Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
02/02/2022 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB164 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 164 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HB 229 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
HB 164-EARLY ED PROGRAMS; READING; VIRTUAL ED
8:06:52 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the only 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 was the proposed committee
substitute (CS) for HB 164, Version 32-LS0731\G, Klein, 6/18/21
("Version G") adopted as a working document on 1/31/22.]
8:09:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS moved to adopt Amendment 15 to HB 164,
Version G, labeled 32-LS0731\G.19, Klein, 1/21/22, which read as
follows:
Page 22, line 30:
Delete "employ and assign"
Insert "provide funding for a school to hire"
Page 24, lines 21 - 23:
Delete all material and insert:
"(1) ensure that a reading specialist is
not required to perform functions that divert the
reading specialist from the duties assigned to the
reading specialist;"
Page 25, line 21:
Delete "The department may"
Insert "A school may use department funding to"
8:09:24 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND objected for the purpose of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS spoke to Amendment 15. He opined it is
critical for districts to have, at the local level, the ability
to work with their trained specialists to understand what their
students need. He said this would be targeted at the lowest
performing schools for grades kindergarten through third grade.
8:11:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said he does not know that it makes sense
"to give it back to the school district" when the design was for
the state to help the districts.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS responded that Alaska has a system that
"targets and builds off of local control," and each district is
vastly different. He emphasized the importance of ensuring
districts have the support they need. He said Amendment 5 would
take the competent individuals who have been trained from the
department to the school districts. He talked about the benefit
of having staff full-time at schools to build better
relationships with students.
8:13:47 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Ms. McKenzie to speak on the subject and
discuss DEED's plans for the reading specialists.
8:14:15 AM
SUSAN MCKENZIE, Director, Innovation and Education Excellence,
Department of Education and Early Development, expressed concern
that the oversight, training, and implementation of a reading
specialist at the school level would vary depending on the
school's need. If DEED was in charge of reading specialists and
their training, that would provide a consistent approach in the
work those specialists would do.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked how many reading specialists the department
plans to employ.
MS. MCKENZIE deferred to Ms. Riddle.
8:15:50 AM
DEBORAH RIDDLE, Operations Manager, Innovation and Education
Excellence, Department of Education and Early Development, noted
that the number of reading specialists, shown in the fiscal
note, is five each year through the 2027 school year. In
response to follow-up questions from Co-Chair Story, she
confirmed the specialists would go to the lowest performing
schools, starting with 10-20 specialists and then building to
capacity.
8:19:17 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked the two representatives from DEED
whether they were aware of the reading specialist program at the
University of Alaska Southeast (UAS) and had considered working
with UAS in the training of specialists.
MS. MCKENZIE responded that she is familiar with the program at
the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) but not as familiar
with the program at UAS. She said DEED is committed to working
with the university systems "to secure a reading specialist
endorsement and the training that is needed for that program."
CO-CHAIR STORY invited Ms. Tobin and Mr. Mason to add to the
discussion.
8:20:59 AM
LKI TOBIN, Staff, Senator Tom Begich, Alaska State Legislature,
noted that the reading program is addressed on page 22 of
Version G. She noted that the decision in Moore v. State of
Alaska, [filed in 2004], was that it is the responsibility of
the Alaska State Legislature to support education, and in doing
so it must support the Department of Education and Early
Development. She said reading specialists would be hired and
trained by the department, and DEED will pay their airfare and
accommodations; none of that burden will be placed on the
districts, which will receive additional capacity.
8:22:29 AM
MIKE MASON, Staff, Representative Chris Tuck, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Tuck, prime sponsor of
HB 164, added that it is a policy call whether "the support
comes from DEED" or "goes to the school district directly." He
added, "A good argument has just been made as to why you might
want that capacity within DEED."
8:22:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK stated that his support of HB 164 before
changes were made was in regard to accountability "allowing
DEED to step in and have control to help fix this situation."
He opined that Amendment 15 would take the accountability away
from DEED; therefore, he said he opposes it.
8:23:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked the two representatives from DEED
whether DEED currently has reading specialists available or
would be able "to Hoover up" specialists to "implement into
this."
