Legislature(2019 - 2020)DAVIS 106
02/17/2020 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: State Board of Education Annual Report to the Alaska Legislature | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
PRESENTATION: State Board of Education Annual Report to the
Alaska Legislature
[Contains discussion of SB 6.]
9:06:25 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced that the only order of business would be
a presentation by the Alaska State Board of Education & Early
Development.
9:06:45 AM
JAMES FIELDS, Chair, State Board of Education & Early
Development, began a PowerPoint Presentation on the 2020 State
Board of Education Annual Report [hardcopy included in the
committee packet].
9:08:04 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:08 a.m. to 9:09 a.m.
9:09:08 AM
MR. FIELDS introduced and provided a brief biography of the
members of the board listed on the first slide. He referred to
the slide entitled "Alaska State Constitution education clause"
to highlight the strategic vision of the board. He recited the
Department of Education & Early Development (DEED) purpose
statement and drew attention to "Alaska's Education Challenge,"
which consists of five goals, shown on the slide as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
1. Support all students to read at grade level by the
end of third grade
2. Increase career, technical, and culturally relevant
education to meet student and workforce needs
3. Close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable
educational rigor and resources
4. Prepare, attract, and retain effective education
professionals
5. Improve the safety and well-being of students
through school partnerships with families,
communities, and tribes
9:11:20 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY, referring to goal number three, noted that the
Juneau School District has started closing the "instructional"
gap as compared to the "achievement" gap. She explained that
phrasing this differently resulted in focus on meeting the needs
of students who come prepared and ready to learn. She
recommended that the board consider this change in language.
9:12:10 AM
MR. FIELDS drew attention to the slide entitled "REGULATIONS AND
OTHER BOARD ACTIONS" and highlighted the formation of four
committees, each one focused on different DEED priorities:
standards and assessments, tribal compacting, regulations, and
the funding formula. He explained that the committees'
configuration is being examined for effectiveness and that some
of the structure may change.
He noted that in the area of school health and safety, the
Transforming Schools Toolkit - a whole-child resource to assist
Alaska schools becoming fully trauma engaged and practicing - is
scheduled for completion in 2020. He also highlighted the
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)/Trauma Informed Schools
eLearning courses, and paraphrased from page 11 of the annual
report, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
DEED's eLearning Program provides more than 50
trainings to districts at no cost and now serves more
than 25,000 school district employees. Since January
1, 2019 users completed 26,057 courses. The most
heavily trafficked courses DEED continued to be those
focusing on school health and safety topics. DEED
continued its development of distance-delivered
trainings to assist districts with becoming trauma
informed.
9:14:10 AM
MR. FIELDS explained that DEED applied for and was awarded $20
million in grant funding. He read a selection of [a quote by
Dr. Michael Johnson, Commissioner, DEED, from page 13 of the
annual report], as follows:
We intentionally applied for this grant to support the
implementation of the first goal in Alaska's Education
Challenge supporting all students to read at grade
level by the end of third grade. There is no question
that reading proficiently improves student outcomes
and quality of life.
MR. FIELDS explained that 26 districts applied for grants, and
16 were awarded grant funding: Alaska Gateway School District,
Aleutians East Borough School District, Anchorage School
District, Bering Strait School District, Denali Borough School
District, Fairbanks North Star Borough District, Juneau Borough
School District, Kodiak Island Borough School District, Kuspuk
School District, Lake and Peninsula Borough School District,
Lower Yukon School District, Matanuska-Susitna Borough School
District, Nenana City School District, Nome Public Schools,
Southeast Island School District, and Yukon -Koyukuk School
District. He highlighted program areas where grant funding has
been applied throughout the districts, including literacy
development, professional development, hiring reading
specialists, innovations in reading instruction strategies,
increasing family engagement, and reading support outside of the
school year timeframe.
9:15:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY requested that DEED provide additional
information on the school districts and explanation of focus on
how grant funding has been received.
9:15:48 AM
The committee took an at-ease 9:15 a.m. to 9:16 a.m.
9:16:23 AM
MR. FIELDS highlighted the new school data portal and
paraphrased from the annual report, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
On September 30, 2019, DEED released a new online data
portal for Alaska's families entitled The Compass: A
Guide to Alaska's Public Schools. The purpose of the
online portal is to provide Alaska's families with
important information about their child's school so
they can make the best decisions for their child's
educational experience. The Compass presents school-
level data reported to DEED in an easily accessible
and understandable online format. Visitors can view a
profile of their school, compare their school's data
over multiple years, compare two schools, and explore
educational options in their local school district and
across the state.
MR. FIELDS added that the portal was recently updated to include
data relating to per-pupil expenditures on the federal, state,
and local levels to increase public accountability of schools.
9:17:29 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Mr. Fields whether the board could explain
specific circumstances represented in the data, such as whether
a school had higher salaried teachers due to the length of
service of those teachers.
