Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/28/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
Note: the audio ![]()
and video ![]()
recordings are distinct records and are obtained from different sources. As such there may be key differences between the two. The audio recordings are captured by our records offices as the official record of the meeting and will have more accurate timestamps. Use the icons to switch between them.
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB53 | |
| HB48 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | HB 53 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 48 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 48-AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
8:14:40 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the final order of business
would be, HOUSE BILL NO. 48, "An Act relating to eligibility for
the Alaska performance scholarship program."
8:14:53 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:14 a.m. to 8:15 a.m.
8:15:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY, as prime sponsor of HB 48, paraphrased the
sponsor statement, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
For the last decade, the Alaska Performance
Scholarship (APS) has made postsecondary education
more accessible for Alaska's young adults. The
scholarship has helped thousands of students afford
college and career technical certifications and
encouraged countless students to stay on track to be
college and career ready upon graduation. Furthermore,
encouraging students to attend postsecondary education
in-state reduces workforce shortages and out-
migration.
However, according to a recent study by the McDowell
Group for the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary
Education (ACPE), the APS award has fallen almost ?
short of its expected eligibility and use.
To expand student use, the original draft of this bill
sought to expand the eligible pool of APS applicants
by adding career technical education (CTE) courses as
an option to the required curriculum for APS. The
skills learned in CTE courses are needed in many
career fields in the Alaska workforce. Furthermore, in
Alaska, data shows that students enrolled in CTE
concentrators are 17% more likely to graduate than
their counterparts
Version G of House Bill 48 takes the vision of making
APS more accessible to deserving Alaskans further, by
incorporating the findings of the McDowell Group's APS
study. The bill does this in five ways:
1. Allows career technical education (CTE) to
count towards eligibility for the APS. This
encourages students to pursue careers needed in
the Alaska workforce.
2. Increases the eligibility window for use of
the award from 6 years after graduation to 8
years.
3. Increases the award amount for the first time
in over 10 years, keeping the scholarship
competitive compared to offers from other
institutions.
4. Removes the standardized testing requirements.
There is growing evidence that college entrance
exam scores aren't correlated to success in
postsecondary performance, and that GPA is a much
better indicator. Also, entrance exams are
increasingly proven to create barriers to student
eligibility because of the geographic and
financial hurdles.
5. Keeps students aware of their standing and
remaining requirements needed to achieve the
award.
Financial assistance provided by the APS is vital to
many young Alaskans seeking postsecondary training,
including those who choose a CTE path. Postsecondary
education offers students the opportunity to attain
skills that can lead to industry jobs and satisfying
careers. It also meets Alaska's goal of a skilled
workforce.
8:22:09 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY recalled a presentation by the McKinley
Research Group on findings and recommendations regarding APS.
Key takeaways, she said, were that annual scholarship awards
amounted to approximately half of what was anticipated, and
students served has declined since 2016. She reiterated that
CTE students need to be part of the program, and she said her
goal is to draft legislation that honors CTE within APS
structure, increases opportunities for students to qualify for
the scholarship, and eliminate some structural inequities in
order to better serve Alaskan students who seek postsecondary
training. When asked how APS affected decisions about
postsecondary education, she said, 72 percent of surveyed
students said APS was a major influence in the decision. She
then directed committee members' attention to the committee
packet and recommendation matrix.
8:27:37 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether she was referring to the
McDowell Group report.
8:27:45 AM
MARY HAKALA, Staff, Representative Andi Story, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Story, prime sponsor,
pointed out that the initial matrix was provided by the Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education, and was restructured for
readability. She directed attention to page 9 of the report,
which provides further analysis on the recommendations.
8:28:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY reviewed the first recommendation,
"Eliminate the distinction between CTE and academic
eligibility." She said this could be "easily" achieved by
eliminating the WorkKeys test.
8:29:30 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether a specific recommendation is
included in the proposed legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY responded, "The only thing in my bill right
now is expanding CTE eligibility." She expressed that her
intention is to work with the committee on amendments based on
the recommendations in the report.
8:30:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether Representative Story intends
to pass the bill during the current legislative session.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY replied that she intends to work on it
through the interim, involving the university, Department of
Education and Early Development, and other stakeholders. She
said she wanted to discuss the recommendations made by the
McDowell Group after assessment of APS.
8:31:28 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM asked whether APS could be used at
Northern Industrial Training.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY deferred to Ms. Riddle.
8:32:19 AM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Innovation and
Education Excellence, Department of Education and Early
Development, responded that APS can be used at any Alaska
training facility or university.
8:33:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS expressed support for HB 48 based on
discussions held in other committees.
8:33:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK noted that educational focus has always
been "go to college," and he expressed support for HB 48.
