Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
02/27/2012 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Superintendent Presentation: Nome School District | |
| HB242 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 272 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 242 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 27, 2012
8:06 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Alan Dick, Chair
Representative Lance Pruitt, Vice Chair
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Peggy Wilson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Eric Feige
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Scott Kawasaki
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SUPERINTENDENT PRESENTATION: NOME SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEARD
HOUSE BILL NO. 242
"An Act relating to funding for digital learning as a component
of public school funding."
- MOVED CSHB 242(EDC) OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE BILL NO. 272
"An Act providing for a reduction in interest on postsecondary
education loans for residents."
- BILL HEARING RESCHEDULED TO 2/29/12
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 242
SHORT TITLE: PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING: DIGITAL LEARNING
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) P.WILSON
04/17/11 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
04/17/11 (H) EDC, FIN
02/20/12 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/20/12 (H) Heard & Held
02/20/12 (H) MINUTE (EDC)
02/27/12 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
MIKE BRAWNER, Superintendent
Nome School District
Nome, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided the presentation from the Nome
School District.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:06:09 AM
CHAIR ALAN DICK called the House Education Standing Committee
meeting to order at 8:06 a.m. Present at the call to order were
Representatives Dick, Seaton, and P. Wilson. Representative
Pruitt arrived while the meeting was in progress.
^Superintendent Presentation: Nome School District
Superintendent Presentation: Nome School District
8:06:55 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the first order of business would be a
presentation from the Nome School District.
8:07:09 AM
MIKE BRAWNER, Superintendent, Nome School District, began the
presentation with the district mission statement, which reads
[original punctuation provided]:
Educating Students in a Positive Learning Environment
to be Competent and Productive Citizens
MR. BRAWNER reported district enrollment of 667 students, with
71 percent Alaska Native, 14 percent Caucasian, and the
remaining 15 percent as other. The district has an average
daily attendance (ADM) of 91 percent. He moved on to the
average yearly progress (AYP) report, indicating that three of
the five district schools made AYP proficiency in 2011. Nome
Elementary made AYP significantly in the area of Language Arts,
through the safe harbor process. A bar graph, available in the
committee packet handout, titled "Nome Public Schools," dated
2/24/12, was used to compare the reading, writing, and math
progress for the last two school years. He provided the school
configuration, as indicated in the handout, which reads
[original punctuation provided]: Nome Schools Pilot Pre-K
program, Nome Elementary School (K-6th), Anvil City Science
Academy, Charter School (5th-8th), Nome Youth Facility (7th-
12th), Extensions Home School Program (K-12th), and NACTEC
(Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center) Career and
Tech - Partnership with Bering Strait School District.
Continuing, he reported that a district wide reading remediation
program was instituted this year in the k-3 classes, which has
boosted the reading scores, as indicated on the MAP (Measures of
Academic Progress) assessment program. He said MAP allows
academic gains, even those made over a short period of time, to
be tracked. School partnerships with community entities have
been successful, and the Homework Club is an example, which
allows club members an opportunity to receive free tutorial
assistance. The Alaska Head Start Association recently
presented the Nome district with the 2011 collaboration award,
in connection with the Pre-K program. He reviewed the
Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Learning (DIAL-3)
scores, and indicated the progress of the participants
comparatively for the last two schools years. Moving on to the
high school programs, he reported enrollment of 220 students,
and said that 12 students are in a successful credit recovery
program to earn a diploma. The high school has community
partnership programs, which include Junior ROTC and a Homework
Club. He directed attention to a bar graph, in the committee
handout, comparing the graduation rates demographically in the
Nome district with districts across the state. Moving on to the
Alaska Performance Scholarship graph, he indicated that 60
percent of the eligible students received this award; exceeding
the remainder of the state. The Anvil City Science Academy has
44 students. The four year program focuses on a different theme
each year. Art and music skills are taught by the class
teacher, and language is delivered via a computer based
instructional program. The Anvil program incorporates community
service as an integral aspect, and currently the Active
Community Teams Involved in Outreach for Nome (ACTION) is
collecting recyclable items to be sold and the money donated for
construction of a city park. He then reviewed a bar graph to
indicate the academic progress of the academy and levels of
achievement attained from 2008-2011, utilizing Standards Based
Assessment (SBA) scores. The district challenges include: a
winter storm, 11/8/12, when Nome schools suffered over $70,000
in property damage; the high profile delivery of fuel to Nome
via ice breaker escort resulting in increased fuel costs; and
January was named the coldest month on record. The community
and district operations are affected by these events. Finally,
he said that SB 84 was a help to the district, and passage of
SB 171 will provide a direct benefit to the classroom due to the
impact it will have on staffing.
8:25:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON noted 667 students, and asked for a
full accounting of the enrollment distribution.
MR. BRAWNER said the home school program has about 11 students.
The pre-K numbers are not noted, but the program has two staff
members who are expected to have 20 students between them.
However, 40 children are currently in the program, and 40 more
are on a waiting list, an area that needs to be expanded.
Finally, the Nome Youth facility has 14 spaces, and the
attendance fluctuates. Students who attend in Naknek are
considered in the Nome roll.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON inquired which grades have personal
technology devices available, for the students.
MR. BRAWNER said none. He indicated that interest exists, but
funds have not been available, although grants are being
pursued. The high school has two computer labs, and audio
visual carts circulate in some schools; providing limited
opportunities.
8:29:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked for a kindergarten entry assessment
comparison chart showing data on students who have versus those
who have not attended a pre-K program.
MR. BRAWNER responded that there is a very telling report
available, which he will forward to the committee.
HB 242-PUBLIC SCHOOL FUNDING: DIGITAL LEARNING
8:34:43 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 242, "An Act relating to funding for digital
learning as a component of public school funding."
8:34:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT moved to adopt the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HB 242, labeled 27-LS0845\B, Mischel,
2/22/12, as the working draft.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON objected for discussion.
8:35:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON explained the CS, paraphrasing from a
prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Two changes were made to the bill based on the
comments heard from the Committee last week when this
bill was heard.
1. Issue: No reporting or accountability for the new
funds
a. Page 2, line 17, We have added a reporting
requirement to provide insight into how the school
districts are using their digital learning funds.
2. Issue: Using the funds for professional
development
a. Page 3, line 14, e explicitly called out
professional development of teachers as a use for the
funding.
8:36:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON removed his objection, and without further
objection Version B was before the committee.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON requested that the required accountability
report include information noting whether technical devices are
retained at the schools for use at specified time periods, or
checked out to the students for continuous access. Research
conducted in Canby, Oregon, has reported that dramatic
scholastic improvement has been achieved when students have full
accessibility to the devices. Practice time is increased
through the availability the student experiences by having the
device checked out to them, similar to a schoolbook, he said.
8:39:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT moved to report CSHB 242, Version
LS0845\B, Mischel, 2/22/12, out of committee with individual
recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. Without
objection CSHB 242(EDC) was moved from the House Education
Standing Committee.
The committee took an at-ease at 8:39 a.m.
8:39:42 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON commented that the legislation is
important to facilitate change in the classroom, and thanked the
committee for the input and swift movement of the bill.
CHAIR DICK said there is a creative and inspiration aspect to
technological devices, and he said curriculum development may
well be improved by their use.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said the cost of curriculum is reported to
be reduced through the use of technological devices. The
teaching standards remain the same, but learning styles for each
child can now be tailored in a way that heretofore would have
been costly to create and maintain. He stressed that the use of
technical devices provides a cost efficient means to create
individualized, targeted, accessible curriculum.
CHAIR DICK noted that development and engineering of games and
applications for computer devices is among the ten most desired
college careers.
8:44:45 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 8:46 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 242 to CS HB 242 Differences 022412.docx |
HEDC 2/27/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 242 |
| CS HB242 ver B.pdf |
HEDC 2/27/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 242 |
| HB 242 Supporting Document TechNet 022412.doc |
HEDC 2/27/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 242 |
| HB242-EED-ESS-02-24-12 REVISED.pdf |
HEDC 2/27/2012 8:00:00 AM |
HB 242 |