Legislature(2001 - 2002)
02/14/2001 03:40 PM Senate HES
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
February 14, 2001
1:35 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lyda Green, Chair
Senator Loren Leman, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Jerry Ward
Senator Bettye Davis
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION QUALIFYING EXAM - TESTIMONY FROM EDUCATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS
WITNESS REGISTER
Ms. Bobette Bush, Board Member
Alaska Association of School Administrators
Aniak, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports delay in HSGQE
Ms. Carol Kane, Executive Director
Alaska Association of Secondary School Principals
PO Box 2889
Palmer, Alaska 99645
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports delay in HSGQE
Ms. Patricia M. Hogan
PO Box 877518
Wasilla, Alaska 99687
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports delay in HSGQE
Mr. Rich Kronberg, President
NEA-Alaska
114 2nd Street
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports delay in HSGQE
Ms. Susan Stitham, CHAIR
State Board of Education and Early Development
801 West 10th Street, Suite 200
Juneau, Alaska 99801-1894
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports delay in HSGQE
Mr. Carl Rose, Executive Director
Association of Alaska School Boards
316 West 11th Street
Juneau, Alaska 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Supports delay in HSGQE
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 01-11, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIR LYDA GREEN called the Senate Health, Education & Social
Services Committee meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. Present were
Senators Ward, Davis and CHAIR Green. She announced that the focus
of today's meeting would be to take testimony on the High School
Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE). She asked participants to
focus their comments on corrective action that could be taken,
rather than the Governor's bill. The Senate HESS Committee will
not be looking at the budget aspect of the exam.
MS. BOBETTE BUSH, Superintendent, Kuspuk School District,
testifying via teleconference, said she is on the executive board
of the Alaska Association of School Administrators (AASA) and is
testifying on AASA's behalf. On November 8, 2000, the AASA Board
passed a resolution in support of extending the date of requiring
students to pass the HSGQE to graduate. The board supports the
extension because it believes students have not had the opportunity
to learn the specific skills covered in the exam. To withhold a
high school diploma based on a lack of opportunity would be unfair.
CHAIR GREEN asked if the AASA Board considered any other
suggestions.
MS. BUSH said most board members are concerned that diplomas will
be withheld in 2002 if a student does not pass the exit exam.
There is concern that students will not have enough opportunity to
learn what is necessary for passing the exam.
Number 455
SENATOR WARD asked which school districts do not supply the proper
curriculum for passing the exam.
MS. BUSH said it takes a major reform effort on the part of school
districts to align a curriculum with the standards and to also have
a standard based curriculum. The HSGQE is not a basic skills test,
therefore, for students to be successful on the exam, their
instruction needs to be aimed at these skills. For the past 25
years, most school districts have not implemented a standards based
instruction model. Adequate time is needed for developing the
exam, and the results need to be given to the school, parents, and
students in a timely manner for adequate training.
SENATOR WARD noted AASA's resolution said that not all children
have received the necessary curriculum in order to adequately pass
the exam. He asked for a list of schools not giving the adequate
curriculum in order to pass the exam.
MS. BUSH said she did not have such a list.
SENATOR LEMAN said Ms. Bush used the phrase, "some of these
children have the lack of opportunity to learn." He said this
troubled him and he asked Ms. Bush what she meant by lack of
opportunity to learn.
MS. BUSH commented that this is a legal standard. It means that
students have not been instructed in the required skills that are
needed to successfully pass the exit exam. If a student has the
opportunity to be instructed in a system that utilizes standard
based instruction, by the time they take the tenth grade HSGQE,
they would have had the opportunity to learn the necessary items
for passing the exam.
SENATOR LEMAN said when he was young he attended a small elementary
and high school in Alaska, and that system gave him an adequate
opportunity to learn what was necessary for taking and passing an
exam. He wondered what has happened since that time, that some
schools do not have this standard. He asked if there had been a
change in the educational philosophy.
MS. BUSH's response is not noted because the tape was inaudible.
SENATOR LEMAN said he had taken the HSGQE and he felt it was not
unreasonable, but the state scores do cause him concern.