8:34:07 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND noted committee members' agreement that the
first recommendation should be part of the proposed legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY expressed the importance of making sure
students are award of the possibility of using APS for technical
education.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS offered that training centers in CTE
areas should also be apprised, perhaps through the Division of
Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing (CBPL) at the
Department of Commerce, Community, and Economic Development
(DCCED).
8:35:43 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND invited Ms. Efird to comment on the
discussion.
8:36:13 AM
SANA EFIRD, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education (ACPE), pointed out that the committee
packet includes a list of authorized institution for APS
students, and she said that ACPE is tasked with authorizing
students and institutions eligibility.
8:38:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM asked how the authorization process
works.
MS. EFIRD replied that the institution would contact ACPE, which
would provide the institution with the eligibility requirements.
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM asked about eligibility for specific
training programs, such as training to operate a crane.
MS. EFIRD responded that the institution would have to meet APS
eligibility requirements through ACPE.
8:40:28 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND commented that a former executive director of
ACPE was also a former president of Northern Industrial
Training.
8:41:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY continued to the second recommendation,
"Offer multiple pathways and opportunities for students to
demonstrate academic rigor as an alternative to the current
rigid curriculum requirements." She said students are currently
required to take a certain number and type of credits for
graduation, and that she hopes to add CTE classes to the
curriculum and to change certain requirements to respond to
those schools and districts that have insufficient staff to
offer the full curriculum.
8:42:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS expressed concerns regarding
geographically inaccessible schools across the state. He then
asked whether the number of applications for APS has been
decreasing, and if so, whether there is space within the funding
levels for ACPE to rebuild the program as originally intended.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY deferred to Ms. Efird.
MS. EFIRD stated that the commission received an appropriation
of $11.75 million to award APS scholarships, with actual
disbursement of approximately $9 million. She said original
projections of need exceeded the appropriation, and APS funding
comes from the higher education investment fund, with
recommendations from the Department of Revenue regarding
expenditures based on a 7 percent return on investment.
8:45:35 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS commented that it would be a good thing
for more students to access APS, and that ensuring the number of
students served doesn't decline, especially in light of
increasing education, is important.
8:46:27 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked Ms. Efird what happens to the funds not
used for APS.
MS. EFIRD replied that the money stays in the higher education
investment fund.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether APS award levels are set in
statute.
MS. EFIRD responded that award levels are set in statute, and
that one of the recommendations that will be discussed is
increasing awards to respond to inflation and increasing costs
of higher education.
8:47:49 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether ACPE could "figure it out"
instead of changing the statute.
MS. EFIRD asked for clarification.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said, "Apparently ... we need to change a
statute in order to change the amount." He expressed that if
the statute were to change, decision-making authority should be
conveyed to ACPE, thereby making it easier to respond to
changing market conditions.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained that the curriculum requirements
are in statute, so the statute would need to be changed to
convey authority to ACPE. She then acknowledged the committee's
desire for flexibility.
8:50:51 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND noted the dollar value of the award in the
report referenced would require a statutory change.
8:51:41 AM
MS. HAKALA pointed out the complexity of the requirements and
the need to have someone guide the student through the APS
requirements.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY expressed her agreement, and she said Ms.
Hakala's comment leads into the third recommendation, which read
as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Base eligibility determinations on the first three
years of high school so students have APS award
information when they are making their decisions. This
will also bring APS in line with other scholarships
(including UA's University Scholars) and will help
make Alaska postsecondary schools more competitive.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said basing the award on the first three
years instead of the full four years of high school would allow
scholarship notification early enough so students can be aware
of the requirements and plan accordingly.
8:54:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked why the eligibility should be based on
the first three years.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY replied that the scholarship requirements
mean a student needs to start during their freshman year,
because the curriculum is a "full load" each year of high
school.
8:56:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS said if flexibility in scholarship
eligibility is to be expanded, it should be less specific in the
exact number of credits per subject.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY deferred to Ms. Efird.
8:58:15 AM
MS. EFIRD said the focus of the recommendation under discussion
is timing; students need to know by the end of junior year
whether they will have the financial support of APS, so they can
decide whether or where to attend considering the existence of
funding. One of the major reasons for the existence of APS, she
said, is to keep students in the state.
9:00:20 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND expressed that it seems the committee members
agree regarding recommendation three, then directed attention to
recommendation four, which read, "Consider using round numbers
for award levels to make them easier to remember and calculate."
REPRESENTATIVE STORY explained that the top-level award is
currently $4,755, and the recommendation is to make that award
level $5,000, and rounding the other levels to make them easier
to calculate. She pointed out that the actual value of the
award should be addressed, due to inflation and increasing cost
of university, since the award hasn't been increased since 2011.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND said she doesn't disagree that the award
amount should be changed to keep up with the costs of education;
however, she said, the higher education investment fund has been
"chipped away at" and may not generate additional revenue to
cover increases in scholarships, both in award levels and in
number of awards.