MS. MCKENZIE answered that she is a reading specialist; DEED is
currently in the process of hiring long-term, nonpermanent
reading specialists to support reading initiatives; and DEED has
access to reading experts through a partnership with "Region 16
Comp Center."
8:24:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS summarized that DEED has Ms. McKenzie,
whom he surmised would need to stay at the department to do her
work, and "the ones that we're training." He said one concern
is capacity. He said he would like to see more specialists
employed. He remarked on the issue of retention. He explained
his concern is that a system is being put in place that will
"fail right off the bat." He said he hopes the initial five
specialists will be successful.
8:26:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS [moved to withdraw his motion to adopt]
Amendment 15. [No objection was stated, and Amendment 15 was
treated as withdrawn.]
HB 164-EARLY ED PROGRAMS; READING; VIRTUAL ED
3:35:55 PM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the final order of business would
be the continuation of the hearing on 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 was the
proposed committee substitute (CS) for HB 164, Version 32-
LS0731\G, Klein, 6/18/21 ("Version G") adopted as a working
document on 1/31/22.]
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the committee would hear from Mr.
Chester, whom she had invited to speak on his work in the
program, regarding reading and cultural relevancy.
3:37:03 PM
HANS CHESTER, K/1 Tlingit Language Teacher, Tlingit Culture
Language and Literacy Program, Harborview Elementary, said
several sections of the proposed legislation stood out to him.
First was the idea of teaching "the Big 5" of reading throughout
the state. Another part that stood out was having parents
involved in the whole process. He drew attention to Section 4
and noted that those working in the TCLL program are able to
work with an aural language foundation and tie that into
reading. The program has had an influx of students from "the
language nest," which is a pre-school program run by the Tlingit
and Haida tribes. He emphasized the importance of children
coming in to the program with those skills.
MR. CHESTER turned next to Section 5, and he said that "the
alignment of terminology would bring a lot of continuity into
what teachers are doing," which he said he likes. He said, "The
statewide program can really facilitate the community that it
takes to engage our learners in reading." He mentioned the Baby
Raven Reads program through the Sealaska Heritage Institute.
MR. CHESTER noted that Section 13 addresses establishing high
quality programs for four- and five-year-olds, which he said is
important in meeting the literacy needs of incoming
kindergarteners. He questioned how that would happen, whether
it would be led by individual communities or the state. To
Section 15, which he said addresses "the big 5" of reading, said
having the state establish standards for teachers "would be
huge," because some smaller or remote communities don't have the
same opportunities. He added that he wonders how that would
"pan out" considering the limited time for professional
development throughout the year. He said teachers in the TCLL
program have been afforded some time by the districts to work
within the curriculum to be adopted by the school board;
however, "it's just a little snippet of time."
MR. CHESTER said he thinks it is crucial for teachers to be made
aware of the culture of the place they are teaching and the
people from that place. He talked about a Cultural Lens course
two years ago, during COVID-19 pandemic lockdown. He said he
was raised with Tlingit culture, and when he took the course, he
had "aha" moments with ideas of how to "incorporate more of who
we are into what we do." He said he knows many teachers in
Juneau who wish they had that opportunity; therefore, seeing
this provision in the proposed legislation is promising.
3:46:19 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to a request from Co-Chair Story, gave
examples of how he makes reading culturally relevant through
teaching in English and Tlingit, using various tools in literacy
instruction. He talked about the connection between language
and land, and about the act of berry picking and sharing with
elders.
3:49:34 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to a question from Representative
Zulkosky, talked about the history of the TCLL program and the
support for it. He shared that the program began 21 years ago
and was intended to be an immersion program; the program has
undergone some adjustments and is still evolving. The need for
the program was to address a study that found that "students
that come from our backgrounds aren't as successful as other
students." The program has been funded through different
grants; currently it is funded by the school district. There
are three Tlingit teachers, one in each of three classes:
Kindergarten-first grade; second-third grade; and fourth-fifth
grade. There are two "grandmas" available to work in the
classrooms. He said the program has a strong foundation of
singing and dancing.
