Legislature(2019 - 2020)DAVIS 106
02/19/2020 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB155 | |
| HB181 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 155 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 181 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 155-AK PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIP; ELIGIBILITY
8:03:58 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the first order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 155 "An Act relating to eligibility for
the Alaska performance scholarship program."
8:04:21 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY, as prime sponsor, introduced HB 155, explaining
that the proposed legislation would provide for high school
Career and Technical Education (CTE) credits to count towards
eligibility for the Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS). She
noted that CTE helps prepare students for a variety of
postsecondary paths, including college, apprenticeships, other
postsecondary training, or entering the workforce. She noted
that there has been a decline in APS applications in recent
years and that HB 155 would potentially increase the number of
APS applicants. She cited that students who participate in high
school CTE programs have improved graduation rates. She
explained that CTE "concentrators" - students who take two or
more credits in a single CTE program of study or career cluster
- are 19 percent more likely to graduate than their
counterparts. She explained that the bill would provide two
options for students to incorporate CTE into their APS
applications: first, under the math and science option,
students would be allowed to replace one credit of social
studies with one credit of CTE; and second, under the social
studies & language arts option, a student would be allowed to
replace two years of world language with two years of CTE, one
year of which includes courses of increasing rigor within a
career cluster. She defined "one credit" as one year or two
semesters of course work.
8:07:40 AM
MARY HAKALA, Staff, Representative Andi Story, Alaska State
Legislature, presented HB 155 on behalf of Representative Story,
prime sponsor. She highlighted contents of the committee packet
and explained their relevance to HB 155. She noted that the
fiscal notes would be amended and provided to the committee
subsequently.
MS. HAKALA referred to the packet item "HB 155 modified APS-
Award-Checklist" as what students use to track their coursework.
She explained that the items highlighted in green demonstrate
the proposed CTE credit replacement for eligibility for the APS.
8:09:25 AM
MS. HAKALA described the committee packet item entitled "CTE
Concentrator vs Non CTE Graduation Rate over Time," which
underscores claims that CTE is a predictor of higher graduation
rates. She referred next to the committee packet item which
expounds on career clusters when considering fields of study
within CTE programs. She noted letters of support and testimony
submitted in support of HB 155. She noted that additional
committee packet items include more statistical data and CTE
program reporting that demonstrated the value of CTE programs.
8:11:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE TUCK asked whether the substitution value of CTE
for social studies would be the same as for math and science.
8:11:54 AM
MS. HAKALA answered that there are two distinct options for
credit substitution with CTE, and social studies may not be
replaced. She noted that foreign language requirements could be
replaced with CTE credits to encourage an increasing rigor for
concentration in a career cluster. She noted that a school
district has the purview of determining what counts as a
semester and therefore as a credit.
8:13:38 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that the language in the bill is
included under social studies and language arts requirements and
under the math and science requirements separately and
intentionally.
8:14:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS inquired whether graduation requirements
that may include foreign language requirements would still
require those credits for the student to graduate.
8:15:15 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY indicated that graduation requirements vary from
one district to the next; however, the intention of the proposed
bill is to not interfere with existing graduation requirements.
8:15:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS noted apprenticeship programs in his
district work closely with the schools' CTE programs. He asked
whether this program would work with the local trade association
programs.
8:16:01 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY agreed to follow up with a validated answer for
Representative Hopkins.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked whether the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education (ACPE) would be required to cover any
costs of the program.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND indicated that a representative from ACPE was
available to testify and would answer the question when called
to testify.
8:16:50 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether a student could change field of
study, or career cluster, and still meet the two-year
requirements under the social studies and language arts
substitution option.
8:17:30 AM
MS. HAKALA suggested that a student who changes field of study
is referred to as a "dabbler" and does not experience the same
achievements as "concentrators" in a field.
8:18:25 AM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Division Operations Manager, Innovation and
Education Excellence, Department of Education & Early
Development, explained that a "concentrator" enjoys additional
benefits such as certifications or additional experience in
their field which will carry forward into postsecondary
development, whereas a "dabbler" does not enjoy the same
benefits.
8:19:46 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 8:19 a.m. to 8:20 a.m.
8:20:29 AM
MISSY FRAZE, Acting Director, Career and Technical Education,
Anchorage School District, testified in support of HB 155. She
explained that CTE - once known as vocational education - has
evolved beyond traditional vocations and includes higher quality
and more specialized and technically sophisticated coursework
and can train Alaska's growing workforce in fields that support
several of Alaska's industries. She noted that a key
differentiation between traditional vocational education and CTE
is that CTE fields require some postsecondary education or
training component. She extolled the CTE program's alignment of
students' skills and characteristics with the demands of the
workforce, which allows students to make informed experiential
decisions to pursue a career path. She cited that CTE program
concentrator graduation rate is 95 percent, and thus graduates
avoid accumulation of student debt in fields that are
subsequently dropped. She noted that 41 percent of Alaska CTE
participants are economically disadvantaged. Ms. Fraze shared
an anecdote of a student who boasts a 3.8 grade point average
and is held in high esteem by her teachers and administrators.
She explained that this student has strong, marketable skills in
business development and aspires to attend college; however, she
does not qualify for APS because CTE is not a qualifying credit.
8:27:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked whether the Anchorage School
District (ASD) offers career clusters of increasing
concentration.
