Legislature(2017 - 2018)CAPITOL 106
02/10/2017 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Virtual Learning, by Tammy Van Wyhe, Interim Superintendent, Copper River School District | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
JOINT MEETING
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 10, 2017
8:00 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Harriet Drummond, Chair
Representative Justin Parish, Vice Chair
Representative Ivy Spohnholz
Representative Jennifer Johnston
Representative Chuck Kopp
Representative David Talerico
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Senator Shelley Hughes, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens
Senator Cathy Giessel
Senator John Coghill
Senator Tom Begich
MEMBERS ABSENT
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
Representative Zach Fansler
Representative Lora Reinbold (Alternate)
Representative Geran Tarr (Alternate)
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATIVE MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Dan Ortiz
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: VIRTUAL LEARNING~ BY TAMMY VAN WYHE~ INTERIM
SUPERINTENDENT~ COPPER RIVER SCHOOL DISTRICT
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (EDC)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced the guest speakers and the
virtual educational program overviews that they would each
present.
TAMERA VAN WYHE, Interim Superintendent
Copper River School District (CRSD)
Glennallen, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the overview on virtual
learning.
TIM SHUMWAY, Teacher
Copper River School District (CRSD)
Glennallen, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the overview on virtual
learning.
JAMES STONE, Superintendent
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MBSD)
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the overview on virtual
learning.
JEFF BLACKBURN, Education Technologist
Office of Instruction
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MBSD)
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Co-presented the overview on virtual
learning.
ANDREA WAGNER, Senior
Wasilla High School
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the hearing on virtual
learning.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:00:31 AM
CHAIR HARRIET DRUMMOND called the joint meeting of the House and
Senate Education Standing Committees to order at 8:00 a.m.
Representatives Drummond, Kopp, Parish, Johnston, Spohnholz, and
Talerico, and Senators Coghill, Giessel, Stevens, Begich, and
Hughes were present at the call to order. Also present was
Representative Ortiz.
^PRESENTATION: Virtual Learning, by Tammy Van Wyhe, Interim
Superintendent, Copper River School District
PRESENTATION: Virtual Learning, by Tammy Van Wyhe, Interim
Superintendent, Copper River School District
8:01:30 AM
CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the only order of business would
be a presentation on virtual learning.
8:02:32 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Commissioner, Department of Education and Early
Development (EDC), introduced the guest speakers and the
educational programs that they would be presenting.
8:04:01 AM
TAMERA VAN WYHE, Interim Superintendent, Copper River School
District (CRSD), said many technically, innovative programs are
occurring in the Copper River School District. Although the
district is comparable in size to the State of Ohio, it hosts
only three, K-12 public schools: Glennallen (282), Kenny Lake
(72), and Slana (12), as well as the Upstream Learning home
education program (79); 445 total students. Directing attention
to the committee handout, titled, "Living the Possibilities:
Excellent Education, Every Day, Expanding Opportunities in Rural
Alaska with Digital Tools and Distance-Delivered Instruction,"
pages 3 and 4, she drew attention to the contrast between the
2012-13 and 2016-17 Master Course Schedule for the high school
students district wide. Four years ago, only three video
conferenced classes (VTC) were offered. The new high school
schedule was created to incorporate telecommunications learning
opportunities, and today VTC and distance delivery is totally
incorporated into the schedule. Every teacher is involved and
teachers are no longer associated with the physical school where
they are positioned, only with the class that they teach;
accessible to any student. Because of the distance learning
options, one teacher who, although transferred out of the
district, still teaches full time via the virtual classroom; co-
presenter, Mr. Shumway.
8:08:15 AM
MS. VAN WYHE referred to the handout, page 5, to list the
technological avenues being blended into the traditional, K-12
classrooms that enhance the learning opportunities, which are:
distance-delivered instruction; synchronous instruction via VTC;
fully on-line classes, also referred to as e-learning;
asynchronous courses; and a variable-term high school scheduling
model allowing a number of opportunities that aren't necessarily
technology based but allow a high level of flexibility. She
reported that CRSD received a digital teaching initiative grant,
the only district in Alaska to be awarded a Rural Utilities
Services (RUS) Grant, [U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)].
