Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
01/28/2022 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB114 | |
| HB164 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 164 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 114 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 164-EARLY ED PROGRAMS; READING; VIRTUAL ED
8:15:17 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the final order of business
would be HOUSE BILL NO. 164, "An Act relating to early education
programs provided by school districts; relating to school age
eligibility; relating to early education programs; establishing
a parents as teachers program; relating to the duties of the
Department of Education and Early Development; relating to
certification of teachers; establishing a reading intervention
program for public school students enrolled in grades
kindergarten through three; establishing a reading program in
the Department of Education and Early Development; relating to a
virtual education consortium; and providing for an effective
date." [Before the committee, adopted as a working document
during the 4/23/21 House Education Standing Committee meeting,
was the proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 164, Version
32-LS0731\I, Klein, 4/20/21, ("Version I").]
8:16:04 AM
MIKE MASON, Staff, Representative Chris Tuck, Alaska State
Legislature, presented HB 164 on behalf of Representative Tuck,
prime sponsor. He stated that the aim of the proposed
legislation is "to help children succeed." He said the Alaska
Reads Act will help parents and teachers prepare children for
educational success. He said the bill is the result of years of
hard work to extend early education opportunities in Alaska.
The overarching goal is to get children at reading level by the
end of the third grade.
MR. MASON said the Alaska Reads Act must contain three
components: universal voluntary pre-kindergarten ("pre-K");
state policy on evidence-based reading intervention; and
increased Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
support for Alaska school districts.
MR. MASON said evidence clearly shows that high-quality early
education programs are a great investment. He said the Alaska
Reads Act is focused on evidence-based reading policy, including
written instruction and practice, with reading being the key
driver to academic success. The Act provides intensive reading
services from kindergarten through third grade for students
experiencing reading deficiencies, and the bill requires DEED to
report to the legislature the progress made by each school
toward implementing the reading intervention program. Mr. Mason
emphasized that that accountability measure is important. He
said teachers across the country are seeing an increasing number
of students struggling to read. According to McKinsey &
Company, students have lost an estimated half a school year of
reading instruction.
MR. MASON said the Alaska Reads Act will result in over a $160
million investment in the next 10 years. Currently the State of
Alaska is spending $2 million annually for pre-K early learning
programs; Governor Mike Dunleavy vetoed $2.5 million in pre-K
grants from the fiscal year 2022 (FY 22) budget. He said early
learning programs in Alaska reach only about 10 percent of four-
year-old children.
MR. MASON suggested the most significant component of the
proposed legislation is the pre-K component. He said there is
growing consensus that a child's educational success is
dependent on what and how they learn from pre-K through third
grade. He related that the Alaska Council of School
Administrators supports the definition of elementary education
to include universal pre-K, thus ensuring equitable access to
fully funded, sustainable birth-to-age-five learning programs
and nutrition services.
MR. MASON said the Act will "build out pre-K" throughout the
state by expanding the state's pre-elementary grants. He said
the pre-K early education programs give many families access to
high-quality early education. He informed the committee that
currently 35 school districts in Alaska offer some form of pre-
K.
8:19:24 AM
MR. MASON spoke about the "parents as teachers" component of HB
164, emphasizing parents as key to the academic success of their
children. He said the Act would establish the Parents as
Teachers program in state law and bring it under the direction
of DEED, as evidenced under Section 14.
MR. MASON stated that the proposed legislation is "inclusive and
culturally responsible." He indicated that the committee had
passed an amendment regarding the recognition of the Alaska
State Legislature of the right of students to learn to read in
multiple languages, and that nothing in the Act is meant to
suggest that a local school district should limit reading
instruction in multiple languages. He acknowledged that the
House Education Standing Committee had passed an amendment that
protects Alaska's successful language immersion programs and
allows for "alternative assessments."
MR. MASON said the Alaska Reads Act would help address the
learning loss of young learners that has resulted from the
COVID-19 pandemic. He shared that learning loss is more extreme
for students of low- to moderate-income households.
MR. MASON relayed that "the original version of the bill"
included the concept of a virtual education consortium, as
envisioned in SB 42, with the goal of offering high-quality
education courses through an online database. He said that had
been modified by the House Education Standing Committee, "in
many respects, perhaps for the better."
MR. MASON, in conclusion, advised that HB 164 is the companion
bill to SB 111. He said Loki Tobin would now talk about the
summary of changes, following which he would discuss the
sectional analysis for HB 164.
8:22:06 AM
LKI TOBIN, Staff, Senator Tom Begich, Alaska State Legislature,
Provided the summary of changes from HB 164 to a proposed
committee substitute ["Version G"]. She began paraphrasing the
summary of changes, which read as follows [original punctuation
provided]:
Version G of House Bill 164 removes sections 4, 6, 8,
12, 16, 19, 22, 26, 30, 32, and 40. In version I of
the bill these sections repealed the changes made by
the bill on June 30, 2034. As a result of removing the
repealers, any changes described in version G
pertaining to Sections 3, 5, 7, 10, 11, 15, 18, 21,
25, 29, 31, and 39 would be permanent.