8:28:07 AM
MS. FRAZE answered that ASD offers CTE in all 16 career clusters
and all clusters offer concentrators. She named King Tech High
School as an equal-access institution that supports CTE
concentrators. She related that the CTE program produces
approximately 456 concentrators annually.
8:29:19 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked whether the approximate 400 student
concentrators are only within King Tech High School.
MS. FRAZE noted that the 400 are from schools throughout the
district, not only from King Tech High School.
8:29:51 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND commented that in her experience in and around
education, children typically know their desired field as early
as the second grade. She asked whether any Anchorage trade and
industry members visit schools to connect youth to career
opportunities.
8:30:27 AM
MS. FRAZE noted that the Associated General Contractors of
Alaska and other partners work with Anchorage CTE for career
exploration with students as young as in the sixth grade. She
noted that ASD has a summer program that engages students in
intensive career cluster exploration in six career clusters.
Ms. Fraze emphasized that CTE programs allow students to make
career path choices based on experiences in the field as
compared to the idea of the field.
8:32:30 AM
STEPHANIE BUTLER, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education, testified in support of HB 155. She
paraphrased the letter of support from the ACPE, [included in
the committee packet] which read as follows [original
punctuation provided]:
Thank you for the opportunity to provide communication
regarding HB 155, which would expand the eligibility
requirements for the Alaska Performance Scholarship
(APS) to include a high school career and technical
education (CTE) pathway. The Commission is very aware
of the need to expand CTE opportunities in Alaska and
supports CTE as integral to the future success of our
Alaska students and our state.
The Commission's next meeting is in April, and the
agenda includes consideration of a formal resolution
in support of HB 155.
If passed, HB 155 will allow more Alaska students with
the opportunity to be eligible for the APS, and will
specifically expand options for high school CTE
students. Creating this high school pathway aligns
with the existing APS CTE award. A CTE pathway is
becoming increasingly urgent, based on data that 65%
of Alaska's best jobs in 2025 will require a
postsecondary credential, including a high need for an
Alaska workforce with CTE credentials.
MS. BUTLER added that the proposed bill would send a message to
students in Alaska that CTE is valued. She thanked the
committee for its commitment to ensuring Alaska students have an
opportunity to pursue their education goals.
8:34:27 AM
MS. BUTLER, referring to Representative Hopkins' earlier query,
stated that there is no increase in cost for ACPE to administer
the changes proposed by HB 155.
8:35:06 AM
NORM WOOTEN, Executive Director, Association of Alaska School
Boards, testified in support of HB 155 and in support of CTE in
particular. He shared anecdotes from his time as Kodiak Island
Borough School Board president. He recalled that CTE had lost
value in academia and was relegated to students who were not
academically inclined. He suggested that this approach to
education was a mistake in Alaska and nationwide, as all
students are not bound for traditional, four-year colleges. He
recalled that, during the construction of the Alaska Pipeline,
Alaska suffered a lack of skilled workforce and many workers
commuted from the Lower 48. He stated that Alaska will always
have a need for workers skilled in mechanics, plumbing,
electrical, carpentry, heavy equipment operation, among many
others. He shared his personal experience in working in skilled
trade following his military service and noted that the jobs in
skilled trade are well-paying jobs. He suggested that HB 155
would acknowledge the value of CTE fields of study and would be
good for Alaska's students and economy, and he spoke in support
of the bill.
8:39:43 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND shared her personal experience of having
received training at the Bronx School of Science, an
academically rigorous school, in "scientific techniques lab,"
which was effectively a woodshop class. She stated that the
practical skills that she learned in that class continue to be
of value to her.
8:40:57 AM
SHAWN ARNOLD, President, Alaska Superintendents Association;
Superintendent, Valdez City School District, testified in
support of HB 155. He applauded the bill's intent of expanding
eligibility requirements to extend to students who choose CTE
fields of study. He referred to previous testimony extolling
the benefits of CTE and underscored the increased graduation
rates among CTE students. He suggested that CTE availability
may encourage students who might otherwise leave high school to
stay in school. He added that the programs offered in his
district prepare students by offering hands-on experience in
fields that they may pursue in postsecondary education and
certifications. He noted that 10 students who completed the
rigorous millwright program in their district had continued on
to certification and have since been hired locally, at high
salaries. He stated that the Alaska Superintendents Association
portends that CTE is beneficial to a variety of labor market
needs and contributes to Alaska's economic growth and stability.
8:45:38 AM
DOUG WALRATH, Director, Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical
Center, testified in support of HB 155 and echoed previous
testimony extolling the benefits of CTE. He suggested that CTE
supports a different learning modality with hands-on training,
which provides beneficial learning experience to some students
who might not otherwise benefit from more traditional book
learning.
8:48:13 AM
CATHY LECOMPTE, Director, Division of AVTEC - Alaska's Institute
of Technology, Department of Labor & Workforce Development,
testified in support of HB 155. She described her experience in
workforce development and training and has observed the benefits
of CTE directly with students of the programs. She claimed that
90 percent of students at AVTEC graduate, and 90 percent of
those graduates are placed in jobs. She added that CTE programs
are a supplement to academic pathways for students after high
school.
8:51:34 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND suggested that the committee arrange a tour of
the Division of AVTEC - Alaska's Institute of Technology
facility.
8:52:05 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND opened public testimony on HB 155. After
ascertaining that no one wished to testify, she announced that
she would leave public testimony open for the next hearing on HB
155.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that HB 155 was held over.