03/21/2001 08:03 AM House EDU
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
March 21, 2001
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Con Bunde, Chair
Representative Brian Porter
Representative Gary Stevens
Representative Reggie Joule
Representative Gretchen Guess
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Joe Green
Representative Peggy Wilson
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 94
"An Act relating to initiatives for quality schools; relating to
pupil competency testing and the issuance of secondary school
diplomas; relating to certain reports regarding academic
performance of schools; and providing for an effective date."
- HEARD AND HELD
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS:
Board of Education and Early Development
Professional Teaching practices Commission
- CONFIRMATION HEARINGS POSTPONED
PREVIOUS ACTION
BILL: HB 94
SHORT TITLE:PUPIL COMPETENCY TEST;ANNUAL EDUC. REPORT
SPONSOR(S): RLS BY REQUEST OF THE GOVERNOR
Jrn-Date Jrn-Page Action
01/26/01 0171 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME -
REFERRALS
01/26/01 0171 (H) EDU, HES
01/26/01 0172 (H) FN1: ZERO(EED)
01/26/01 0172 (H) GOVERNOR'S TRANSMITTAL LETTER
01/26/01 0172 (H) REFERRED TO EDU
02/14/01 (H) EDU AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/14/01 (H) Heard & Held
02/14/01 (H) MINUTE(EDU)
02/28/01 (H) EDU AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
02/28/01 (H) Heard & Held
02/28/01 (H) MINUTE(EDU)
03/07/01 (H) EDU AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/07/01 (H) Heard & Held
MINUTE(EDU)
03/14/01 (H) EDU AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
03/14/01 (H) Scheduled But Not Heard
03/21/01 (H) EDU AT 8:00 AM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
DANIEL WALKER, 1999 Alaska Teacher of the Year
Kenai Borough Peninsula School District
148 North Binkley Street
Seward, Alaska 99669
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
MARILYN ROSENE, 2000 Alaska Teacher of the Year,
Dillingham City School District
PO Box 170
Dillingham, Alaska 99576
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
PATRICIA TRUMAN, 2001 Alaska Teacher of the Year
Mat-Su Borough School District
125 West Evergreen
Palmer, Alaska 99645
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
DAVE REES, Immediate Past President
Alaska Business Education Council
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
THOMAS HAMILL, First Vice President
Alaska Business Education Council;
Executive Director
School to Work
Chugach School District
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
JOHN HART, Treasurer
Alaska Business Education Council;
Director, Professional Continuing Education Office
University of Alaska Anchorage
3211 Providence Drive
Anchorage, Alaska 99508
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
SONJA SCHMIDT, 1998 Alaska Teacher of the Year
Denali Borough School District
PO Box 280
Healy, Alaska 99743
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified on HB 94.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 01-16, SIDE A
Number 0001
CHAIR CON BUNDE called the House Special Committee on Education
meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Members present at the call to
order were Representatives Bunde, Porter, Stevens, and Guess.
Representative Joule joined the meeting as it was in progress.
HB 94-PUPIL COMPETENCY TEST;ANNUAL EDUC. REPORT
CHAIR BUNDE announced that the committee would hear testimony on
HOUSE BILL NO. 94, "An Act relating to initiatives for quality
schools; relating to pupil competency testing and the issuance
of secondary school diplomas; relating to certain reports
regarding academic performance of schools; and providing for an
effective date."
Number 0273
DANIEL WALKER, 1999 Alaska Teacher of the Year, Kenai Borough
Peninsula School District, testified via teleconference. He
stated that he has been involved in the development and
implementation of state content standards for the last five to
six years. He said he has written performance standards for
geography and has worked with the math, reading, and writing
standards in the classroom, in writing district curriculum, and
in assessment programs through the Department of Education and
Early Development (EED). He remarked that he sees the standards
as a good guideline for teachers and curriculum committees for
guiding, structuring, and developing curricula. He said he sees
the standards as a mission for the schools that provides a clear
list of what should be accomplished. At the same time, he
stated, the broad scope of the standards provides room for
individual schools and districts to develop foci of current
subject matter.
MR. WALKER stated:
The standards have two important parts. You have the
content standards, which identify the skills and
knowledge that students are supposed to have - we want
them to gain. And then there are the performance
standards that ... hopefully describe activities that
students can do to demonstrate their level of
competency in those areas. It's very important to
remember ... the gap that exist between the ideal of
the standards and the high-stakes assessment of the
high school qualifying exam and the benchmark tests.
We've given a great deal of attention in writing
standards and developing the test, and now we need to
focus our attention on filling that gap in between,
which is filled through instruction.
Number 0424
MR. WALKER said:
We have to remember that these are content standards
and they don't address modes, levels, or philosophies
of instruction. There's a great misconception that
the standards are a recipe for success. But in fact
nothing could be further from the truth. The
standards are not a recipe at all. They are more like
a menu, a list of what we want our students to know
and be able to do. ... The recipe for successful
students is best practices, which is a list of skills
of teaching and techniques and approaches that we have
proven to be effective in the delivery of instruction.
And you put those best practices in the hands of
qualified teachers, and that's how we get the outcomes
that we want - successful students who can not only
pass the test that we put in front of them, but also
have successful, independent lives.
The standards are written as broad statements of
accomplishment that students should be able to do, but
they are not the Ten Commandments. And we have to
always be thinking of them as being under
construction. So, we have to periodically review
these and see if they do state what the people of
Alaska want our students to learn and [if] the
performance standards are written in a way that
teachers and schools can use them to develop teaching.
