03/18/2016 08:00 AM House EDUCATION

        HB 156-SCHOOL ACCOUNTABILITY MEASURES; FED. LAW                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
9:46:16 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER announced that the  final order of business would be                                                               
CS FOR  HOUSE BILL NO. 156(EDC),  "An Act relating to  the duties                                                               
of the Department  of Education and Early  Development and school                                                               
districts; relating to public  school curriculum and assessments;                                                               
relating to  compliance with federal education  laws; relating to                                                               
public school accountability; relating  to a statewide assessment                                                               
plan and review of education  laws and regulations; and providing                                                               
for  an effective  date."   [Before the  committee, adopted  as a                                                               
work  draft on  3/16/16,  was the  proposed committee  substitute                                                               
(CS) for HB 156, Version 29-LS0566\Y, Glover, 3/11/16.]                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
9:46:37 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER stated that the intent  of HB 156 is to unify around                                                               
the issues  currently faced  by the state.   Many  situations are                                                               
contributing factors, which include:   the AMP assessment, common                                                               
core, federal  overreach, unfunded  mandates on districts,  a new                                                               
commissioner  and  state board  members,  as  well as  the  state                                                               
budget.   The bill askes  for a break  from the regimen  to allow                                                               
the  educational   system  and   legislature  time   to  regroup,                                                               
formulate a  new assessment plan  and provide  recommendations on                                                               
the accountability section of statute.   He encouraged members to                                                               
visit the  EED website to  review the public report  card section                                                               
and  praised  the  agency  for   its  performance  regarding  its                                                               
fulfilment  of the  reporting  requirements.   Working  together,                                                               
during  this   brief  break,  the   complicated  issues   can  be                                                               
appropriately  addressed.   The overreach  of federal  government                                                               
continues to  affect the state,  he opined.   The reauthorization                                                               
of the No Child Left Behind  Act (NCLB) has resulted in the Every                                                               
Student Succeeds  Act (ESSA), an extensive,  1,059 page document,                                                               
effective  August 2016.    A  primary intent  for  HB  156 is  to                                                               
delete, from state statute, language  that Alaska shall implement                                                               
specific  federal  code.   The  reauthorization  may be  fine  to                                                               
implement,  but  there  needs  to   be  an  opportunity  for  the                                                               
department  to   gain  an  understanding,   incorporate  changes,                                                               
promulgate  regulations,  and  implement the  standards  of  this                                                               
extensive federal  act.  Several  items of interest  are reported                                                               
to be contained in ESSA, which  include:  Title I portability, to                                                               
allow flexibility regarding  the funding; a right  for parents to                                                               
opt  their  student  out  of  high stakes  tests;  and  a  bigger                                                               
emphasis  on local  control.   At least  two of  these provisions                                                               
were stripped  out in the  final version; however,  local control                                                               
has  been  retained.    The  proposed hiatus  is  not  to  ensure                                                               
compliance with  ESSA, but  rather is intended  to allow  time to                                                               
understand the  financial ramifications.   Federal dollars  are a                                                               
major source of funding for  EED, he pointed out, which indicates                                                               
that  the agency  works on  behalf  of the  local districts,  the                                                               
legislature, and  the federal  government.   The two  year window                                                               
should  prove  reasonable,  he   maintained,  and  reported  that                                                               
California has been  allowed a three year waiver  without loss of                                                               
federal funding, thus, precedent does exist.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
9:55:54 AM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  SEATON directed  attention to  the bill,  page 3,                                                               
and lines 18-19, which read as follows:                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
      (1) [IMPLEMENT 20 U.S.C. 6301 - 7941 (ELEMENTARY AND                                                                      
     SRCONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 19650, AS AMENDED;                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON  asked about the purpose  for removing this                                                               
language, and  will the result  be the creation  of a new  set of                                                               
Alaska standards.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER said, "It's a process  that's going to put a greater                                                               
emphasis on  local districts."   He stressed that HB  156 doesn't                                                               
prescribe  standards  or  change the  current  Alaska  standards;                                                               
however, by  pulling back  on the  assessment schedule  it allows                                                               
the  department  the  opportunity  to  make  recommendations  for                                                               
possible change.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR KELLER thanked the participants.