A definition of personalized, blended learning, as provided by
the Christensen Institute [founded on the theories of Harvard
professor Clayton Christensen, with offices in the Boston
Massachusetts, area and Silicon Valley, California] describes a
formal education program in which a student learns: at least in
part through online learning, with some element of student
control over time, place, path, and/or pace; at least in part in
a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and the
modalities along each student's learning path, within a course
or on a subject, are connected to provide an integrated learning
experience. The digital programs and equipment used to create a
blended experience include: i-Ready, Edgenuity, IXL, Actively
Learn, Nearpod, G Suite for Education, laptop computers, iPads,
Polycom VTC equipment, and promethean boards. She provided
screen images of each of these programs, and offered a brief
explanation of how they are applied [the images were not made
part of the committee packet]. The benefits of this approach
include: a guaranteed and viable curriculum; extends the reach
of the teacher; the content adapts to student needs; access to
rich, real-time data; portability of instruction; and
transparency and accountability.
8:16:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SPOHNHOLZ asked about the program Actively Learn,
and whether it integrates with the other software.
MS. VAN WYHE deferred to Tim Shumway.
MS. VAN WYHE finished saying that the success is in the details.
The district employs tech support people who work to keep all of
the programs coordinated and the systems running.
8:21:02 AM
TIM SHUMWAY, Teacher, Copper River School District, took up the
presentation, to further discuss how the distance delivery is
handled, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as
follows [original punctuation provided]:
Allow me to begin by saying that while I recognize the
value of individual e-learning courses, what I would
like to share with you today is an additional option
for addressing the access gap that we see in our rural
schools today.
Instructional Advantages
Real-time distance delivery offers the opportunity to
deliver high-quality, focused direct instruction to
students in an interactive learning environment. To
echo the language that Mrs. Van Wyhe has used, it
allows us to extend the reach of our teachers. I'd
like to share with you what that looks like for me.
Instructional Advantages (2)
Currently, I teach to all three of our district's
schools - in Glennallen, Kenny Lake, and Slana - and I
do so from an office in Anchorage. In addition to the
use of live video conferencing, I rely heavily on
Google classroom, a free content management system, to
facilitate the distribution of instructional
materials. This allows me to instantly share
assignments and resources, and also allows me access
to student work, even while it is still in progress.
In addition, every day I deliver and record direct
instruction and post it on the google classroom.
Students who are absent can view the exact same
instruction as those students who were in class, and
any student who needs to go back and review material
can do so at their own pace. All of the materials
posted in this content management system are available
to students at any time or place.
Instructional Advantages (3)
Video conference instruction is not at all new to
Alaska, as it has been used with varying degrees of
success for well over a decade. In my mind, however,
the most important development for the efficacy of
distance-delivery instruction has been the emergence
of truly dynamic and interactive content tools. When I
first encountered video conferencing as a new teacher
in Alaska 12 years ago, material was still being faxed
back and forth on a daily basis, and texts were sent
through the mail. Now, with tools like Actively Learn,
our content can be far more engaging and responsive.
The screenshot on this slide shows just some of the
features that a tool like this can offer....
At the bottom of the page, you see an example of a
question that the teacher can embed in the text. These
questions act as roadblocks, so that as students
answer, the teacher can easily monitor their progress
through and comprehension of the text. In addition,
teachers can create notes and embed multimedia content
to enrich the text. Student have access to a number of
tools as well, including definitions, shared notes,
audio, and a flagging tool to alert the teacher if
they are struggling with something.
When teachers are actively engaging with students in
this way, they are able to provide nearly immediate
feedback.
Feedback is Teaching -
We believe that direct instruction is important. We
believe that practice is essential. But practice on
its own is not enough. Pardon the cliché, but practice
does not make perfect - practice makes permanent. In
order for students to learn, we need to provide them
with meaningful individual feedback. Receiving
feedback is more than simply receiving a grade.
Students need to be affirmed when they are successful,
and the teacher needs to be able to intervene,
redirect, and guide students forward when they
struggle.
So while direct instruction and practice remain vital,
our new mantra has become, "The feedback is the
teaching."
Actively Learn and tools like it demand that every
student grapple with every question, while also
providing teachers with an efficient vehicle for
giving individual, personalized feedback in real-time
so that students can correct their misunderstandings.
When we do this, we are personalizing their learning -
addressing with each individual the concepts and ideas
that they need reinforced.