Number 952
CHAIR GREEN asked if AASA would have designed a different format
for the exam.
MS. BUSH passed on that answer.
CHAIR GREEN commented that blame had been put on the exam but when
the exam was developed, it was felt that it tested on what the
schools were teaching.
SENATOR WARD asked if AASA helped in the creation of the exam.
MS. BUSH deferred to Mr. Darroll Hargraves who is the executive
director for Alaska Council of School Administrators. At the time
this system was legislated and developed, all state professional
and educational organizations and the Department of Education said
the timeline for the implementation of the high stakes portion of
HSGQE was too short.
DOE's recommendation was that the exam not be given before 2006.
SENATOR WARD asked again if AASA had any involvement in the
creation of the exam.
CHAIR GREEN asked Ms. Bush to have Mr. Hargraves furnish the
committee with this information.
SENATOR BETTYE DAVIS said that most of the information the
committee needed about who was involved with the creation of the
exam had already been provided.
MS. CAROL KANE, Executive Director, Alaska Association of Secondary
School Principals (AASSP), testifying via teleconference, read the
following testimony:
Thank you for providing professional educators a forum
for giving input on issues related to the HSGQE. As you
know, AASSP has gone on record supporting accountability
and standards for all Alaskan students. As principals,
it goes without saying, our entire focus is on academic
success regardless of whether students live in rural or
urban communities.
My educational background has been in early childhood,
middle school, high school, and post secondary education.
I have been a teacher, assistant principal, principal,
director of instruction, and an associate superintendent.
I have served as the executive director for AASSP since
1998. My comments are framed with this experience base
and collective input from our membership.
AASSP does support the delay for the HSGQE and for
further review of various issues. Included, but not
limited to the following:
· Sustained funding for all schools at an appropriate
level providing the necessary resources, staffing
and facilities to meet the present demands.
Reference many of the recommendations made by the
Governor's Funding Task Force Committee.
· Provide time for staff development to continue
curriculum alignment and review - addressing all
the standards. Staff development should not be the
number one target for cuts in the budget
formulation. Staff development is essential for
improved instructional programs.
· Experience and research validates that norm -
referenced testing does not necessarily guarantee
quality of teaching or learning.
· Reevaluate the theory that a high stakes exam is
the only way to measure if a student should receive
a high school diploma.
· Examine if the 'wave for accountability' is driving
both educators and students away from developing a
productive citizenry for life long learning.
· Implement appropriate interventions and
accommodations for all students with special needs.
· Send a strong message that responsibility for
accountability is shared: student commitment,
parental meaningful involvement, educators to
provide the appropriate learning environment, and
to legislators ensuring appropriate legislation,
which will sustain funding.
We commend the Department of Education and Early
Development's efforts to review numerous issues related
to the HSGQE and benchmark tests. We appreciate and
value that site administrators and other educators have
been active participants in the recent efforts to
reevaluate the HSGQE and benchmark testing in its
entirety. It is very evident there are no quick fixes
and that further time, materials, and resources are
necessary.
The technical review team - Tom Straugh, Ray Fenton, Jim
Elliott, and Vivian Daily have made several practical
considerations for the actual testing process, which will
assure quality of testing and reduce the disruption of
instruction for students that are not being tested. Some
suggestions include the following:
· Additional testing days added to the school
calendar; students who need to be tested are the
only ones expected to be in attendance.
· Schools would be allowed to operate on a modified
schedule.
· State managed testing centers.
· Proctors trained to monitor the test, which would
not require a certified teacher.
· Test on Saturday or non-school days in the fall for
those students who did not previously pass the
exam.
· Schools 'bank' time by decreasing passing and lunch
hours by seven minutes per day in order to create
testing days which begin with a three hour testing
period. This allows all students to have the same
length of instructional days when aggregated across
the school year.
Additional recommendations would be available by request
from the Technical Review Team.
It is essential that commitment to higher standards and
accountability be continued. Part of the commitment and
validation will be to indicate on diplomas the scores for
those students who passed the HSGQE. This sends a strong
message to everyone. Employers who look at those scores
as part of the hiring process also would validate the
process.
