04/09/1997 09:04 AM Senate HES

                                                                               
           HB 145 TEACHING COMPETENCY EXAM FOR CERTIF                         
                                                                              
 Number 001                                                                    
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN WILKEN  called the Senate Health, Education & Social                
 Services Committee (HES) to order at 9:04 a.m. and announced that             
 SB 142 will not be taken up today.  Chairman Wilken passed the                
 confirmation letter for the committee to sign.  Chairman Wilken               
 then announced that  CSHB 145(HES)  was the first order of business.          
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE CON BUNDE , Prime Sponsor, believed that                      
 CSHB 145(HES) was a win-win bill.  Currently, the only                        
 qualification to receive a Type A certificate in Alaska is to have            
 a college degree in the area of education.  Representative Bunde              
 said that sometimes a college degree does not a teacher make.  This           
 is part of an organized House effort to instill further confidence            
 in Alaska's educational system.  CSHB 145(HES) requires that                  
 teachers take a basic competency test before being issued a                   
 license.  Representative Bunde believed that most would pass this             
 test and he recognized that graduates from the University of Alaska           
 system in education already take a screening test before entering             
 the program.  However, about 50 percent of Alaska's teachers are              
 hired from the Lower 48 and there is no quality control for those             
 folks.  This test is similar to that existing in 40 other states.             
                                                                               
                                                                               
  SENATOR LEMAN  did not disagree with Representative Bunde's initial          
 statement that a college degree does not a teacher make.  Senator             
 Leman added that just passing a competency exam does not a teacher            
 make either.  He expressed concern that the notion that merely                
 passing an exam or receiving certification signified a good                   
 teacher.  Senator Leman said that he agreed with much of                      
 Representative Dyson's article on this matter.  Senator Leman                 
 inquired as to Representative Bunde's opinion on Representative               
 Dyson's article which said that a non-existent problem was being              
 attacked or the problem is being attacked in the wrong manner.                
                                                                               
 Number 130                                                                    
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE BUNDE  said that he read Representative Dyson's               
 article.  Representative Bunde acknowledged that realtors and                 
 insurance sales staff must pass basic competency tests in order to            
 work in Alaska which does not ensure the best either.  Other                  
 qualifications are also utilized in determining whether one would             
 do business with a person and that applies to teachers as well.               
 With regard to the article, Representative Dyson wants to manage              
 output rather than input to which Representative Bunde did not want           
 to eliminate any tool that was available.                                     
                                                                               
 Part of Representative Dyson's concerns stemmed from situations in            
 Arkansas, Virginia and Tennessee.  In those states, the state could           
 not find a teacher who passed the test that would work for the                
 wages paid.  Representative Bunde did not believe that to be a                
 problem for Alaska due to teachers' wages here.  Representative               
 Dyson is concerned that if the criteria is raised, those in the               
 profession would request more money.  Representative Bunde                    
 acknowledged that possibility and stated that Representative                  
 Dyson's notions do not necessarily apply to Alaska.  Representative           
 Bunde agreed with the notion that CSHB 145(HES) will not effect the           
 really competent teachers.  However there have been teachers that             
 are not terribly literate or competent in their specialty area, and           
 those teachers should be screened out.  As with children, one bad             
 apple taints the public image of the entire group.                            
                                                                               
  SENATOR LEMAN  wanted to ensure that Superintendents and                     
 Administrators were not sent the message that this legislation                
 would eliminate the need to continue the competency reviews and               
 plan of improvements when necessary.                                          
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE BUNDE  commented that the passage of last year's              
 tenure reform bill requires school boards, superintendents, and               
 principles to evaluate teachers and help teachers when necessary.             
                                                                               
  SENATOR WARD  inquired as to the location of page 2 of the letter            
 from NEA-AK.   SENATOR GREEN  noted that it was located on the back           
 of the first page.                                                            
                                                                               
 Number 224                                                                    
                                                                               
  NANCY BUELL , Director of the Division of Teaching & Learning                
 Support in the Department of Education, said that the department              
 does support this bill or anything designed to raise the quality of           
 the education work force in Alaska.  Ms. Buell echoed Senator                 
 Leman's comments that a single test will probably not make the                
 difference.  There are 44 states that have such tests.  Ms. Buell             
 believed that the emphasis should be on the performance standards             
 of teachers and evaluations of the teachers.  Other states with               
 such a test are reviewing more stringent procedures to ensure                 
 teacher quality.                                                              
                                                                               
 With regard to the portion of the bill which requests that the                
 state board review nationally recognized tests and select a test as           
 well as a cut-off score, that is not a simple process.  The board             
 will need to meet to receive expert assistance in order to                    
 determine a legally defensible cut-off score.  Ms. Buell noted that           
 nationally this area is on the brink of major new instruments.                
 Most states are participating in a joint effort among the                     
 accrediting agency for colleges of teacher education, professional            
 associations, and state directors of teacher education and                    
 certification.  This joint effort is attempting to develop a new              
 assessment for new teachers.  This assessment will include a test             
 of teaching knowledge, demonstration of ability to teach in                   
 performance assessment and provision of a portfolio.  Ms. Buell               
 stressed the importance of the board having the time, support, and            
 expertise to select a test.                                                   
                                                                               
  JOHN CYR , President of NEA-AK, believed that it spoke well that the         
 department, the House Majority, and NEA-AK are all concerned with             
 improving the quality of education in Alaska.  Mr. Cyr supported              
 CSHB 145(HES) and said that it will improve instruction and                   
 education.  This is a small piece of the puzzle, but it is                    
 important.  Once a teacher is hired, it is up to the principle, the           
 administration, and the school board to do evaluations and plans of           
 improvement.                                                                  
                                                                               
  CHAIRMAN WILKEN  said that he intended to pass this bill to its next         
 committee of referral.                                                        
                                                                               
  SENATOR LEMAN  moved to report CSHB 145(HES) out of committee with           
 individual recommendations and accompanying fiscal notes.  Without            
 objection, it was so ordered.                                                 
                                                                               
  REPRESENTATIVE BUNDE  noted that the fiscal note reflected the one           
 time set up charge, after which applicants would be charged a fee             
 that would become program receipts.  The fiscal note would be zero            
 in the next years.