Version G amends the title of the bill to align with
changes made through the amendment process. (Page 1,
lines 1-11)
Version G amends the short title to "The Alaska Reads
Act." (Page 2, line 3)
Version G inserts legislative intent language
affirming that this legislation does not promote
English-only reading curricula and recognizes a
student's right to learn to read through culturally
responsive materials in multiple languages. (Page 2,
lines 4-11)
Section 3 of version G aligns with section 2 of
version I. (Page 2)
Section 4 of version G aligns with Section 3 of
version I. (Page 2)
Version G removes section 4 of version I.
Section 5 of version G amends section 6 of version I
to clarify when parents and guardians receive early
reading information and inserts subsection 6 regarding
the role of socio-emotional learning on developmental
success. (Page 3, lines 1-15)
Version G removes section 6 of version I.
Section 6 of version G amends section 7 of version I
by directing DEED to employ a data analyst. (Page 3,
Line 17 and removing 8(a)(b)(c) from section 7 of v. I
Page 4, Lines 6-11)
Version G removes sections 8 and 9 of version I.
Section 7 of version G. aligns with Section 10 of
version I and clarifies that a child who is at least
four years of age maybe be admitted to a public early
education program. (Page 4)
Version G removes sections 11 and 12 of version I.
Section 8 of version G aligns with Section 13 of
version I. However, reporting requirements under
subsections (e) and (f) in version I are removed. This
is because changes made to version I removed
progression waivers and good causes exemptions. (Pages
4-5, Lines 24-18)
8:27:56 AM
MS. TOBIN, in response to various committee members, offered
clarification as to where her spoken explanations lined up with
the written document. She continued paraphrasing the document,
which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Section 9 of version G aligns with section 14 of
version I and inserts subsection (d) under AS
14.03.420 Parents as Teachers program, clarifying the
term "parent," to include a broad and culturally
responsive definition. (Page 8, Lines 2-5)
Section 10 of version G aligns with section 15 of
version I. (Pages 8-9)
Version G removes section 16 of version I.
Section 11 of version G aligns with section 17 of
version I and inserts clarifying language regarding
the exclusion of head start from the definition of an
early education program operated by a public school.
(Page 10, Lines 25-26)
Section 12 of version G aligns with Section 18 of
version I and directs DEED to consult schools and
tribes when providing optional textbooks to school
districts who request additional support while
implementing reading intervention services provided
under authorizing statutes in this Act. (Page 11,
Lines 5-8)
Version G removes section 19 of version I.
Section 13 of version G aligns with section 20 of
version I by amending subsection (5)(B)(i) to extend
the allotted time an educator may complete minimum
requirements in early education from one to two years.
(Page 11, Lines 27-30)
Section 14 of version G aligns with Section 21 of
version I. (Page 12)
Version G removes section 22 of version I.
Section 15 of version G aligns with section 23 of
version I. (Page 13)
Version G removes section 24 of version I.
Section 16 of version G aligns with section 25 of
version I. (Page 13)
Version G removes section 24 of version I.
Section 17 of version G aligns with section 27 of
version I. (Pages 13-14)
Section 18 of version G aligns with section 28 of
version I. (Page 14)
Section 19 of version G aligns with section 29 of
version I. (Page 14)
Version G removes section 30 of version I.
8:32:47 AM
Section 20 of version G aligns with section 31 of
version I by inserting a provision that requires any
out-of-state preliminary teacher being certified under
this section to teach in Alaska to also complete
additional training through an Alaska Native lens and
using Alaska Native cultural standards. (Page 15,
Lines 16-19)
Version G removes sections 32 and 33 of version I.
Section 21 of version G aligns with section 34 of
version I and inserts a new subsection (m) that
requires any out-of-state preliminary teacher being
certified under this section to teach in Alaska to
also complete additional through an Alaska Native lens
and using Alaska Native cultural standards. (Page 15,
Lines 28-31)
Version G inserts a new section to AS 14.30 and
authorizes DEED to collaborate with and provide
technical and financial support to a school district
to develop Alaska Native language immersion programs
for kindergarten through grade three. (Page 16, Lines
2-7)
Section 23 of version G aligns with section 35 of
version I and makes the following changes:
? Permits school districts to opt-out of offering
individualized intensive reading services to students
in grades kindergarten through three. (Page 18, Line
5)
? Permits school districts to opt-out of
providing intensive reading services in addition to
core reading instruction to all students. (Page 18,
Line 8)
? Aligns AS 14.30.765 subsection (c)(7) with the
removal of subsections (8) and (9) in version I by
removing the provision that prohibits a struggling
kindergarten through 3rd-grade reader from being
retained more than once. (Page 20, Lines 19-20)
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsections (8) and (9)
that requires a school district to explain the waiver
process to a parent or guardian.