Feedback is Teaching (2) -
Another great tool for providing meaningful,
personalized feedback is Google Docs. In a traditional
classroom, a student may complete a writing assignment
and turn it in, only to wait for days for the teacher
to return it. When they do get it back, many turn
immediately to see the grade, and never even look at
the feedback at all. When this happens, the feedback
is meaningless, and the time that the teacher invest
is wasted. Feedback is most meaningful while the
student is still engaged in the learning process, not
after the fact. With Google docs, students can
collaborate in real-time to improve writing and share
ideas.
Feedback
The graph on this slide shows that over 85% of my
students have indicated that the feedback they receive
in my distance delivery course is faster than the
feedback they have received in traditional courses.
This is not because I try harder than other teachers,
it is because I use tools that enable this kind of
personal, timely interaction.
Communication Advantages -
One criticism of distance delivery courses is that the
teacher is less accessible to the students. We have
observed that while there is a teacher face to face
with students and questions can be asked in the same
way that they are in a traditional classroom, video
conference instruction can actually increase
communication between the teacher and some students.
There are a variety of tools that we use every day to
accomplish this - email, feedback cycles in
interactive tools like the ones I have described, and
even individual google hangout meetings with students.
Why is this important? Because 74% of my students
indicated that they have used these alternate forms of
communication to ask questions that they otherwise
would not have asked aloud. Student voices are not
ignored, as critics claim, but rather empowered.
Student Voices -
I have a short video clip with some student voices.
Before I show this short video clip, I would like to
reiterate that we in the Copper River School district
fully support the use of individual e-learning
courses. However, we also recognize the special role
that teachers play in supporting student learning.
When these students use the term "VTC" in this video,
they are referring to the kind of instruction that I
have described here today.
Opportunity: Equitable Access Through Collaboration
The Copper River School District is certainly not
alone our use of this mode of instruction. The
superintendent from the Lower Kuskokwim School
District testified to this on Monday. However, there
are many smaller districts like ours, both on and off
the road system, that would benefit from a higher
degree of cooperation and collaboration. There is no
reason a student in Tatitlek or Crooked Creek could
not be enrolled in a course offered by the Copper
River School District, or that a student of ours could
not be enrolled in a course offered by Chugach School
District.
In our own district, we have already started to see
the results. We are able to provide more appropriate
course offerings to our students, especially those at
our smaller sites, which in turn allows students to be
challenged
Opportunity: Teacher Quality and Retention
If we truly believe that every child deserves a
quality education, it is our duty to the children of
Alaska to provide the best possible educators to all
students, regardless of their physical location.
Students in rural areas deserve expert teachers in
each content area. We cannot accomplish this without
technology, and based on our experience in the Copper
River School District, we believe that a collaborative
approach to offering video teleconferencing courses
could help to bridge this access gap.
I began my career in the small upriver village of
Crooked Creek in the Kuspuk School District. I fully
understand the important job that village teachers
have. This kind of collaboration would not replace,
but rather would refocus and empower generalist
teachers in small rural schools to serve as mentors,
coaches, and interventionists. It would allow them to
concentrate on building relationships and providing
support for students with unique needs.
Before I turn the presentation back over to Mrs. Van
Wyhe, I would like extend an invitation to all of you
to join one of my classes live. The final slide has my
contact information, so if you would like to see this
model in action, please feel free to contact me for
specifics.
8:27:46 AM
MR. SHUMWAY presented a brief video to emphasize the quality and
value provided by the teleconferenced courses.
8:34:05 AM
MS. VAN WYHE said parents initially expressed concerns for
having students positioned before a computer screen through the
majority of the school day and questioned how interactive,
hands-on activities could still be incorporated. However, the
high school schedule was reworked from the original structured
format, and she presented a brief video of a student's typical
day.
8:39:20 AM
MS. VAN WYHE said every component is important, but what remains
the most crucial is the teacher. She offered a quote from
Michael Trucano, who stated, "The role of the teacher is almost
always more central, indeed fundamental, than it was before the
introduction of technology." Finishing, she said it's necessary
to take up the urgency for this teaching approach, to be
proactive, and continually innovative.
8:40:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked Mr. Shumway whether students must
demonstrate course mastery prior to advancement.
MR. SHUMWAY responded that a VTC class operates in a normal
manner and the students move through the course work together
ensuring class discussion opportunities; not at an independent
pace. Courses are not mastery based, where a student must
complete a task prior to exposure to new material. However,
some of the program activities lend themselves to requiring
specific answers prior to advancement.
8:42:24 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON questioned what effect this approach has
had on the cost of administration; an increase or decrease.