3:53:30 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to a follow-up question from
Representative Zulkosky about culturally relevant student
assessment, said currently the program uses benchmark tools of
the Western system but using the Tlingit language. He added, "A
lot of our content that we use to teach is place-based and
culturally relevant to Tlingits."
3:56:21 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to Representative Hopkins, said not all
assessments are easily translated. He offered further comment
about his development of the program's learning process, which
mimics "the core phonics screener" used to teach English, and he
said there is a great difference between English and Tlingit.
In response to follow-up questions, he confirmed that Tlingit
world views are incorporated into the teaching. Students are
taught singing and dancing, especially now in preparation for
performing at Celebration 2022 [a biennial event held in Juneau,
Alaska]. He gave an example of how the subject of herring can
be used to teach about the distribution of resources during
social studies and the life cycle of herring during science.
Concepts such as telling time, counting money, and using a
calendar are taught in English and Tlingit, he noted.
MR. CHESTER, in response to Representative Hopkins, shared that
as a college student, anything that could have helped tie him to
who he is would have been beneficial. He emphasized that the
science of reading is crucial for students' success, and having
the culturally relevant materials with which to teach is
beneficial to students. In response to a further query about
the feasibility of the program's model to be used with other
cultures in Alaska, said he is reluctant to speak for the other
cultures. Notwithstanding that, he added that it takes time,
experience, resources, and a team of people whether 2 or 10 -
to make it happen. He emphasized how helpful it is to have
"professional development surrounding this."
4:05:37 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to Representative Gillham, listed "the
Big 5" of literacy as being: phonemic awareness, phonics,
fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.
4:07:18 PM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND offered details about HB 164 to Mr. Chester
based on his opening remarks. She talked about making pilot
programs available to as many students as possible. She said HB
164 would require professional development and give teachers
years to acquire the skills.
MR. CHESTER, in response to a question from Co-Chair Drummond
regarding program participation, answered that space in the TCLL
program is given by lottery; anyone can apply. He said when
there is an opening, a student is placed into the classroom. He
stated that many considerations are made "when that choice is
made" to "have a balance" and "be equitable." He indicated that
a point system is used. He said currently the TCLL program
comprises only three classrooms, and he called it "a school
within a school." He said TCLL's goal is to become a standalone
school, and the hope is that that can happen with the help of a
grant for which the Alaska Heritage Institute is applying. To a
follow-up question, he said the program, although not completely
immersion, spends a good [quantity] of the day using the Tlingit
language. He confirmed that both English and Tlingit is taught.
In response to a follow-up question from Co-Chair Drummond, he
confirmed that the big five literacy concepts are used by all
teachers in the school, not just those teachers within the TCLL
program.
4:13:25 PM
MR. CHESTER responded to questions from Representative Cronk.
He said in communities where there are few Native language
speakers, it is up to the community to decide what to do [to
teach the language]. He suggested going to the resources of an
Alaska Native language center or contacting professors of
languages, who might have contacts from people who speak the
languages, to find out if there may be a way to involve those
language speakers. He also recommended incorporating any
available reading materials in those languages into the
classroom. Another idea would be if the textbook were to
address farms and farm animals, then the lesson could be about
the Native people going hunting. He stated, "Regardless of
whether or not someone can speak the language, there are
students who connect with the culture on a cellular level, on a
level that maybe can't even be measured." He expressed feeling
loss as a child, feeling like the [Tlingit] language was dead,
and his journey of learning the language did not begin until
college, when a course was initiated.
MR. CHESTER spoke about getting copies of an Athabascan
dictionary for his children.
4:19:02 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to questions from Representative Prax,
spoke about a program through Tlingit and Haida that works with
children in pre-school to teach them Tlingit. He also noted
that when a vacancy becomes available in the older grades, the
families that tend to submit applications are those where the
child has been raised in an awareness of his/her culture. He
clarified that having a background of cultural awareness is not
a prerequisite for program participation. He reiterated that a
point system is used in conjunction with the lottery; a child
"with previous experience or exposure" would be given a point.
4:22:50 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to a question from Representative
Zulkosky regarding teacher turnover and continuity within the
program, said his sister has taught the longest, at 12 years.