MR. FIELDS indicated that the board had not met in person in
seven or eight months but has plans to consider including that
type of additional data on the portal.
9:18:38 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked whether the board has not met in person due
to lack of funding.
MR. FIELDS answered that the board has only two in-person
meetings per year due to lack of funding.
9:19:24 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, PhD, Commissioner, Department of Education &
Early Development, in response to Co-Chair Story's query, stated
that the data represented on the portal is in compliance with
requirements of the Every Student Succeeds Act [2015, successor
to No Child Left Behind Act]. He explained that when questions
arise from individuals accessing the portal regarding a
particular school, they are encouraged to contact the school in
question to get site-specific data.
9:20:26 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY suggested that DEED provide some concise
narrative describing mitigating factors of a school [that would
explain per-pupil expenditure variations.]
9:20:59 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked Dr. Johnson for suggestions on solving the
problem of the lack of funding for in-person meetings.
9:21:19 AM
DR. JOHNSON noted that this year's executive budget request
included an increment in funding for monthly meetings, with a
fiscal note that designated six of the twelve meetings to be in
person, although the House Finance Sub-Committee removed the
increment.
9:22:47 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether the board had explored a virtual
meeting space as compared to merely meeting via teleconference.
She added that students in Alaska use technology for distance
learning in a virtual learning environment.
DR. JOHNSON answered that DEED has used [Cisco product] WebEx
and has coordinated with the Legislative Information Office. He
pointed out that the board meetings are subject to the Alaska
Open Meetings Act [AS 44.62.310-312], and he expressed concern
about maintaining public access to the meetings in compliance
with the Act.
9:24:31 AM
SENATOR HUGHES noted that technology exists beyond viewing
meeting participants as "dots around a table" and encouraged
DEED to explore other available technologies to increase
productivity of meetings that are not taking place in person.
9:25:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY reiterated the remarks of Senator Hughes
regarding advanced technology for meetings. She recommended
that DEED coordinate with the University of Alaska to determine
technologies that it uses to engage meeting participants more
fully. She pointed out that students in Alaska are encouraged
to use distance learning to obtain their education, and that
DEED should explore those same options.
9:26:42 AM
MR. FIELDS indicated that the board members have some barriers
to understanding and using new technology. He added that face-
to-face interactions outside of meeting proceedings add value to
the in-person board meetings. He noted that Internet access
varies depending on location of meetings, and he said sites
would require vetting in addition to board members learning to
use new technologies.
9:29:29 AM
SENATOR HUGHES added that she supports in-person board meetings
and visits to individual communities. She pointed out that
students are asked to participate in their education via
distance learning, and the board would benefit from sharing the
experience of the students while maintaining compliance with the
Alaska Open Meetings Act. She suggested that Alaska should
pioneer virtual education on a statewide level, especially
considering the nationwide teacher shortage.
9:30:36 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND detailed a student's experience in distance
learning in Nunapitchuk, described to her as a "storage closet"
that was subject to any other streaming users on the network
which would need to be actively managed in order for the student
to participate in his class. She suggested that improvements
need to be made to the distance learning opportunities offered
to students.
9:31:49 AM
MR. FIELDS continued with the presentation and highlighted Mt.
Edgecumbe High School as a leader in academic progress.
9:32:48 AM
SENATOR BEGICH referred to page 18 of the annual report and
noted that between years 2018 and 2019, the percentage shows an
increase in graduation rates; however, the graduate count shows
a decrease in number. He asked whether that was an indication
of a decline in the number of student population.
DR. JOHNSON indicated that DEED would work with its data team to
provide an answer.
9:34:25 AM
SENATOR BEGICH recommended a comparison of available data using
multiple [aggregate] years of data that will reflect trends on
which to base and measure impact of decisions.
9:35:32 AM
DR. JOHNSON agreed to provide additional information and noted
that DEED already performs a calculation of four- and five-year
graduation rates, which DEED uses to analyze trends.
9:36:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS referred to DEED's report summary on
trauma informed learning and goal number three of the Alaska's
Education Challenge, pertaining to behavioral health and social
emotional learning, and he asked for a description of what the
board is working towards and what it are doing with schools in
this area of focus. He asked how the legislature might help.
9:36:50 AM
MR. FIELDS indicated coordination is taking place with partners
such as other state agencies and native organizations.
9:37:46 AM
DR. JOHNSON indicated that eLearning courses are well utilized
and well received by participants, and modules are updated
frequently. He added that DEED is coordinating knowledge
sharing with other states on trauma informed learning, as this
is a rapidly developing field. He indicated that the board
intends to conduct further outreach with other states and
stakeholders. He mentioned that the board intends to continue
dialogue with stakeholders for feedback.
9:39:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked what DEED is doing to get the
curriculum directly into the classrooms.