MS. VAN WYHE said materials costs are a wash and the
administration has been reorganized. Purchases of expensive
texts has been replaced with providing devices at the rate of
1.5 per student. She said, "We manage it all, really on a
shoestring in terms of administrative people and support staff."
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if there appears to be a
redefining of the brick-and-mortar aspect of the school.
MS. VAN WYHE answered yes. She opined that there is no reason
that rural students can't receive an excellent education. The
three students in Selana School are an example that today's
education no longer needs to occur within a certain building, or
in a specific school district.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked whether CRSD offers a pre-K
program.
MS. VAN WYHE responded no, and reported that the Copper River
Native Association is developing a child center that will
provide programs for children from birth to age five.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON questioned the use of individualized
learning in the primary grades.
MS. VAN WYHE said the method is successfully applied in the
primary classrooms. She invited members to visit the Kenny Lake
School, where the multi-age, 20 student, K-2nd level classroom
utilizes a station rotation forum and is expediting the rate at
which students are learning. Technology levels the playing
field for students, she argued.
8:46:42 AM
CHAIR HUGHES pondered what a reasonable class size is for a VTC
course. She also asked if there is data available comparing
outcomes for students who participate in VTC classes versus
traditional classrooms; analyzing intervention efficacy, and
learning results.
MR. SHUMWAY responded that the classes he teaches range from 10-
33 students, located at three different sites. He opined that
it is reasonable to expect a VTC teacher to carry a standard
size class. The efficiencies that are enjoyed allows for large
class sizes, while still providing meaningful feedback, and the
sight location isn't a factor. Some data is available in terms
of course completion and success; however, given the small data
sample, a side by side comparison study would be premature.
CHAIR HUGHES predicted that the data will likely show student
improvement due to the ability for a student to ask and receive
help in an anonymous manner, versus voicing a difficulty before
an entire classroom.
8:49:35 AM
CHAIR HUGHES asked for further information on the grant Ms. Van
Wyhe mentioned, and also whether there is a coordinated effort
for a collaborative exchange of classes between districts
statewide.
MS. VAN WYHE answered that the previously mentioned Rural
Utilities Services (RUS) Grant, [U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA)] funds technology initiatives that support telemedicine
and education in rural Alaska. At one time many districts
benefited from the grant but it has evolved to become
competitive and last year only four were awarded. The district
received over $500,000, and used the award to upgrade video
teleconferencing equipment and increase the number of units.
Regarding the cooperation between districts, partnerships are
being forged and VTC exchange programs are occurring. For two
years, Copper River and Chugach districts have enjoyed mutual
support. Copper River provides VTC opportunities to Chugach and
in turn is able to enroll and send students to participate in
the Voyage to Excellence (VTE) camp style programs hosted by
Chugach. The Career and Technical Education (CTE) and the
Alaska Society for Technology in Education (ASTIE) conferences
were both platforms used by Copper River as outreach
opportunities. Small districts have taken an interest and
discovered the benefit of using VTC as a means to access
additional, highly proficient teachers beyond, the one
generalist high school teacher that a small school/district may
employ.
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether class fees are paid by other
districts to Copper River for a student enrolled in one of the
VTC courses.
MS. VAN WYHE said thus far Copper River is footing any bills,
and a three year, digital teaching initiative grant is being
used to cover the costs. However, the commitment by Copper
River is to make the effort work, and she stressed, "It's not
about the money, it's not about a contract, it's about offering
opportunities to students."
8:53:20 AM
SENATOR BEGICH noted the skill set needed for the technical
classroom approach of the future and asked whether teachers are
receiving that type of training today. Also, VTC equipment
requires someone on site to provide technical (IT) support, and
who in the district has that knowledge. Finally, he asked how
screen freezes and other technical hiccups are handled.
MR. SHUMWAY responded that teacher skills do need to be honed,
and sometimes an individual teacher will take on the task of
preparing colleagues. Teacher training courses will need to
begin to offer methodology classes in VTC. The minimal
technological glitches are worked around and have not been
significant.
MS. VAN WYHE added that the IT support and expertise is
necessary. Teacher preparation courses should incorporate this
training, she stressed. Certainly a plan B is necessary should
the technology not perform at a given time, but thus far the
glitches have been minimal.
MR. SHUMWAY recalled only having two school days, in a two year
period, when contact with distance classes failed.
8:56:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PARISH referred to a 2014-15 report showing the
variance of connectivity percentages between the 53 districts
and the associated bandwidth costs. A sample of the contrasts
that exist: Copper River is in the bottom sixth percentile for
bandwidth but in the top 20 for speed; Pelican is two thirds
less in connectivity [than Copper River] but over 100 percent
the cost; and Northwest Arctic is eight times the cost and one
fifth the connectivity. He asked whether it's important for
these numbers to be aligned, or brought to a standard, to
provide a more uniform level of connectivity, thus ensuring
practical, collaboration opportunities to small, rural
districts.
MS. VAN WYHE opined that this point could be the most important
measure addressed by today's legislature. Being able to provide
VTC opportunities is a game changer, especially in rural
settings. An affordable, working connection is key to making it
possible.
8:58:31 AM
JAMES STONE, Superintendent, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School
District (MSBSD), said that one of the five strategic priorities
adopted by the Alaska State School Board, for implementation by
the Department of Education and Early Development (EED), is to
modernize the education system. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough
School District (MSBSD) is well into meeting that strategy, he
said, operating under three guiding principles, which are to be
responsive, resourceful, and relevant. Further, the district
operates under the premise that every student learns differently
and every family deserves choice. Currently, 36 percent of the
families chose a school outside of their assigned neighborhood,
and the evolution of choice has not stopped with the open
boundaries. Program and individual choice has meant that each
school provides niche opportunities and may host students who
are not only attending due to a boundary exemption but may be
attending as a homeschooler, or charter school student. Choice
is essential to the theme of meeting each child as an
individual; the current national trend. He reported that home
school represents the district's correspondence program,
operating out of Mat-Su Central. The students each hold an
individual learning plan (ILP). At one time, ILP students would
access the school district solely to gather their learning
materials and have no other connection to the site. However,
with the blended approach, and expansion of the site from 7,000
to 21,000 square feet, the relationship has changed. Students
now take advantage of the access provided for art, music,
library, technology, and club opportunities. Family centered
activities have also developed. The correspondence program has
doubled under this effort. Twindly Bridge Charter School has
mirrored this to some extent, and to the same benefit of the
families involved. Everyday students travel throughout the
district to access course offerings and take advantage of
resources that are hosted by the different schools. Mobility
between facilities allows mobility between programs. The
approach means that students can have the opportunity to take
advantage of a wide variety of classes, such as welding,
aviation, emergency technician, and building trades. Ten years
ago, this type of sharing and access would not have been
possible. He reported that the resource sharing model is used
throughout the district's educational programs. Further, the
district launched the first middle college in Alaska, at the
Eagle River campus, which is being relocated to the Mat-Su
campus in anticipation of enrollment reaching 200. Along the
lines of personalized learning, when students are college ready,
they can access applicable programs via dual enrollment. Access
has also expanded into a district partnership with the Alaska
Native Science and Engineering Program (ANSEP). He reported
that 250 students are enrolled at two or more district schools
to access 619 courses. A personalized learning approach is the
goal and the blended learning experience provides the tools to
get there, he stressed.
9:09:53 AM
MR. STONE said technology won't replace teachers, but it does
change how teaching is provided, especially in consideration of
the three P's: pace, tailored to the individual need; path,
providing the flexibility of what a student wants; and place,
making learning accessible on a 24/7 basis. He mentioned that
high schoolers tend to study between 10:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. To
provide a rich blended learning/digital differentiation
approach, available programs include: APEX, Khan Academy, Moby
Max, E-Dynamics, Read 180, Math 180, Spelling City, Compass
Learning, DreamBox, V Math, ALEKs, CISCO, Learning Academy,
Collections, Florida Virtual, ClassFlow, Renaissance Learning,
Starfall, BrainPop, Typing.com, Read Naturally Live, Nitro Type,
Pearson Success, Homework Help, Tutor.com, CodeMonkey, Digital
Passport, and Lexia. Part of the challenge is to manage the
programs without duplication. To meet the Carnegie credit
standard, APEX was chosen as the primary platform. It meets a
number of needs/standards including National Collegiate Athletic
Association (NCAA) requirements, to support students who are
pursuing athletic scholarships. Models that students choose
from are: al la carte, on-line courses with a virtual teacher;
enhanced virtual, on-line courses that incorporate a local
teacher; and blended, which uses a standard classroom setting
and includes digital differentiation. He said that in FY16,
students received 3,000 credits via al la carte and enhanced
virtual learning systems.