Thank you for your time and consideration of our input.
Please feel free to contact me if the AASSP or I can be
of further assistance.
CHAIR GREEN said she thought Ms. Kane would be pleased with some of
the things the committee had in mind, even though the draft
legislation and amendments are not yet ready. She asked if AASSP
had considered giving the exam on the morning of an in-service day.
MS. KANE replied yes. She said a survey of the membership
suggested this type of thing.
CHAIR GREEN said administering the test should not disrupt the
whole school, and she liked some of AASSP's suggestions for this
problem and others.
SENATOR WARD asked if Ms. Kane or AASSP participated in the
creation of the existing exam.
MS. KANE said she had not participated. A few years ago when the
exam was being proposed a few of the board members expressed some
of the concerns that have now become evident.
MS. PATRICIA HOGAN, Alaska Parent Teacher Association (AK-PTA),
testifying via teleconference from Wasilla, gave a brief biography
of her life, education, and work history for the committee. Ms.
Hogan said the letter sent to the committee on behalf of AK-PTA
addresses the consequences of the exit exam. The law that was
passed in 1997 was to present the exam in 2002. The students from
the class of 2002 were only in the seventh grade at that time and
have only been given the California Achievement Test. The exam
that is being addressed now is based on specific standards that are
important to Alaskan students, and the benchmark test will lead to
the successful completion of the exit exam. The students from the
class of 2002 have not been taught the benchmark standards, they
have been taught general standards. Students that have not had the
opportunity to take sixth and eighth grade benchmark tests will not
have the standards they need for remediation.
MS. HOGAN said the issue of military families has not been
addressed. She wondered if the federal government would have to
provide American school diplomas for students who are overseas.
The issue of transfer students and special needs students have also
not been addressed.
MS. HOGAN commented that remediation should be provided before a
student reaches the eleventh grade. Validity of the exam is at
question when 60 percent of the students do not pass.
MS. HOGAN suggested that parents, business members, and graduate
and college students be involved in addressing these questions.
Students also need to be educated in how to take a test, and the
exam needs to be in a location other than the school because it is
too disruptive for the other students.
Number 1902
MS. HOGAN said AK-PTA members believe there is a responsibility for
all students of the state. She said she had participated in eighth
grade reading assessments for the benchmark.
MR. RICH KRONBERG, President of NEA-Alaska, made the following
comments:
I want to directly respond to one question that has been
raised and is, in my mind, the key to the whole issue.
'What would a delay provide students that is not
currently available?' This is the heart of the issue,
and it is the question that must be answered if a delay
is justified. It is a question that NEA-Alaska members
have been examining as well.
Our examination began last fall, and it has continued up
to now. Our leadership and staff have engaged in
extensive conversations to articulate those elements in
the educational program that can make a difference for
students and to determine if they require additional time
to implement, to take a position in support of a delay.
The end result of this internal process was a decision
taken at our Delegate Assembly, held in January, to
support a delay of four years in the effective date of
the exit exam.
NEA-Alaska has an extensive list of changes but I will
just read a few. The whole list is in the committee
packet.
· Districts must align their curriculum with the
standards.
· The content and the passing level for each test
must accurately reflect what we really want all of
our graduates, not just the college bound, to know
and be able to do.
· Benchmark test results must be provided to teachers
in a way that will inform their instruction.
· Districts must institute coherent systems of
professional development that focus on instruction
in a standards-based system.
· All students should be provided access to summer
school.
· All students should be provided access to quality
tutoring in after-school settings.
· Alternative methods must be developed and
implemented for special education and limited
English proficient students to demonstrate mastery
of performance standards. These alternative
methods must be rigorous and fair.
· Districts must provide all students access to
qualified, quality teachers.
We have followed up our Delegate Assembly action with a
survey of our online community. The results show a
fairly accurate representation of where our members are
on the issue. We will provide the results to you, but
let me give you the executive summary.
About seven percent of the respondents want to do away
with the exit exam altogether. Another 20 percent want
to go ahead with the current timeline for the effective
date. But over 70 percent of the members argue for a
delay so that everything can be done to help the students
meet or exceed the standards.