Number 0522
MR. WALKER stated that one thing he has learned from working
with performance standards is that they can't just be handed out
to teachers in the classroom; there has to be comprehensive
training, and there has to be commitment. Few teachers, he
said, in Alaska today are ready to truly implement standards-
based education. He remarked that he has a strong concern that
the performance standards in the last two years have been
overshadowed by the high school qualifying exam, and that for
some people in some districts the test may become the
curriculum, which is a dangerous precedent. He added that many
standards are not being tested; therefore, there is the risk of
those being minimalized. He stated:
We also will have some students who may be capable of
meeting the standards but not [capable] of passing the
high school qualifying exam or the benchmark tests.
Good teachers all know that we always use multiple
assessments. We never just take one snapshot of a
child and measure their ability from that. ... When
we introduce the standards and we introduce the high
school qualifying exam, we introduce a new component
into our institution of teaching in Alaska. And right
now those are kind of floating free and not tied in
with the other elements that we have.
... The education of my students is based on the
standards. Standards define what activities I design
for my students, and any activity that I do design
should be directly connected to the content standard
and justified by good teaching practices. ...
Teaching to the standard has no value if I don't teach
in a way that has some pedagogy behind it grounded in
what we know about learning. Teachers in Alaska
schools need the support and encouragement to follow
good teaching practices and not be drawn into a blind
alley by those of us who would have us think that the
high school qualifying exam is a curriculum and all we
need to do is drill and practice on those elements in
order to have successful students.
We create special learning programs in our schools for
students at risk. ... We teach our students to
understand the idea of the standard - what does the
standard mean and how does it relate to how they're
taught and what they are doing in school? We do
things like set high expectations for students and
challenge them. We collect samples of student work
and portfolios so that other teachers can assess
students as we pass them on to other teachers or other
grade levels. And we also give them practice in
performing tasks that are ... defined and described in
the performance standards. This is all part of good
teaching to the standards.
Another part of what I'm doing is sharing my
understanding of the standards with other teachers in
my school and my district, because right now in Alaska
there's a small handful of us that have a pretty good
handle on what the standards are and how they relate
to instruction. ... Finally, as part of continuing to
be a good teacher, I'm trying to increase my
understanding of the brain - of the learning process -
because that's all part of how we make students able
to succeed in life and meet the standards.
Number 0783
MR. WALKER addressed the future. He stated:
I would hope that four years from now I would be
mentoring new teachers and guiding them into
techniques of instruction that would use the
standards. ... I would hope that in four years I would
have time to plan with my fellow teachers, because
planning with other teachers is the way you can best
address the individual needs of students. ... In the
future we will be seeing more individual learning
plans where we are specifically addressing the
individual needs of students, because we have more and
more students that are staying in school instead of
dropping out, as they were 20 or 30 years ago. ...
Four years from now I would hope that the high school
qualifying exam will be redesigned to reflect the
minimum competencies that we expect students to have
and measure their true, essential skills of literacy.
We can look at the future in a pessimistic or an
optimistic light. I might be struggling with large
classes with many unsuccessful students without the
resources to help them. Or I could be participating
in ongoing staff development programs that support
professional growth for teachers. I could be working
with other teachers who have been trained in
standards-based education and were familiar with the
essential skills required of our students. I could be
working with administrators that thoroughly understand
the challenges and nuances of standards-based
instruction.
Four years from now I hope the teachers and students
have access to a resource room in every school where
students in need of help can get extra reading,
writing, or math instruction. ... Four years from now
I would like to be able to reassure struggling
students that the high school qualifying exam was
something that was within their grasp. ... Four years
from now I hope that I'd be working with a grading and
assessment system that is tied in with the standards
and that reflects students' ability to meet
performance standards and their grades. Their high
school credits [and] their high school diploma would
all have validity that's all integrated and not
distinct different programs that they have to pass
through.
On the pessimistic side, I could be sitting where I am
today, four years from now. And I would be better
informed than most of the people that I work with
about standards and their relationship with our
curriculum, working without sufficient planning time
with other teachers, without sufficient support to
meet the needs of my students, and unable to reconcile
how a student can pass their high school classes and
fail the high school qualifying exam.
Number 0982
MR. WALKER stated that in conclusion he would like to identify
what needs to be focused on over the next few years in order to
fill that gap. He said:
Number one, I think we have to look at our performance
standards and say, "Which of these standards are
essential? ... Kids should [not] exit high school
unless they have these skills." ... We should also
take those same essential skills and relate them to
the classes that are taught in the high school, so
that if I'm giving credit for high school English, ...
that English class should be directly connected to the
performance standards for high school English, and the
students' grade in that class should be directly
connected to their success in those performance
standards. This needs to be tied in with an ongoing
revision and update of the standards.
... The second item we need to focus on is the
recruit[ment], training, and retaining [of] quality
teachers and principals. And we are going to
[accomplish] that by having ongoing staff developments
that train the teachers in the things they need to be
able to do in order to have good, solid standards-
based education. I think one way to address this is
to have master teachers in each school who work as
mentors ... leading instruction, mentoring young
teachers, and supporting mature teachers in their task
of teaching.
We also need to make sure that there's a positive work
environment in the school, because right now we're
competing with almost every state in the union for
every good teacher that's out there. That means good
salaries and benefits, that means participation in
decision-making, and that means a place to work where
you feel welcomed and important and where you are held
to a higher standard, just like you're holding you
students to high standard.
... Finally, there needs to be a connection in [the]
recruitment, training, and retention of quality
teachers [among] the state, the Department of
Education [and Early Development]; the school
districts and the schools, and our university system.
Sometimes these three groups, all in the same
business, don't talk very much. And I don't feel like
we're working together toward preparing teachers and,
therefore, preparing students.
My third item is we need to have support for school-
based programs for unsuccessful students, because even
the best of us have students we can't give all the
help they need to be successful. We need resource
rooms where students who are not on track to meet
standards [are] identified through benchmark tests in
extra classes in reading, writing, and math. We need
to have tutor programs available for them and for
their parents. And we need to have support for
teachers in helping them learn how to work with those
kids.
I think that if we work through these three key areas
of addressing the needs of students, addressing our
need for good quality teachers, and making sure that
our educational program of assessment and measurement
is balanced, we are going to get a lot closer to the
goals that we all [have] in common.
Number 1177
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS asked if Mr. Walker could give more
insight into what it requires [to train teachers in standards-
based instruction] and how long it will take.
MR. WALKER responded that standards could be used as merely a
way of defining what the curriculum is going to be. The other
model of true standards-based education says, "You use these
performance standards not only to instruct what students are
learning, but also to evaluate whether or not they are
successful." He said standards-based instruction is very much
like a vocational program. He stated that intensive programs
for teachers should be school-based. He said there needs to be
time, before the school year starts, for teacher training.
Ongoing, throughout the year, there needs to be someone working
with those teachers, meeting periodically, to give them support
as they go through a transition. Also, he said, there needs to
be some type of framework for supporting record-keeping and
documentation, which is very different from what most districts
now have for grade-keeping and credit-giving.
Number 1372
MARILYN ROSENE, 2000 Alaska Teacher of the Year, Dillingham City
School District came forth to address the State Performance
Standards. She stated that she agrees it is good idea to bring
[performance and content standards] closer together for the
students and for fellow staff members because standards are a
measuring tool. She said:
I would like to believe that if I was measuring two-
by-fours - an inch is an inch is an inch - and if I
measure and cut my board, it's going to work. But
children aren't two-by-fours and they don't come
measured in inches. I have no control about what they
are when they come to me. ... We have many special-
needs preschool children in our schools. ... I believe
that public education is like a funnel. ... We are
accepting more and more children into our schools, and
I don't disagree with that, but that increases our
responsibilities. I believe that the funnel is
getting smaller and smaller [at] the bottom. And it
doesn't mean that most won't get there, but they sure
won't get there at the same time. ... And some are not
going to make it through this funnel.
... I'm proud that I don't work with predictable
widgets; I work with Dustin and Caleb (ph) and Mahai
(ph) and Ethan. ... I believe that public education
can provide different opportunities for all of these
children. One student I don't work with, his name is
Noah and he's four years old. And two years ago, when
he was in the special-needs preschool program, his
teacher came to me and said that Noah had some baby
food through his mouth for the first time in his life.
... This is part of the wide funnel. We've got lots
and lots of children who need extra help in our
districts.
And I'm also worried about a friend of mine in
Anchorage, Matt, who is now a former high school
student - he's 16. And he's out of state right now
dealing with some chemical dependency problems as well
as academic problems, and I was thinking, "I wonder if
benchmarks would have helped him." ... And I think
they would have, because I think they would have been
another flag for his teachers, and for his parents,
and for his community. Even though he was receiving
special-education services, there was no way to really
monitor other expectations that we would have, other
than he's just going down the road.
Number 1555
MS. ROSENE explained to the committee:
I teach fifth grade, ... so the students I have this
year have no benchmark experience at all. Part of my
job is to prepare them for a benchmark, and one of the
concerns I have about a district like Dillingham is we
don't have a system down like the Kenai district has.
They're much bigger, much more stable in many, many
ways than my district. I think that there are lots of
ways that a district can do a better job, but ... it's
a difficult job to teach in rural Alaska and to stay
there. You were talking with Dan [Walker] about
having a two-year program to train; well, that's if
your people are there two years from now, and that's
not always the case. This is the time of year when
the buzz [is], "Who's coming back next year, who's
going to job fair, who's not going to job fair, who's
got a contract, who's signing it, who's not, who's
leaving, who's staying, who can afford to leave, who
can afford to stay. ..." And that's exactly what's
happening in school district offices all over the
state, especially in rural Alaska.
I've also had an opportunity to attend job fairs in
Anchorage and in Fairbanks. ... And I've seen a lot of
people come in, not as many as there used to be. ...
You can't keep and train our people if we don't get
people. When I spoke with the state school board last
June, we talked about recruiting and retaining
teachers and the realization that we can't train as
many in the state of Alaska as we need. ... So we're
always in the business of importing teachers. ... Can
we remediate teachers and students? I think we can.
I know that I am looking forward to having more
training on how to be a better performance-based
teacher in my classroom. And I believe that
accountability is very important, and I believe that I
have high standards for my students as well as for
myself.
Number 1682
MS. ROSENE, in regard to the high school qualifying exam, stated
that she has spoken to kids in her class. She told the
committee:
As fifth-graders, they're getting a picture of what
this looks like. They're community members, and they
hear cousins or brothers and sisters talking about it.
But I don't think they're worried about it. ... We
have a school store ... and I believe that's a really
important performance standard for my class. ... And
aligning the curriculum to the standards is very
important. ... It's a time factor. ... We need
standards 101 every year. And Dillingham is not as
fluid of a district as many districts are. I
encourage you to keep that in mind, that when
districts are small, people wear many, many hats and
they have to do more than one job. A dream for me
would be in four years ... having teachers who are
experienced and are willing to work with new teachers.