Those who started before the current staff were passionate about
the Tlingit culture. There has been turnover. He pointed out
that there have been non-Native teachers in the program, and he
said that is important to have the participation of non-Native
teachers in supporting this movement. He said he thinks
everyone who has been involved in the program "has put their
heart and soul into everything that has been done, providing
rich experiences for students." The early goal was to create an
environment of success for students in literacy, both in English
and Tlingit.
MR. CHESTER, in response to a follow-up question regarding the
preparation of non-Native teachers to teach in the TCLL program,
suggested the interview process bring up topics to ensure
awareness that it is a Tlingit language program that uses
culturally responsive curriculum and place-based learning. He
offered his understanding that training is not provided for TCLL
teachers; the teachers undergo training from the Juneau School
District. He emphasized the importance of having the trust and
confidence from the administrators and the ability to continue
doing the work of TCLL. He mentioned a dual language system
training in New Mexico, made possible by a former three-year
grant, and he indicated that the best of that system was
incorporated into TCLL's program.
4:31:23 PM
MR. CHESTER, in response to a question from Representative
Zulkosky about ensuring the preparation of teachers statewide to
teach in culturally diverse environments, said he thinks that is
crucial. He said he hopes the state would make it a criteria of
getting a [teaching] job. He spoke of meeting the challenge
when guidelines and expectations are in place.
4:33:17 PM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Mr. Chester for his response to the
provision under HB 164 to make individual learning plans for
those students not reading at grade level, with notification to
parents due within 15 days and intervention provided within 30
days.
MR. CHESTER responded that that provision makes him anxious,
because that would be a daunting task as there are many students
not reading at grade level. He spoke about the current response
to intervention (RTI), a three-tiered process, and basing
response off of data to meet the needs of the student. He said
there is "what I need" (WIN) time where students are split into
groups, each group with a teacher. He said that for students
not in special education, there needs to be a system that is
feasible and does not put a strain on teachers. He questioned
how feasible this provision would be in small communities where
"they don't have such a large team." That said, he acknowledged
the importance of having a system for students who are lacking
necessary skills and strategy in reading.
4:37:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GILLHAM requested Mr. Chester's contact
information in order to contact him for more questions following
the meeting.
4:38:48 PM
CO-CHAIR STORY said the committee would entertain amendments.
She said there were five amendments to address. She noted that
one of them was Amendment 16, which she [had planned to offer
but would not be moving for adoption at present].
4:39:36 PM
The committee took an at-ease from 4:39 p.m. to 4:40 p.m.
4:40:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY expressed that without having the
"additional testimony available to ask questions" she had
anticipated, she did not want to move Amendment 17 [in the
committee packet] at this time.
CO-CHAIR STORY indicated Amendment 17 [would not be moved for
adoption at present].
4:40:56 PM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS moved to take Amendment 4 off the table.
[Amendment 4 was moved and tabled on 1/31/22.] There being no
objection, Amendment 4 was back before the committee. Amendment
4 read as follows:
Page 4, line 14:
Delete "four"
Insert "three"
Page 7, lines 4 - 6:
Delete all material and insert:
"(3) "early education program" means a
program, the primary function of which is educational,
for children ages three through five years."
Page 9, line 7:
Delete "four and five years of age"
Insert "ages three through five years"
Page 11, lines 19 - 20:
Delete "four and five years of age"
Insert "ages three through five years"
Page 12, line 5:
Delete "four and five years of age"
Insert "ages three through five years"
Page 12, line 13:
Delete "four and five years of age"
Insert "ages three through five years"
Page 13, lines 15 - 16:
Delete "four and five years of age"
Insert "ages three through five years"
Page 13, lines 18 - 19:
Delete "four and five years of age"
Insert "ages three through five years"
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS recollected, "I did not move amendment 4,
before, we simply tabled it, so I also will not be offering
amendment 4 at this time."
CO-CHAIR STORY asked, "Are you withdrawing it?"
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS offered that since he recollected he had
not moved Amendment 4, there was no need to move to withdraw it.