9:12:27 AM
MR. STONE said, as a sophomore, his daughter was able to use
blended learning during her exchange year in Spain; accessing
math classes with a Mat-Su teacher, and biology via a virtual
teacher in Wisconsin. Consideration for what employers want, is
also a factor, and they tend to look for workers based on the
four C's skills: communication, critical thinking,
collaborative, and creativity. These four skills are not
attainable today without the use of technology, thus, Mat-Su
adopted a five year technology plan. He finished by explaining
that a three year, professional development plan was also
adopted to ensure that all teachers will be cycled through a
training course for administering the learning management
system.
9:16:23 AM
JEFF BLACKBURN, Education Technologist, Office of Instruction,
Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District (MBSD), said the focus
of his position is to implement personalized learning in the
school district. He described how students were once challenged
by roadblocks that were effecting their ability to complete
courses and graduate. The situation can now be addressed
through a collection of on-site classes to complement a
student's on-line learning. Simultaneous with assembling the
collection of on-site classes for students, the teachers were
receiving professional development in a method called Capturing
Kids Hearts. The method builds on the theory that students need
academic mentors to assist them through roadblocks, overcome
hurdles, and champion their efforts. The number of on-site
classes offered was improved and college preparation, robotics,
art, and computer programing courses were added. The computer
lab was remodeled/designed into the Raven's Roost Cyber Café,
providing a relationship based, on-site, high interest learning
space. It allows students to engage in on-line courses while
still having a certified teacher present for in-room assistance.
A one week, detailed attendance snapshot of the café showed a
total of 2,121 students assembling for the following reasons:
208 attending on-site classes; 229 visited the library; 312
attended a technology class; 220 attended an art class; 225
participated in music; 180 met with club members; 180 gathered
and prepared for field trips; and the remainder came through for
a variety of reasons such as workshops or appointments with
teacher advisors. The five year graduation rate rose from 45,
in 2012, to 71, in 2016. While this was occurring at Mat-Su
Central School, the brick and mortar schools brought in digital
tools to create a blended learning academy; proposed for FY 18.
A waiver request has been submitted to EED to allow the creation
of a personalized learning environment that will offer
flexibility to the families in a blended environment. The
students will participate in project based learning with
teachers in the classroom while being supported with
differentiated reading and math curriculum using the enhanced
virtual model.
9:21:24 AM
MR. BLACKBURN explained that Alaska has 600 open computing jobs,
but in 2014 there were only 18 computer science graduates, of
which only 11 percent were female. Further only 60 high school
students took the advance placement (AP) Computer Science exam
in 2016, and only three schools offered AP Computer Science.
The teachers have responded by creating a blended computer
science class at two of the district's comprehensive high
schools using Harvard's CS-50, free, on-line course work.
9:22:40 AM
ANDREA WAGNER, Senior, Wasilla High School, reported having
taken the Harvard CS-50 course remotely. All of her current
classes, save one, are on-line computer classes. Not initially
interested in technology, she said her first media course peaked
her interest. She described the Harvard CS-50 blended class,
which provides streamed lectures and work sessions twice per
week. Being absent is no longer an excuse for missing an
assignment, she said. Her interest in psychology has been
supplanted by her interest in computer science. She has been
able to proceed at her own pace and interact freely with her
classmates from around the country. She described the APEX
system and said it allows her to work at the pace she prefers
while still having a teacher available. Computer coding access
is now available for 7th and 8th graders, which puts those
students ahead of her in some ways, she lamented.
9:27:45 AM
MR. STONE provided a brief video to illustrate the various
campuses and associated activities.
9:30:20 AM
SENATOR HUGHES thanked the participants and announced the next
meeting of the Senate Education Standing Committee.
CHAIR DRUMMOND thanked the participants and announced the next
meeting of the House Education Standing Committee.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committees, the joint
meeting of the House Education Standing Committee and Senate
Education Standing Committee was adjourned at 9:30 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| CRSD Legislative Testimony- Joint Education _ 2017-Feb10 (2).pdf |
SEDC 2/10/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Future of Education-Doing the Right Workfinal.pdf |
SEDC 2/10/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| MSBSD Legislative Presentation.pdf |
SEDC 2/10/2017 8:00:00 AM |
|
| Spectrum piece - 21st Century Learning.pdf |
SEDC 2/10/2017 8:00:00 AM |