? Amends AS 14.30.765 subsection (d) to require a
parent or guardian to determine whether a struggling
reader may progress to the next grade and removes any
contingency provision if a parent or guardian is
unavailable for consultation. (Pages 20 & 21, Lines
26-2)
8:36:36 AM
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsection (g) which
required DEED to develop a recognition program for
districts that demonstrate intervention reading
services success.
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsection (h) which
permitted a superintendent to exempt a student from
grade retention and provided good cause exemptions for
students with disabilities, students who have
previously received intensive reading services, or
students who are English language learners.
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsection (i) which
permitted a parent or guardian to request a good cause
exemption for their struggling reader.
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsection (j) which
outlined the process for notification of a parent or
guardian when the superintendent retention contingency
provision under version I AS 14.30.765 was enacted.
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsection (m)(1) & (2),
which outlined specific criteria school districts must
consider when adopting a mid-year progression policy.
? Removes AS 14.30.765 subsection (o) which
prohibited a struggling reader from being retained
more than once.
8:38:35 AM
MS. TOBIN, in response to a question about possible policy
changes under the proposed committee substitute, said she did
not consider herself qualified to answer the question on that
topic, since it would depend on whether the policy was the
purview of the superintendent, the reading teacher, or the
primary teacher. She explained, "We have not audited all school
districts to know what their exact policies would be."
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY clarified that she wanted to know
whether the proposed committee substitute would be establishing
"any sort of progression or retention policies for schools."
MS. TOBIN offered her understanding that SB 34 does set a state
policy "always at the purview of the parent" (indisc.).
8:40:29 AM
MS. TOBIN continued paraphrasing the summary of changes, which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Amends AS 14.30.770 by removing the limiting
percentage of low-performing schools served, frequency
in which schools may be served, removing the
application process, permitting schools to opt-out of
the program, increasing the number of participating
schools to ten (10), requiring DEED to hire a reading
specialist for at least a year or until every student
requiring intervention has progressed, requiring a
reading specialist to work directly with struggling
readers and their primary teacher, inserting language
requiring DEED to hire at least one reading specialist
for every four (4) classes in which 25 percent of
students require individual reading plans, broaden
membership and participation in an annual convening of
stakeholders regarding program efficacy and
implementation, and authorizes equal consideration of
the academic or professional experience in qualifying
a candidate for a DEED-funded reading specialist
position. (Pages 25-26)
? Inserts AS 14.30.775 and directs the state to
appropriate $1,000 for each K-3 grade struggling
reader to a school district. (Page 26, Lines 19-24)
? Inserts AS 14.30.780 and exempts an Alaska
Native language immersion program from AS 14.30.770.
This section does permit DEED to assist in reading
program strategies if requested. (Page 26 & 27, Lines
25-1)
8:43:51 AM
MS. TOBIN moved on in the summary, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Section 24 of version G aligns with Section 36 of
version I and makes the following changes:
? Amends all references of "consortium," to
"library."
? Directs DEED to establish and maintain a
library that is created by local educators, school
districts, the University of Alaska, and other locally
sourced resources. (Page 27, Lines 19-24)
? Removes a provision under subsection (b) and
associated subsections (b)(1) and (2) that permitted
virtual instruction.
? Substantially amends subsection (d) by removing
the ability for DEED to charge a fee to school
districts that participate in the consortium and
instead permit a school district to charge a fee for a
course included in the library. (Page 28, Lines 12-14)
? Removes subsections (e) and (f).
Section 25 of version G aligns with Section 37 of
version I.
Section 26 of version G aligns with Section 38 of
version I.
Version G removes Sections 39 & 40 of version I.
Section 27 of version G aligns with Section 41 of
version I.
Section 28 of version G aligns with Section 42 of
version I.
Section 29 of version G aligns with Section 43 of
version I.
Section 30 of version G aligns with Section 44 of
version I.
Section 31 of version G aligns with Section 45 of
version I.
Version G removes section 46 of version I.
Section 32 of version G aligns with Section 47 of
version I and removes reference to the above section
as all the changes made in this Act will continue in
perpetuity unless amended by future legislatures.
8:45:45 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND remarked that the summary explains how the
proposed legislation was changed from 40 pages to 30 pages. She
said the committee could adopt the proposed committee
substitute, but expressed her preference to wait until the full
committee was present next week. She stated her intent to hold
the bill. In response to Co-Chair Story, she clarified that she
would wait to open the period for questions.
8:46:37 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY described her process in preparing to consider HB
164.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND, in response to Co-Chair Story, explained that
there were amendments that had been renumbered and redrafted to
align with Version G. She talked about the complexity of the
bill.
CO-CHAIR STORY encouraged the idea of submitting questions ahead
of the next hearing.
8:50:09 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that HB 164 was held over.