CO-CHAIR STORY stated that Amendment 4 was withdrawn.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND and REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS offered their
understanding that it need not be withdrawn if never moved.
[Amendment 4 had been moved on 1/31/22. Going forward,
Amendment 4 was treated as withdrawn.]
4:41:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY moved to adopt Amendment 5 to HB 165,
Version G, labeled 32-LS0731\G.7, Klein, 1/19/22, which read as
follows:
Page 29, following line 10:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 29. The uncodified law of the State of
Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read:
REPORT TO THE LEGISLATURE. The Department of
Education and Early Development shall commission a
review of research on best practices for improving
literacy of indigenous students, and, not later than
the thirtieth day of the First Regular Session of the
Thirty-Third Alaska State Legislature, the department
shall prepare and present to the legislative
committees having jurisdiction over education a report
on the review of research. The department shall
conduct the review jointly with the University of
Alaska Native Studies Program, the Alaska Native
Language Preservation and Advisory Council, K-12
indigenous language immersion educators, and other
entities selected by the department."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND objected for the purpose of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY requested that DEED talk about its
definition of literacy in the framework of HB 164.
4:43:22 PM
MS. MCKENZIE stated that the definition of "literacy" is broad;
it can refer to the science of reading, fluency of oral
language, and comprehension of that language.
4:44:17 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY moved to adopt Conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 5, as follows:
Delete "literacy"
Insert "culturally relevant curriculum instruction and
assessment"
Following "indigenous"
Insert "culturally and linguistically diverse"
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND objected for the purpose of discussion.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY spoke to Conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 5. She said she is trying to redirect the intention
of Amendment 5 so that DEED commissions a review of research
ensuring that it is identifying best practices to ensure
curriculum instruction and assessment will meet the needs of
Alaska Native students and students who are culturally and
linguistically diverse.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND requested that Representative Zulkosky submit
the conceptual amendment in writing.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY suggested she could offer a written
version on Friday.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND said that would work for her.
4:46:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY moved to table Conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 5. [No objection was stated, and it was so ordered.]
4:46:54 PM
MS. MCKENZIE, in response to Co-Chair Story, said many
curriculums are advertised as culturally relevant, and the
decisions made on that are done at a local level.
CO-CHAIR STORY stated, "This amendment will be tabled."
4:48:18 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX suggested the need for a motion.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked for a motion to table.
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said she had made the motion to table.
CO-CHAIR STORY asked if there was any objection. [No objection
was stated, and the committee treated Amendment 5 as tabled, in
addition to have tabled Conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 5.]
4:48:59 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY brought up Amendment 13 [which had been
offered during discussion of a previous bill version in 2021 and
tabled on 1/31/22]. She said she was not prepared to offer
Amendment 13 at this time.
4:50:03 PM
The committee took a brief at-ease at 4:50 p.m.
4:50:37 PM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked whether the science of reading applies
regardless of language. He mentioned language that is spoken,
not written.
4:52:24 PM
MS. MCKENZIE mentioned the Alaska Reading Playbook, which is
based on reading science and outlines ways connections are made
and the relevancy of reading science through other languages.
Regarding languages that are spoken only, reading science still
applies; however, "the lack of print for some languages" would
need to be taken into account.
4:53:24 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY asked whether DEED has Alaska Native
language speakers on staff to navigate there not always being a
direct translation from a Native language to English.
MS. MCKENZIE answered that the department has Joel Isaacs on
staff.
[HB 164 was held over.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 164 2.1.2022 (H)EDC Hearing DEED Follow-Up.pdf |
HEDC 2/2/2022 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Culturally Responsive Assessment Article.pdf |
HEDC 2/2/2022 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Draft CS Version G.pdf |
HEDC 2/2/2022 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Updated Amendment Packet for HB 164 CS Version G.pdf |
HEDC 2/2/2022 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Version G Updated Sectional Analysis 1.25.2022.pdf |
HEDC 1/28/2022 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/2/2022 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |
| HB 164 Version G Summary of Changes 1.25.2022.pdf |
HEDC 1/28/2022 8:00:00 AM HEDC 2/2/2022 8:00:00 AM |
HB 164 |