Number 1789
CHAIR BUNDE noted that Ms. Rosene is looking at the high school
qualifying [exam] as diagnostic and that [the fifth-graders] are
not running scared.
MS. ROSENE responded that they're not running scared, but they
also haven't had a benchmark to see what it looks like. She
stated that a several of the staff members are working on
getting a grant for a class to offer practice tests. She added
that she has worked with seven principals, not counting last
fall when there wasn't one until January, and six
superintendents.
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS asked how and when it would be practical
to [train teachers in standards].
MS. ROSENE answered that it is a concern and she thinks some of
that is happening in the training of new teachers. However, she
said, she thinks "we're" looking at an extended school year,
concentrated times of in-service, and that it's going to take
people awhile to help mentor each other through the year.
Number 1938
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked how much time there is, currently,
set aside for in-service trainings.
MS. ROSENE replied that there is about ten days, on the school
calendar, that are dedicated for in-service. She noted that
these run the gamut from curriculum to behavior.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked if this is varied from district to
district.
MS. ROSENE answered that she thinks the number of days is
typical but what is done is different.
Number 2014
PATRICIA TRUMAN, 2001 Alaska Teacher of the Year, Mat-Su Borough
School District, came forth and stated:
I want to begin this morning with a few biographical
and philosophical remarks. ... I have lived and taught
in Alaska for 23 years. In 1978, I moved to Fort
Yukon where I taught primary. I taught there for two
years, then I moved to Fairbanks where I worked as a
reading specialist and a gifted-talented teacher. I
taught there for five years, and in 1985 I moved to
the Mat-Su, and I have been there ever since. In the
Mat-Su I have worn many hats as a gifted-talented
teacher, as a reading specialist, and currently I
teach middle school language arts at Palmer Junior
Middle School. Palmer Junior Middle School is a
school of 750 students, and I do believe that we are
representative of the unique diversity of Alaska. I'm
also a National Board Certified Teacher in language
arts and I have a master's degree from BreadLoaf
School of English. ... I had the opportunity to travel
to Japan on a Fulbright to work with Japanese teachers
and compare our systems of education, which was
interesting and enlightening. I also sit on the Board
of Professional Teaching Practices, so I also see that
side of education.
Throughout my teaching [career], ... I've worked very
hard. All teachers I know work very hard. And I
expect the best and beyond for myself; I expect the
best and beyond from my students. Their success is
our teachers' accomplishments. Teachers don't work
for recognition, or fame, or fortune, ... but they
work for our future, and our future [is] our children.
As a National Board Teacher, I definitely understand
the meaning [and] implication of standards as well as
the process of demonstrating competency in meeting
those standards. I believe that performance standards
are important for students. Performance standards are
important for schools, administrators, and teachers.
I know that Alaska's performance standards were
developed by educators, and they match standards of
many other states. I believe that standards are
essential, but I do not believe they are sufficient to
encompass everything students need to learn in school.
The math, reading, and writing performance standards
clearly speak to the following: they define
expectations; they drive the realignment of
curriculum; they provide a framework for assessment
and instruction; they provide evidence for educational
delivery and reform; and they also provide evidence
for intervention and elaboration. And when I use the
term "intervention" it's what most people use [as]
remediation.
Number 2157
MS. TRUMAN continued, stating to the committee:
Currently, there is much panicked discussion about the
math standards. And although I am not a math teacher,
I integrate math standards into the language arts
curriculum and am familiar enough with them to suggest
that rethinking and regrouping is necessary. And that
process should include educators, parents, students,
and community members as we struggle with the answers
to two basic questions: What do students really need
to know, and when do they really need to know it? In
reference to the "when" question, it makes more sense
to move the sixth-grade benchmark to fifth grade.
Presently, sixth-grade students are asked to
demonstrate proficiency relative to fifth-grade
standards in all three areas. What this means is that
students then only have one and a half years, which is
seventh and part of eighth grade, to thoroughly
prepare for the eighth-grade benchmark. Additionally,
access to test data at the end of the fifth grade
would provide clear evidence for the kind of
instructional strategies necessary at middle school,
thus ensuring a smoother, more defined transition.
The reading standards clearly articulate definite
transitions as students progress from learning to read
through reading to learn. Students are asked to
demonstrate basic proficiency in comprehension,
summarization, analysis, [and] evaluation, which are
all an application of the higher-order thinking
skills. Reading standards provide students the tools
needed to function as informed, literate, and creative
thinkers.
In the 16th century, Francis Bacon wrote, "Reading
maketh a full man, conference a ready man, and writing
an exact man." Accordingly, writing standards provide
the framework for effective, exact communication.
Students absolutely should be able to demonstrate
proficiency in the art of paragraph writing and skill
in the writing for a variety of audiences - business,
employment, observations, letters, essays, inquiry,
research, just to name a few. I believe that the
math, reading, and writing standards clearly define
essentially what students should know and be able to
do, and to ask students to demonstrate proficiency is
fair and right.
Number 2246
MS. TRUMAN continued, stating:
In the Mat-Su School District we are working to ensure
program deliver includes standards assessment and
instruction. This process involves realignment of
curricula to reflect standards-based, assessment-
driven delivery - a metaphorical weeding and watering.
As I see it, the dilemma for teachers is not in
standards-based instruction. And this is my response
to the ubiquitous outcry: "If you haven't been
teaching standards for all these years, what have you
been doing?" Teachers have been teaching to standards
since time began, but assessment has been different.
Assessing performance standards precludes performance
assessment; it's the assessments that drive the
instruction, ultimately ensuring learning proficiency.
At the same time, while students may be meeting
standards through instruction, they are not
necessarily guaranteed proficiency simply because they
are not practiced in performance assessment. Both
teachers and students need to get up to speed. If
folks don't know about assessment, it's impossible to
begin to talk about intervention and elaboration.
In my classroom, and in some pockets across the
district in the state, I am integrating curriculum
more thoroughly and comprehensively. When thinking
about intervention and elaboration, I don't think
more, I think different. My students have been
through eight years of school. If they don't have the
skills, they don't need more of the same. If they do
have the skills, they don't need more of the same.
[When] integrating the curriculum ... the integration
has to include humanities, which is art, and history,
and science, and math, and technology, and
employability, and assets. ... Integrating the
curriculum, creates an environment of discovery and
making connections, and provides that authentic
experience. My most compelling fear about standards-
based instruction and assessment is that intervention
will limit student participation in the sciences and
arts.
Alaska is geographically rich and culturally diverse.
Why not recreate informational landscapes for students
as beautiful, exciting, and full of wonder as our
state through the arts and science? That's where
students discover the wonder and the learning begins,
and the learning changes, and the learning continues.
Other happenings in my classroom, and across the state
and across the district, are community-based and more
parent-involved activities. An example of a
community-based activity that begins in my classroom
is a weekly radio show. They [students] write the
copy and they talk about our school and they talk
about their issues and they talk about our community.
That's authentic assessment.
TAPE 01-16, SIDE B
MS. TRUMAN continued [begins mid-speech because of tape change]:
... provide students with authentic experiences to
validate the importance and usefulness of their
learning. And in addition, all teachers should work
with students on test-taking strategies - the "how" of
the assessments. Finally, across the buildings and
districts and state, professional conversations and
development are taking place as we strive to improve
student-assessment instruction through data-driven
instructional audits. How do we know our programs are
successful? I have been personally involved in this
process as a quality school consultant and have worked
with the districts throughout the state as well as in
my own building with teachers and working on the
standards-based instruction and assessment.
Looking ahead four years from now, I would expect my
classroom will actually look much the same, except
that I expect to be more practiced and more
intentional with gathering and using data. I expect
that this will be the case across classrooms and
districts and across the state. At the district level
I expect we will have developed a variety of measures
to check students' progress toward state as well as
district standards. In addition, the district will
have well-developed early intervention strategies to
ensure all students' success in demonstrating
proficiency in meeting standards.
Having said this, however, I must point out the
following: Fifteen years ago, PTR (pupil teacher
ration) at Palmer Junior Middle School was 15 to 1 -
class sizes were optimal. Today, because of cutbacks
due to budget cuts, the average number of students in
my classes has doubled. This is unacceptable. Think
about what is being asked of me as well of other
teachers across the state: quality instruction,
quality writing instruction. ... It's humanly
impossible to assess 120 essays a week and to provide
individual feedback; yet the bar continues to be
raised. And what are the ramifications? During my
tenure at the Mat-Su I have enjoyed the company of
five different principals and seven different
superintendents.
Number 2267
MS. TRUMAN continued, stating:
I might also mention our textbooks - which there are
not enough for every student - are 12 years old
because there's no money to buy new ones. Perhaps
literature is timeless, but textbooks are not. Think
about what you're asking, and think about to what
length you are willing to support the response. I had
a professor once tell me, "Don't worry so much about
the answers, just enjoy the questions." ... I have
some questions for you to enjoy. ... How do benchmarks
[and] the high school qualifying exam correlate with
the California Achievement Test? They are different
kinds of test: one's performance, one's norm-
referenced. And what are the implications? In what
ways do parent-teacher ratio and student attendance
influence success? What's the level of parental
involvement? What about the community? Instructional
materials, are they adequate? Are they current? Do
they meet the standards?
MS. TRUMAN continued, asking:
Does professional development reflect community and
educational needs at the grassroots level? Are
"drive-by" in-services a thing of the past? Does
instructional delivery embrace integrated curricula?
What about higher ed [education]? Are they on the
same page? Teacher training, pre-service, continuing
ed, do these services reflect standards-based
assessment instructions? ... How many teachers are
seeking National Board Certification - a process that
is representative of the ultimate in professional
development? And by the same token, are teachers who
have earned National Board Certification being
rewarded and/or recognized as experts in the field?
... Do assessments take into account individual
differences? And what about intervention and
elaboration? What about the kids who pass the first
time? And the final question: to delay or not to
delay?
Number 2128
MS. Truman concluded by stating:
And might I just suggest ... if we allow for
individual differences in the classroom, why not allow
for individual differences for the districts across
the state and let the districts decide, through
writing an educational reform plan, taking a look at
what's happening in their district, and let them
decide when it's appropriate - 2004, 2006 - for the
High School Qualifying Exam to begin to count.
Number 2142
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS remarked that it sounds as if Ms. Truman
is not entirely satisfied with the exit exam. He asked her to
comment on the content of the test.
MS. TRUMAN responded that her dissatisfaction is not so much
with the exam itself but with the limitations of the exam. She
stated that she would hate to see kids who have not passed tenth
grade be funneled into an intervention track, where they would
not have the experience of the arts and the sciences. She added
that she would strongly suggest that performance standards be
taught primarily through integrated curricula.