In Oregon special education parents filed suit because
their children were denied diplomas because that state's
exit exam did not allow them to demonstrate their mastery
of standards. That suit has been settled in a way that
satisfies the demands of the plaintiffs. In Arizona the
effective date of the high stakes test has been delayed
and the math portion of the test has been replaced twice.
In Virginia the effective date of the test has been
delayed and there is a movement among parents and
educators to simply eliminate the test. We should learn
from the experiences of others, and I would never suggest
that Alaska should follow the lead of another state, but
we can be aware of mistakes made in other places and try
to avoid them.
The move to high standards and enhanced student
performance is one that NEA-Alaska fully supports. We
believe the best way to accomplish this is by doing
everything we can to make sure that Alaskan students have
the tools they need to meet and exceed the standards.
Passing the exit exam is one indicator of our success.
Some of these tools require a delay in the effective date
of the test. That delay should be granted specifically
so districts and the state department can make the
necessary changes. NEA-Alaska is not asking for a delay
to provide more time for more of the same. A delay is
the right thing to do only if it is used to do the right
things for Alaska's students. We believe that if the
right things are done, a delay in the effective date of
the HSGQE is indeed the right thing to do and we urge
your support for such a delay.
Number 2256
SENATOR WARD asked if NEA-Alaska participated in the creation of
the current exam.
MR. KRONBERG said that NEA-Alaska originally supported the
legislation but said that an infusion of resources would be needed.
Members of NEA-Alaska did participate in the original standards
group that developed the state standards in the early 1990's.
There were also members who participated on the benchmark and cut
score committees. NEA-Alaska has consistently argued that in order
for students to pass, additional resources targeted to those
students should be applied.
SENATOR WARD asked if there was an error in the final math portion
of the exam.
MR. KRONBERG said legitimate questions have been raised as to the
focus of the test. The question is, "Does the test accurately
measure what every student should know before going on to a
subsistence lifestyle, college or trade school?" This is an open
question that is being looked at.
SENATOR WARD asked if NEA-Alaska voiced this concern at the time
the cut scores were designated for the math portion of the exam.
MR. KRONBERG said he was not sure he could find the answer to that
question. Some of the members who were on the benchmark and cut
score committees did articulate concerns.
SENATOR WARD asked how many members were in NEA-Alaska.
MR. KRONBERG responded 11,000.
SENATOR WARD asked how many members responded online.
MR. KRONBERG said he did not know how many members responded. NEA-
Alaska has a list of several hundred members and the request was
sent to them - not all members. The Delegate Assembly is about 400
people and the vote to support a delay was almost unanimous.
SENATOR WILKEN asked what a limited English proficient student is.
MR. KRONBERG said it is a term used for students whose first
language is not English.
SENATOR WILKEN asked if NEA-Alaska could envision a student
graduating without being proficient in English.
MR. KRONBERG replied no.
SIDE B
MR. KRONBERG said that when a student comes to this country when
they are in eighth or ninth grade, different methods of instruction
and assessment would be needed to determine whether or not they are
proficient in English.
CHAIR GREEN commented that from now on the focus should be on what
items should be put into statute.
Number 2317
MS. SUSAN STITHAM, Chair, State Board of Education and Early
Development, said the board appreciated the senate's effort in
gathering information on this issue. She said the board's
resolution is the result of hours of public meetings on all aspects
of the HSGQE. The resolution expresses the concern that basic
fairness requires a delay in the implementation date. The board is
unanimous in wanting to go forward with accountability and high
standards. The 2002 implementation date would be unfair to the
students of the class of 2002.
MS. STITHAM said the resolution does deal with children of special
needs, limited English proficiency, military students, the
alignment of curriculum, and the test itself. She said the exam
could not be blamed for the results - the test is 90 percent right
but there are things that need to be changed.
MS. STITHAM said there is more than one way to measure what the
community and society value. The paper test does not measure
anything other than literacy; therefore, the board would like
direction from the legislature on how to find additional ways to
measure what a student knows in terms of standards such as work
ethic.
