Legislature(2011 - 2012)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
03/23/2012 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Alaska Tech Prep Consortium Presentation | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 23, 2012
8:10 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Kevin Meyer, Co-Chair
Senator Joe Thomas, Co-Chair
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Bettye Davis, Vice Chair
Senator Hollis French
Senator Gary Stevens
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: ALASKA TECH PREP CONSORTIUM
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
CATHY LECOMPTE, Post-Secondary Member
Board of Directors
Alaska Tech Prep Consortium
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented "Growing Our Own: A Systemic
Framework for Education and Workforce Development in Alaska."
DIANE MAPLES, Coordinator
Alaska Tech Prep Consortium
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented "Growing Our Own: A Systemic
Framework for Education and Workforce Development in Alaska."
ROXANNE MOURANT, Grant Administrator
Alaska's Learning Network
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions during the presentation.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:10:19 AM
CO-CHAIR KEVIN MEYER called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:10 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Co-Chair Thomas and Co-Chair Meyer.
^Alaska TECH PREP CONSORTIUM PRESENTATION
ALASKA TECH PREP CONSORTIUM PRESENTATION
8:10:53 AM
CO-CHAIR MEYER announced the business before the committee would
be a presentation from the Alaska Tech Prep Consortium.
8:11:39 AM
CATHY LECOMPTE, Post-Secondary Member, Board of Directors,
Alaska Tech Prep Consortium, said the consortium was comprised
of over 40 school districts, post-secondary institutions,
business, and industry. She told the committee about her
professional background.
8:12:11 AM
DIANE MAPLES, Coordinator, Alaska Tech Prep Consortium,
introduced herself and informed the committee of her
professional background.
MS. LECOMPTE said the story she and Ms. Maples would tell was
about linking, leveraging, and aligning the pockets of greatness
in the state that are happening in secondary and post-secondary
partnerships. She provided a brief history of the Alaska Tech
Prep Consortium. In 2004 the departments of labor and education
and the university decided to better align the secondary and
post-secondary education systems. These entities wrote and
received a Carl Perkins Act grant to start the consortium and
align what was already happening organically. She relayed her
experience as campus director in Ketchikan working with the
local high school.
8:14:19 AM
She explained that the consortium works to line up a sequence of
courses in a career path that a student can start in high
school. The student receives post-secondary credit for taking a
high school course that is aligned with a university course.
That course is part of a career pathway and it counts towards a
degree or certificate. Since 2007 high school students have
taken over 35,000 credit hours, which translates to about $3.5
million savings in tuition. She noted that a high school tech
prep course costs $25/credit versus $100/credit for a similar
university course.
MS. MAPLES added that this leverages the resource in the high
school classroom.
MS. LECOMPTE said an important part is that this program gets
secondary teachers and post-secondary instructors together to
talk about what the students need to be successful in the next
step.
She discussed the expansion from the course-to-course model to
other areas of study and the decision to focus on health. The
health career pathway follows the nationally recognized Program
of Study framework. She highlighted the six steps of the health
career pathways process: 1) to build cross-agency partnerships;
2) engage employers and conduct gap analysis; 3) clarify roles
and responsibilities; 4) design programs of study; 5) identify
funding needs and sources; and 6) align policies and programs.
8:22:02 AM
MS. LECOMPTE reviewed the Alaska Career and Technical Education
(CTE) Plan that was designed to align program planning with
projected workforce needs. The plan identified six strategies:
1) make transitions accountable; 2) align curricula at all
training institutions in the state; 3) identify career and
technical education delivery models to attain needed knowledge
and skills; 4) recruit, support, and retain high-quality CTE
teachers and faculty; 5) maximize the use of public facilities
and technology; and 6) establish and maintain sustainable
funding mechanisms.
She said the plan is to implement the Health Program of Study in
three local school districts beginning this fall. The consortium
is looking for funds to support the individual who will focus
exclusively on this program and leadership in the regions to
help make this model real for the students.
8:33:53 AM
MS. MAPLES reviewed the handouts in the packets.
MS. LECOMPTE highlighted that the investment that the
legislature made last year in the CTE fund leveraged great
results.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked how other legislators had responded to this
idea.
MS. MAPLES answered that they met with Senator Davis several
weeks ago and she recommended a meeting with Senator Thomas.
MS. LECOMPTE added that they met with Representative Dick's
staff.
CO-CHAIR MEYER asked how the distance-learning program was
working and if enough classes were offered to meet the Alaska
Performance Scholarship requirements.
8:39:26 AM
ROXANNE MOURANT, Grant Administrator, Alaska's Learning Network,
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), said the
distance-learning program had the capacity to offer the courses
needed in districts. Many of the courses were currently
purchased, but DEED was working to develop Alaska courses by
Alaska teachers for Alaska students.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS commented on early student disconnect, the cost
of certain virtual classes like welding, and the need to avoid
any perception that children were being channeled on a
particular course of study.
MS. MAPLES emphasized the value of the tech prep framework.
8:44:28 AM
CO-CHAIR THOMAS highlighted the importance of making students
aware of what it takes to be successful, the earlier the better.
MS. LECOMPTE responded that using the personal career and
learning plan as early as grade school allows students an
opportunity for exploration. The idea is to involve the region
and community to fulfill student needs. Using the framework of
career clusters and pathways within those clusters is also a
part of this, she said.
MS. MAPLES added that without a framework there is no
opportunity to link and leverage those resources. The work is
done in silos and the students are more apt to fall by the
wayside. She emphasized that this strategy can be modeled in any
community and help students be successful.
CO-CHAIR MEYER discussed President Gamble's recent presentation
and the goal to have all courses in the university system
compatible; the bills he and Senator Thomas introduced on
vocational technical education; and Mayor Sullivan's education
summit. He asked within what entity they envision the program
director to reside.
8:52:16 AM
MS. LECOMPTE answered that the idea is to continue the same
model with Diane Maple continuing as the staff member. She noted
that the funding ends in June, but the current model is that the
Carl Perkins grant funds come through the community and
technical college where she works.
MS. MAPLES said Alaska is still figuring out within what agency
the program best belongs.
CO-CHAIR THOMAS commented on the impact of budgetary constraints
and the need to narrow focus and avoid duplication.
MS. LECOMPTE highlighted that the established framework was
working.
CO-CHAIR MEYER thanked the presenters.
9:00:24 AM
Seeing no further business to come before the committee, Co-
Chair Meyer adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting at 9:00 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Alaska Tech Prep.pdf |
SEDC 3/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
Alaska Tech Prep Consortium Handout |
| Program of Study_ Back Page.pdf |
SEDC 3/23/2012 8:00:00 AM |
Alaska Tech Prep Consortium Page 3 |