Number 1945
DAVE REES, Immediate Past President, Alaska Business Education
Council (ABEC), came forth and explained that ABEC started in
1998 and that some of the members on the board where members of
the original Alaska's Youth Ready for Work group. He said in
1989 that group of employers met with a number of educators
across the state representing about 60 percent of Alaska's
employment. They began looking at what kinds of skills,
behaviors, and attitudes need to be developed within the school
system. He remarked that ABEC's real focus has been
employability of students - how to get the transition of
students into the world of work. He said the purpose for being
here is to respond to the question of what ABEC can do to assist
in this case.
CHAIR BUNDE remarked that Mr. Kronberg, head of NEA [National
Education Association], had invited him to a conference with
business leaders who expressed frustration that even though
their standards weren't very high, high school graduates weren't
able to meet them. He asked what ABEC expects of someone who
leaves high school.
Number 1765
THOMAS HAMILL, First Vice President, Alaska Business Education
Council; Executive Director, School to Work, Chugach School
District, came forth and stated:
Since inception the ABEC has researched, evaluated,
awarded, and promoted best practices in education that
are found throughout our great state. ... From our
efforts we have discovered a strong correlation
between the presence of the following system
component, which when found in an aligned system
optimize results and, most importantly, improve
student achievement.
MR. HAMILL spoke of shared visionary leadership. He stated:
District leadership provides direction, resources,
staff development and professional development
opportunities; removes barriers; promotes best
practices; aligns and coordinates all processes and
components to ensure an effective, efficient system
and staff that are accountable for results and student
achievement.
MR. HAMILL listed performance-based quality standards and
measures:
Strong foundation in basic skill, integrated and
applied at higher levels; clear, high developmental
expectations and standards for all students;
continuous authentic assessment and evaluation;
progression through performance; accountability for
all for performance; an integrated curriculum
including thematic units, critical thinking, problem
solving, and projects; application of learning through
simulations, contextual experiences, work-based
learning opportunities; and including the
employability and SCANS (Secretary's Commission on
Achieving Necessary Skills) skills. There needs to be
a character education piece; there needs to be
transition planning and practice; there needs to be
regular goal-setting and continuous improvement
throughout the operations - all coming to fruition
with a meaningful diploma.
The results: [Graduates] prepared to pass the exit
exam and apply their learning. [Individuals] fully
prepared and qualified to transition into their next
phase of training or employment, live and learn
independently, and be a contributing member of
society. All the individual needs of students need to
be met.
Number 1642
MR. HAMILL explained that learning-centered education develops
the full potential of all students and promotes active and
applied learning. He said lessons and units are made relevant
and meaningful to all learning; there need to be individual
learning plans and career plans for each student. Student
learning profiles that find out which way each student learns
best and make them fully aware of those practices [are
discovered through such questions as]: What are their learning
styles? What is their emotional intelligence? And what [are]
their values?
MR. HAMILL stated that it is necessary to involve all aspects of
communities, and for everybody to be accountable for the system
and the results of the system. He said it is important to
formulate community-learning partnerships that have input into
the curriculum and reinforce, regularly, the learning and values
of the system. He added that the prescriptive prevention is
accomplished through engaging students and building strong
assets, strong community connections, resiliency skills, and
relationships with significant adults.
Number 1593
MR. HAMILL stated that as far as staffing, the staff has to be
philosophically aligned and participate regularly in staff and
professional development. Teachers are professional learning
facilitators and are responsible for the success of each
student; they should be compensated accordingly. And, he said,
the staff need to be competent, compassionate, and life-long
learners.
MR. HAMILL concluded by saying:
We firmly believe that the aforementioned components
in an aligned education system that is valued by all
stakeholders will provide the best opportunity for all
youth to experience success. As we are establishing
clear standards for students we need to establish
clear standards of expectations for our students. We
also need to establish clear standards of excellence
for our districts.
CHAIR BUNDE asked Mr. Hamill to define for the committee the
individual learning plan.
MR. HAMILL answered that each student [in the Chugach School
District] has a regular, ongoing individual learning plan. In
the classrooms the mornings are spent on the basic skills and
the afternoons are spent on the thematic unit area applying
those skills. If there are areas in which students are not
meeting the standards at the time, an individual learning plan
is created related to performance tasks as to how the student is
going to accomplish proficiency in those levels.
CHAIR BUNDE stated that he was impressed that children [in the
Chugach School District] are very thoroughly tested to find out
if they are visual learners or auditory learners. Their
individual learning plan, then, presents lessons in their
primarily learning mode.
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER asked if there is some degree of career
planning or goal-setting.
MR. HAMILL responded that the Anchorage House Program, which is
a residential program for students, teaches employability
skills. The students then go out and practice those [skills] in
the work place.
REPRESENTATIVE PORTER asked if those would just be the necessary
skills to work.
MR. HAMILL answered that [they would first learn] the basic
transferable skills such as how to clarify and paraphrase in
front of a prospective employer.
Number 1423
MR. REES stated that the ABEC has been closely aligned with the
Chugach School District by lining up employers with the
students.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked: "How long has Chugach gone through
this evolution to where you're really enjoying some of the
fruits of your efforts?"
MR. HAMILL responded that the Chugach School District began six
years ago.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked if this is able to be done through
state funding or through grants.
MR. HAMILL answered that [the Chugach School District] brings in
about 60 percent additional funding, which is about $1.2 million
outside the general fund.
Number 1346
JOHN HART, Treasurer, Alaska Business Education Council;
Director, Professional Continuing Education Office, University
of Alaska Anchorage, came forth and stated that most of the work
he does is professional development for teachers. He stated
that in most school districts students are held accountable for
the results of their experiences at the hands of the districts.