9:40:29 AM
MR. FIELDS referred to Transforming Schools: A Framework for
Trauma-Engaged Schools in Alaska as the guidelines for
implementing these practices in the classroom.
9:41:19 AM
CHAIR STEVENS requested copies of the booklets for the
committee.
9:41:27 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said she has received feedback from teacher
constituents suggesting that National Assessment of Educational
Progress (NAEP) scores are statistically concealing pockets of
excellence. She asked how a certain school's NAEP scores could
be reported individually.
9:42:19 AM
DR. JOHNSON indicated that NAEP scores are not available by
school, or even by district, because they are aggregated on the
national level. He noted that some very large cities pay to
have their scores reported directly to them; however, no schools
in Alaska pay for this information. He also noted that not all
schools or districts participate in NAEP. He referred to The
Compass data portal as a means to obtain detailed information on
a particular school.
9:44:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY asked DEED to provide background
information on The Compass portal initiative. Referring to her
experience in 1997 as a student at Bethel Regional High School,
which experienced a shooting [incident], she asked what measures
for physical safety for schools in various communities are being
contemplated or implemented.
DR. JOHNSON indicated that data is sought by a variety of
stakeholders, and The Compass as a concept arose to answer
frequently sought data in addition to achievement data on math
and English language arts. He noted that developments in
technology contributed to a more user-friendly look and feel for
this data to be stored and accessed on the Internet, and that
DEED actively seeks stakeholder recommendations on what data to
include.
9:47:46 AM
DR. JOHNSON spoke about safety in schools by noting that the
U.S. Department of Education recently published a school safety
website. He described DEED's outreach to individual districts
to seek information about its community and needs.
9:49:53 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked whether training for safety could inflict
trauma on the students participating.
DR. JOHNSON indicated that he does not have an answer. He cited
active shooter drills have, on occasion, had a negative impact
on students. He expressed hope that the U.S. Department of
Education website will offer guidance on appropriate safety
preparation and training for schools.
9:51:27 AM
CHAIR STEVENS acknowledged Representative Zulkosky's personal
experience with a school shooting and sought her leadership on
matters of safety in schools.
9:51:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY pointed out tremendous changes to safety
infrastructure and awareness that have taken place in the 23
years since [the Bethel school shooting incident]. She
encouraged continuation of addressing mental and behavioral
health, and she recommended that physical safety should also be
considered.
9:52:40 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY shared that students have indicated to her that
they have received safety or emergency preparedness training,
but there was no follow up and reinforcement from teachers and
administrators. She asked how DEED is addressing teacher
shortages and difficulties with recruitment and retention.
DR. JOHNSON explained that the board is contemplating new
regulations for emergency teacher certification and is reviewing
certification regulations to ensure that they are not a
hindrance to recruitment. He referred to the teacher
[retention] working group in SB 6, which includes Senator
Costello, that will examine matters such as exit interviews. He
noted that increased literacy among students in Alaska will lead
to an increased talent pool of teachers available in the future.
9:55:56 AM
CHAIR STEVENS commented that the legislature has reached out to
the University of Alaska to seek its input on matters of
retention.
9:56:26 AM
SENATOR BEGICH cautioned that SB 6 has not passed the Senate,
and only after it is enacted will the working group commence.
9:56:55 AM
SENATOR HUGHES added that increased proficiency will increase
the pipeline of new teachers in the future, and increased
proficiency among students now will positively impact existing
teachers to potentially stay longer. She asked whether the
committees formed by the board would provide comments on
proposed legislation. She indicated concern with future tribal
compacting possibly contributing to higher administrative costs.
9:59:44 AM
CHAIR STEVENS noted that tribal compacting legislation has not
been heard and there is opportunity for discussion.
9:59:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS spoke to the potential for innovations
and nimbleness in planning that could be taking place in
districts, including charter school formation. He noted that
teacher pay and the teachers retirement system (TRS) [benefit
plan] should be changed in order to encourage retention.
10:02:13 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY referred to page 18 of DEED's annual report on
student data and requested inclusion of post graduate survey
data to measure the success of programs and policies implemented
by the legislature and DEED. She noted that students are
receiving less support financially under the Alaska Performance
Scholarships and standardized testing costs, and she asked
whether the decline in students taking these tests was a result
of decreased funding.
10:03:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON noted that the Matanuska-Susitna Borough
School District conducts post graduate surveys of students.
10:04:19 AM
MR. FIELDS noted a decline in collaboration with the university
due to a lack of joint meetings with the University of Alaska
Board of Regents. He postulated that this decreased interaction
may have had a negative impact planning for teacher retention.
10:05:54 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the joint
meeting of the House and Senate Education Standing Committees
was adjourned at 10:06 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 State-Board-of-Education_Annual-Report_17Feb2020.pdf |
SEDC 2/17/2020 9:00:00 AM |
Presentation - State Board of Education and Early Development - Annual Report |