details on what is considered to be essential knowledge for work
in the industry, such as what is expected of an oil field
worker.
9:44:55 AM
CHAIR DICK added that the purpose of the task force would be to
create of the process by which the vetting would occur.
9:45:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON stressed the need for the committee to
provide one or more vetting model structures for the task force
to consider and stressed the importance for a clear
understanding of the vision.
9:47:37 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked whether there is anything lacking
in the proposed legislation.
DR. MCMILLAN responded that a key aspect is the ability to
translate the standards, curriculum, and SBA's (standard based
assessments) to an interactive classroom level. He acknowledged
the difficulty for creating explicit teaching standards
necessary for honing a student's disposition of stick-to-
itiveness and creative problem solving, which are important
industry traits. As a science teacher, he considers the
standards to be too vague, but other teachers may prefer general
standards with the details specified at the curriculum level.
He stressed the need to cultivate creative thinking and problem
solving beginning in the early grades.
9:50:23 AM
MIKE HANLEY, Commissioner, Department of Education and Early
Development (EED), said the sponsor statement is accurate, and
agreed that a moral and legal obligation exists to provide the
students with educational opportunities. Regarding the vetting
process, the standards have been reviewed for the last two
years. Alaska chose not to be a common core state, but did
choose to maintain a level of rigor to remain competitive. He
pointed out that 250 people from across the state have been
reviewing the standards for the last two years. The goal is to
incorporate the input from a lengthy list of stakeholders. The
importance is to do it right, not fast, which has been echoed in
the testimony heard today. The vetting period for the workforce
stakeholders is being extended, he said, and specific web based
meetings are also being held. The importance of a good set of
appropriately vetted standards is a point of agreement. The
process is open and exhaustive. Additional input from the
workforce arena could be helpful, as it is currently voluntary.
Further, the proposal is to have the current open process
supplanted by a task force of eight individuals, adding an extra
layer, which may not be necessary. Finally, he said that the
state follows federal regulations, and protocol, for the
development of standards, and any implications regarding NCLB is
a topic that requires further discussion.
9:57:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT noted that EED and DOLWD are working
together to meet labor force needs, and asked if there are "too
many cooks in the kitchen," and how the interests of both
departments are being handled.
COMMISSIONER HANLEY reported that the two departments enjoy a
good working relationship; however, the bill language does not
clearly indicate which department will take the lead.
10:00:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked for the specific standards that
are under review.
COMMISSIONER HANLEY responded that attention is on the areas of
reading, writing, and math, in grades k-12.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON queried whether the comments are by
invite only.
COMMISSIONER HANLEY answered that a simple change is handled
informally, but otherwise teleconferences are set up and
contacts are made to solicit further input. He read from a list
of agencies that make up the invitation list and said it is an
aggressive endeavor.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON suggested that the mining, oil and gas,
and fishing industry organizations be solicited for comment.
[HB 330 was held over.]
10:03:10 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:03 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 330 DEED Standards Development Cost 021712.docx |
HEDC 2/24/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 330 |
| HB 330 State Standards Effect of Common Core Standards 2012 Brown Center Report.pdf |
HEDC 2/24/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 330 |
| HB 330 State Standards Sponsor Statement.docx |
HEDC 2/24/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 330 |
| HB 330 Version B 021712.pdf |
HEDC 2/24/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 330 |
| HB330-DOLWD-MS-2-17-12.pdf |
HEDC 2/24/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 330 |
| HB330-EED-TLS-02-21-12.pdf |
HEDC 2/24/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 330 |