9:03:46 AM
MS. EFIRD shared that ACPE reviewed the report and
recommendations, and that it hears from students that the dollar
amounts of APS are not financially competitive with offers
students have received from institutions outside Alaska. She
said APS, the Alaska Education Grant, and costs for
participation in the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana, and
Idaho (WWAMI) medical program are all supported by the Higher
Education Investment Fund.
9:05:15 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND said there appears to be general agreement in
the need to address recommendations four and 13.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY pointed out that recommendations five and
six reflect administrative changes that could be change without
changing the statute. She shared the current requirement of 15
credits per semester, for a total of 30 credits for the year,
and expressed that a part-time, working student would find that
to be a heavy load.
MS. EFIRD deferred to Ms. Thomas.
9:07:10 AM
KERRY THOMAS, Director of Program Operations, Alaska Commission
on Postsecondary Education, proposed changing the "per semester"
credits to cumulative credits. She said the goal of the program
is to graduate students on time, but the problem students face
is the lack of flexibility. Freshman credit requirements is 12
per semester, she said, due to it being the student's first year
in college; it then increases to 15 credits per semester. She
said students would like flexibility to take additional courses
over the summer, or during another time in the program, and
"bank" those credits for when courses become more challenging.
9:10:01 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked how CTE credit requirements would
be adjusted to include those students in that flexibility.
MS. THOMAS replied that she doesn't believe the per-semester
credit requirement is applicable to CTE programs.
9:11:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY continued to recommendation seven,
"Increase the number of semesters and years students are allowed
to use the award to enable Alaska's high proportion of
nontraditional students." She said this would be a statutory
change.
9:11:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX mentioned "circulating the money."
REPRESENTATIVE STORY shared that most students are trying to get
through the program as quickly as possible, and that it's
helpful for students to have the assurance that they will not
lose the award as a result of taking a little longer to finish.
9:12:49 AM
MS. EFIRD clarified the intent of recommendation seven, which is
to maintain the total award, while allowing flexibility for
nontraditional students who need to work.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether recipients are currently
required to expend the award in four years, and she shared her
understanding that it's possible to stretch the award to six
years.
MS. EFIRD deferred to Ms. Thomas.
9:14:30 AM
MS. THOMAS clarified that a student currently receives four
years of scholarship awards within six years of graduation. She
shared that the students most disadvantaged under the current
structure are the nontraditional students studying part-time,
since the lifetime maximum is eight semesters. If a student is
part-time for four years, their lifetime maximum for funding is
exhausted without having received the same dollar amount of
funding as a student attending four years full-time. She
expressed agreement with establishing a dollar amount that could
be equivalent to eight terms at the full-time level, and
allowing students to utilize the scholarship within a certain
period of time without penalizing students the way they're
penalized under the current system.
9:16:49 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether there is a penalty for not
attaining a degree or certificate after having used APS.
MS. THOMAS replied that there are no penalties in terms of
repayment, only the inability to receive the remainder of the
scholarship. If a student is not on track, she said, they're
not eligible for subsequent disbursements.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX expressed the viewpoint that extending the
time period during which the scholarship could be used would
increase the risk of dropouts. He said, "I don't know what that
risk is, but if we extend the time period out, then we have a
risk of giving a scholarship to somebody that doesn't deliver.
Our expectation, I think, from the ... state's perspective, is
that the student completes the program. If they don't, there's
some loss to the state."
9:20:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY expressed the need for balance and
flexibility, and for meeting students' needs where they are.
She then share recommendation eight, "Eliminate standardized
testing requirements," which would be a statutory change. She
said key findings show that standardized test requirements are
the biggest barrier to APS eligibility, likely due to the cost
of the test. She said the state paid the fee for students to
take the standardized tests until 2016, which is when APS
eligibility peaked.
9:22:10 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX agreed that standardized tests are not
complete measures of performance.
MS. HAKALA shared the growing body of research that say high
school grade point averages (GPAs) are five times stronger than
American College Testing (ACT) scores at predicting college
graduation. She shared a book called "Crossing the Finish Line:
Completing College at America's Public Universities," and she
shared a passage from a Harvard Educational Review of the book,
which read as follows:
Another significant contribution of this book is its
revelation that the SAT and ACT have little predictive
validity for whether or not a student graduates from
college or when they leave. With the unique features
of their data set, Bowen, Chingos, and McPherson are
able to demonstrate that high school GPA is a much
stronger predictor of college performance and that the
SAT and ACT are largely proxies for high school
quality.