He remarked that it is necessary not to underestimate that the
systems will dramatically impact the results that the students
see in their own learning. Most schools and districts, he
said, are accredited by some sort of association. An
accreditation merely says that the organization has met minimum
standards.
MR. HART stated that other districts around the United States
have sought to go beyond minimum standards by looking for other
assessments. Two [assessments] that many use are the Malcolm
Baldridge National Quality Award criteria and the ISO
(International Standards Organization) standards that are
primarily used by manufacturing businesses. He explained the
history of the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award:
Back when we were coming out of the price controls
that were imposed, ... during the days of the Nixon
White House, a group of people got together and they
said, "Well, Japan is eating our lunch economically.
But we do have some excellent organizations here in
the United States and in Japan." And they went out
and they talked to these excellent organizations - the
most successful businesses in the world - and they
said, "What do you do? What makes you successful?"
They did comprehensive studies of all these
businesses. They took the data back and synthesized
it. Behind the Baldridge Award and the criteria is
the assumption that if excellent companies have these
common practices, if we can somehow elaborate these
practices ... and other companies and organizations
can use them and follow those practices, they will, by
definition, then improve their operations. ... ISO is
a little bit different program that companies use that
want to do business in international markets. It's
similar to the Baldridge in that it's an assessment of
quality practices.
Number 1112
MR. HART continued, stating:
Characteristics of these high-performance
organizations [are that] they have a set of core
values. Baldridge will list 11 core values that the
organization holds dear. ... Malcolm Baldridge
National Award criteria is an organizational
assessment instrument. ... It assesses that
organization in seven major areas: leadership;
strategic planning; student, stakeholder and market
focus; information and analysis; faculty and staff
focus; and process management. ... On a Baldridge
assessment itself these are all "pointed". And those
things add up to 650 points. They put 450 points in
the results. So, for an organization to score well on
a Malcolm Baldridge criteria assessment, 45 percent of
that assessment is on results.
MR. HART explained that the Brazosport Independent School
District, in Texas, has had tremendous success with this kind of
assessment instrument. He said this school district is a very
ethically and economically diverse area. Ten years ago, on the
Texas exit exam, Brazosport Independent School District had
about 20 percent of its minority group passing the exam and
about 70 percent of the [Caucasian] students passing the exam.
Today, there is over a 95 percent "pass" rate for every group.
He stated that a lot of this comes out of work that Edward
Demming did. He noted that Edward Demming had said, "The People
are great; change the system."
MR. HART stated that originally the Baldridge Award had one
criterion for performance excellence, which covered all
organizations. In 1995, there was some thought that if this
works for businesses, perhaps it can work for schools. In 1999,
[Baldridge] published criteria for schools. Mr. Hart said that
because the national award went so well, 42 states now have
state quality awards. He added that Florida, Indiana, and some
other states are now aligning the school assessment system with
the state quality award system.
Number 0764
CHAIR BUNDE asked if school districts in Alaska are using the
Baldridge system.
MR. HART answered that he is aware of two: Chugach and Mat-Su.
CHAIR BUNDE asked if this is available to all school districts.
MR. HART said yes.
CHAIR BUNDE asked Mr. Hart if he knows why more schools wouldn't
want to adopt the Baldridge system.
MR. HART responded that it requires to change the way "you"
think. It takes time, and teachers don't have time to plan,
organize, and work together to change the system.
CHAIR BUNDE asked if an entire state has adopted this system.
MR. HART answered that North Carolina leads the nation in terms
of an aligned system with the state. It works best if the
legislature, governor, school districts, school boards,
principals, teachers, and students are all together "on the same
page." He remarked that around the country, almost every school
district has three goals: high student achievement, safe
schools, and efficient operations.
Number 0556
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked Mr. Hamill if Chugach School District
is able to keep the turnover rate down and if the teachers are
being paid differently through the grants.
MR. HAMILL answered that the [Chugach School District] has kept
the turnover rate down compared to the state rate. He said a
majority of the staff have been paid by "soft money". He added
that there is a performance pay system in place, but that he
doesn't know if that is soft money or not.
MR. REES remarked that the primary role of ABEC is to help
connect education and business, as well as to connect education
systems across the state with models that are working. In order
to have changes in the education systems, there have to be
changes in the systems that will accommodate the quality
approaches. In response to Chair Bunde's earlier question,
regarding what the expectations of the business community are,
Mr. Rees stated that [ABEC] has not yet met the expectations
that were stated in 1989. The [ABEC] wants to first make sure
that students can apply the skills. He added that it is
important to look at employability skills.
Number 0237
CHAIR BUNDE remarked, "We certainly want students that are
functionally literate, but ... we also don't want students who
are dumb-smart, that have a lot of answers but not very many
questions." He asked Mr. Rees, Mr. Hamill, and Mr. Hart for
their definition of a "meaningful diploma."
MR. REES responded that when a job application comes in now,
[employers] don't know now what the high school diploma means.
In order to do the job of pre-assessment for employability,
there needs to be a testing process.
MR. HAMILL replied that his concept of a meaningful diploma
would be one that is valued by all the stakeholders, such as the
exit exam, the application piece, and the employability skills.
He added that [there should be] a document that is a pictorial
representation as well as a narrative representation [similar to
an individual portfolio].
MR. HART remarked that he has two daughters; one just received
her diploma, and the other just took the high school exit exam
last year and will hopefully get a diploma in 2002. He stated
that he doesn't think there will be a great deal of difference
in the two diplomas.
TAPE 01-17, SIDE A
MR. HART continued, stating that in order for a diploma to be
meaningful it should represent concrete information about what
that student knows and is able to do.
Number 0058
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS shared a quotation he had heard, "It's
easier to change the course of history than change a history
course."
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE remarked that he is familiar with the
school-to-work program, and asked if there is any movement for
work-to-school.
MR. REES responded yes. For example, the ABEC will be having a
contextual workshop for teachers from a variety of schools at
which people from the industry will be working with the teachers
to see how they can add some of the concepts of the workplace
into the actual curriculum. Also, the ABEC is looking at
assisting in the provisions of both interns and externs.
REPRESENTATIVE GUESS asked whether [those from the business
perspective] care if there are modifications or different
assessments for students with IEPs (individual learning plans).
MR. REES answered that the ABEC looks at the portfolios as part
of the application process.
Number 0370
SONJA SCHMIDT, 1998 Alaska Teacher of the Year, Denali Borough
School District, came forth and stated:
Teachers have always used assessments; teachers have
always used a standard of measurement for good
instruction in the classroom. But the difference is
the change that we're making now, from past practice
... to a standards-based program. ... A teacher is now
addressing what students can do, rather than the
specific knowledge of content. We're looking at how
students can demonstrate what they know versus
isolated knowledge.
MS. SCHMIDT outlined some areas that are critical to her in the
classroom and the way teachers teach. She said:
One is the school district curriculum guide. And in
order to move to a standards-based program the
curriculum guides for the district need to reflect the
standards. There are implications there; those need
to be updated and changed. Instructional materials
... are the framework from which teachers work. All
teachers use textbooks and supplement to one extent or
another, and most textbooks in a standards-based
program need to be aligned to our standards. There
are national standards that textbooks need to address.
... We need to align our textbooks to our state
standards, to our district performance standards, and
the textbook industry needs to catch up as well.
Currently, teachers assess our students and reevaluate
them on the content that we have taught. Students
will be assessed in a standards-based program on what
they demonstrate. That assessment piece, as a
classroom teacher, has probably the biggest impact.
... You're asking the question, "What can a student do
to demonstrate [that] they have met these performance
standards?" It's not always a simple test.
Collections and bodies of work are needed to determine
that a child really has met a [criterion] or a
standard. The process of change is complex for a
classroom teacher at that level.
The communication aspect: We rely on a system of
parent conferences, report cards; communication is
based on mostly whether students have completed work.
Those who argue on the high school level about the
outdated Carnegie units will say it's based on seat
time. ... But our reporting system for students has,
in the past, been completion of a course [and] course
content material. We assess reading, writing, and
math, ... but it tends to be in the course. In a
standards-based [system] this communication piece is a
really important part that has to change; that's the
reporting process.
Number 0718
MS. SCHMIDT continued, stating:
Currently, in a typical class of 30 students, students
who have not demonstrated that they have mastered a
content do get review and re-teaching. But the
practice generally is that teachers move on in
instruction if the majority of the students have the
material. In a standards-based program that's not
going to be what you see, because the standards are
going to reflect what the students have learned. So
students will receive remediation until they're
proficient in the standards. ... The goal, then, is
that students will be successful, not just based on
what the rest of the class has done.
... Professional development is the last aspect that
needs to be changed. ... The past practice has been
that teachers participate in professional development
in order to improve their teaching. ... Teachers in a
standards-based are going to participate in
professional development to improve student
performance. ... The implications of all this ... [is
that] most of the changes are done by classroom
teachers. The curriculum guides that need to be
written are not generally written by professional
curriculum writers, except in larger districts. ... My
message is: When you ask about standards, this is the
model that we're moving to, and it takes cooperation,
and patience, and it takes a lot of work.
Number 0934
CHAIR BUNDE asked Ms. Schmidt if it is her opinion that the move
is worth doing.
MS. SCHMIDT answered absolutely.
CHAIR BUNDE asked what Ms. Schmidt thinks a meaningful diploma
is. He also asked how her eighth-grade students are reacting to
the notion that they will have to demonstrate knowledge in tenth
grade.
MS. SCHMIDT replied that this year, in the middle school,
individual learning plans have been implemented and students are
becoming proficient in talking about standards that they need to
meet. [The eighth-graders] are well versed because they have
benchmarks to meet. As far as their acceptance that they need
to pass a high school equivalency exam, she remarked that she
thinks they are at a "point of not believing that what they do
today affects them in two weeks." She stated that at the
current high school level, the district is happy with the
students' success rate. She said, "I know the individuals who
haven't passed. And they're the ones that my heart pulls for.
... These are not students with IEPs; they are students who
expected to graduate from high school. They had no reason to
believe they wouldn't."
Number 1149
REPRESENTATIVE STEVENS asked Ms. Schmidt what she thinks needs
to be done in her school, with her colleagues, and with incoming
teachers in order to bring [the students] up to speed.
MS. SCHMIDT answered that teacher-training programs need to
start training teachers how to teach in a standards-based
program. She added that her district spends quite a bit of time
on professional development. She said these kinds of
transitions are easier for some people to make than others, and
examples of success are the best demonstration for professional
development.
REPRESENTATIVE JOULE asked, for thought, how students from the
rural areas, where there is not a lot of economic stimulation,
recognize the value of the high school diploma.
[HB 94 was held over.]
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Education meeting was adjourned at 10:03
a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|