MS. STITHAM noted that teachers have never before had the data that
is now available from the benchmark test. Standardized tests have
never given the teacher the type of information that shows how to
help a particular student. But because the HSGQE is standards
based, teachers will now be able to focus instruction and align the
curriculum.
MS. STITHAM said she served on Governor Hickel's task force in
1990, which came up with the idea for the Alaska 2000 meetings.
She also co-chaired the Language Arts Standards Committee, served
on the state board and co-chaired the Content Review Committee on
Reading. Standards in the early 1990's were voluntary and they
were good, but now that there is a mandatory exam with high stakes
there is a different focus.
MS. STITHAM said the important things for the legislature to do are
to give guidelines and also to give the State Board of Education
and Early Development the authority to deal with specific details,
such as coming up with a way to fairly assess the special needs
students. These details should come from the board instead of
through compromise with the legislature.
MS. STITHAM said with regards to Senator Leman's question about
what has changed since 1968 - the culture and values have changed
enormously and there are more students staying in high school and
studying for a diploma. College prep students are not having a
problem with the exam but there are a large variety of students in
Alaska with lots of goals and they all deserve a diploma as an
indication of their basic skills. It is important that the exam
tests essential skills and that the questions are being asked in
ways that are fair.
Number 1857
SENATOR WILKEN asked how students from military families should be
handled with regards to a competency exam.
MS. STITHAM replied that military students do present the problem
of fairness. Reciprocity needs to be considered - if a student
passes an exam in another state, maybe they would not have to pass
the Alaska exam. Another alternative is that the military might
develop some type of American school assessment.
SENATOR WARD asked if Ms. Stitham had seen a copy of the test the
military gives to students overseas for the American Diploma.
MS. STITHAM commented that she had never seen the test.
Number 1718
CHAIR GREEN said the legislature would continue to work on certain
items but it would probably pass some on to the board for its
continued work.
MR. CARL ROSE, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards (AASB), said AASB supports an extension to 2004. The
standards based effort is one of quality and quality should not be
compromised for the sake of urgency. The exam is not just about
standards but also about students having the opportunity to learn.
MR. ROSE said the real issue is teaching, if students receive the
education they need they will learn. What needs to be done to
ensure that quality teachers are in the classroom? Many teachers
are teaching in areas they are not qualified in. Generally the
students that need the most help are saddled with teachers that are
the least qualified, through no fault of the teacher - the system
is flawed. In rural areas teachers are given very little
supervision and developmental assistance, little support or
evaluation, and they are in settings that are not optimum for
education.
MR. ROSE noted that standards define what students need to know.
Alaska has the components of a world-class system but it is not
aligned yet, that will take time. Efforts need to be focused on
teachers by using in-service professional development and also by
letting them know what the standards are.
MR. ROSE said he was on the adequacy study, he was at the summit,
and he served on the funding task force. AASB organized around the
statewide strategies identified at the summit. He said the
Foundation Formula gives districts the flexibility to address
district needs.
Number 1300
CHAIR GREEN asked if AASB could move its members toward the
screening and training of teachers in rural Alaska.
MR. ROSE said three years ago board standards were adopted that
would allow the board to focus on accountability, advocacy,
conduct, and ethics. The vision is to provide students with real
choice when they leave school. The board is looking at how the
system is structured, but now instruction is being piecemealed.
CHAIR GREEN asked for an example of what is being piecemealed.
MR. ROSE said, for example, a school may need specific instruction
but the only teachers available do not have a major in that area.
If the structure does not allow the vision to be reached, either
the vision has to change or the structure has to change.
MR. ROSE said because of the national pool of teachers, it is
becoming difficult to attract and retain teachers. The teaching
profession has been devalued, the message to young people who are
potential teachers is not to go into education because teaching
does not pay and teachers are not valued. Standards are a road map
out because communities recognize them and they also focus on what
is important. Mr. Rose noted that submitting to urgency would put
all of this at risk with court challenges.
There being no further business to come before the committee, CHAIR
GREEN adjourned the meeting at 2:57 p.m.
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