MS. HAKALA said requirements for SAT and ACT tests have been
waived due to the COVID-19 pandemic; therefore, she said,
eligibility numbers have increased. Nationally, many
universities have suspended the testing requirements and are now
considering waiving the requirement long-term, she said.
9:26:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said he agrees that other criteria should be
considered, but he has concerns with eliminating the testing.
9:27:00 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS stated his support for eliminating
standardized test score requirements and substituting the
standard with a student's academic record, based on the
opportunities a student has been able to take advantage of.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX shared his understanding that universities
used to have prerequisites in order to register for certain
classes.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY agreed that students should be prepared for
their time in college, and she opined that academic rigor can
still be achieved with flexibility.
9:29:55 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked what the WorkKeys test is.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY deferred to Ms. Riddle.
9:30:20 AM
MS. RIDDLE explained that WorkKeys was put in place for students
who were taking the certificate route instead of the college
route for higher education.
9:31:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said she appreciated the research on APS
with regards to equity and accessibility, noting the
disproportionate number of students have not been able to access
the scholarship.
9:32:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY continued her presentation with
recommendation nine, "If testing requirements are not
eliminated, reestablish state policy requiring and paying for
all Alaska high school students to take a standardized test,"
and recommendation 10, "Consider replacing numerical cut scores
with qualitative criteria for establishing cut scores." She
pointed out that these two recommendations are statutory. She
continued to recommendation 11, "Ensure all students get early
and ongoing academic counseling to meet eligibility
requirements," which is a mix of administrative and statutory,
and recommendation 12, "Include disparity analysis in annual
outcomes reports," which is administrative. She directed
committee members' attention to page 14 of the McDowell Group
report, which discusses regional disparities in qualifications
due to access to testing curriculum.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND stated that recommendations 11 and 3 appeal to
align in terms of eligibility determinations, and should derive
from the same statute.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY agreed.
MS. HAKALA stated that recommendation 11 also directly ties to
recommendation 16. She referred to page 20 of the McDowell
Group report, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
"As funding decreases, so do these opportunities. A
good example of this would be that five years ago we
had three counselors and they made regular in-person
visits to all our schools, but now we only have one
counselor for the entire district."
MS. HAKALA said she knows that counseling has been an area
experiencing "severe" cuts due to the eroding purchasing power
of foundation funding.
9:36:54 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY noted that consideration 13 had already
been discussed, and she shared consideration 14, "Alaska's
fiscal imbalance has an impact," described on page 10 of the
McDowell Group report. She recalled the 2018 veto of APS
funding, pointing out that students suddenly didn't know whether
they would receive their scholarships, thereby choosing higher
education institutions outside Alaska. She then presented
consideration 15, "Quality & relevant postsecondary education
programs are essential," and she shared that quality, access,
and cost are all considered when choosing a program.
9:40:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK stressed the importance of making students
aware of existing programs, and he suggested that the reason
students don't join the military is because they don't know
there could be educational opportunities.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND pointed out the ACPE website, and she added
that loss of counselors hurts students' ability to seek
opportunities.
9:42:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX agreed that programs and opportunities are
not well-advertised, and he said that when he was in high
school, he didn't know what school counselors were for. He then
discussed his nephew, who went to college outside Alaska, and
who found that APS is behind what is offered by programs and
institutions in the Lower 48. He then asked for information
regarding the methodology used in the McDowell Group report.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY agreed that APS needs to be advertised, and
she said she doesn't believe people are able to access the ACPE
website. She asked how ACPE advertises its programs.
9:45:42 AM
MS. EFIRD said ACPE sends out letters to eligible students, and
she expressed that there are many other ways for ACPE to support
the efforts to ensure students know about opportunities for
financial aid.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY added that pages 2-4 of the report detail
the methodology of the study. The survey for students eligible
for APS was sent to 14,374 graduates via email, with a password-
encrypted link to the survey. The response rate was 22 percent,
she said. The survey for ineligible students was sent to 32,287
graduates, and the response rate was 9 percent.
9:48:55 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY said HB 48 is about encouraging students to
stay in Alaska for higher education and to begin their careers.
9:49:35 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND stated HB 48 was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 53 Committee Packet EDC 4.28.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 DOD Letter of Support 2.22.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 FN (MLV) DEED SESA.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 Fiscal Note.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 Sponsor Statement 3.2.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 Summary of Change 03.31.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 version B.PDF |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB53 version A.PDF |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 53 |
| HB 48 - Reference APS Rpt Recommendations MATRIX.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 48 |
| HB 48 The Harvard Educational Review - HEPG.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 48 |
| HB 48 High school GPAs are stronger predictors of college graduation than ACT scores.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 48 |
| HB 164 Memo on Progression and Retention Provisons 4.28.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/28/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |