Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
03/15/2021 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB20 | |
| SB6 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 20 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SB 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
SB 20-OUT OF STATE TEACHER RECIPROCITY
9:03:35 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 20
"An Act relating to recognition of certificates of out-of-state
teachers."
He invited Senator Stevens and staff to introduce the bill.
9:03:49 AM
SENATOR GARY STEVENS, speaking as sponsor of SB 20, stated this
legislation is about teacher certification reciprocity. It is an
attempt to help districts solve the teacher shortage. It is a
balance between setting a high bar for excellent teachers and on
the other hand, acknowledging the barrier to entry some folks
face. Teaching is a heavily regulated profession with stringent
guidelines, training, and assessment programs. This bill is
simply an effort to offer a pathway that is clear, reflects the
unique needs of Alaska, and maintains an awareness of the
state's history and culture, but it also gets teachers in good
standing from other states, possibly even military spouses,
quickly. He is looking forward to hearing from districts about
whether this would help them solve teacher shortages.
9:05:04 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said SB 20 aligns with some
regulatory emergency suspensions of the past year.
Superintendents around the state have requested assistance with
improving the supply of qualified teachers, primarily in the
form of relaxing some training requirements, specifically the
three credits in Alaska studies and multicultural studies. It is
assumed that if teachers are in good standing in another state,
if they have the basic requirements of a baccalaureate degree,
Praxis test passing score, and have passed a background check,
they should be eligible to legitimately resume teaching in
Alaska as well. This bill will give them a window of time to
complete the Alaska-specific trainings.
9:06:25 AM
MR. LAMKIN presented the sectional analysis for SB 20:
Sec. 1: AS 14.20.010, relating to a teaching certificate
being required to teach in Alaska, removes the reference of
there being a preliminary certificate.
Sec. 2: AS 14.20.015(a), relating to out-of-state teaching
certificates, removes reference to there being a
preliminary certificate, and also removes a requirement for
a out-of-state teachers to have a baccalaureate degree.
Sec. 3: AS 14.20.015(b), relating to out-of-state teaching
certificates, removes a requirement for passing a
competency exam, and replaces it with a requirement to
complete a college course in Alaska studies and multi or
cross-cultural studies within 3 years.
Sec. 4: AS 14.20.015(c), relating to out-of-state teaching
certificates, removes reference to there being a
preliminary teaching certificate.
Sec. 5: AS 14.20.020(b), relating to requirements of
teacher certificates generally, exempts out-of-state
teaching certificate holders from having to complete a
college course in Alaska studies and multi or cross-
cultural studies before receiving their Alaska certificate.
Sec 6: AS 14.20.020(h), relating to a requirement to
complete a college course in Alaska studies and multi or
cross-cultural studies, to allow an out-of-state teacher to
receive their Alaska certificate, but to complete those
studies within 3 years.
Sec 7: AS 14.20.020(k),relating to the requirement of a
variety of trainings to take place before being issued an
Alaska teaching certificate, to allow out-of-state
certificate holders 3 years to complete such trainings.
Sec. 8: AS 14.20.015 (d), (e), and (f), relating to
preliminary teaching certificate employment, tenure and
expiration are repealed.
9:09:01 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if the assumption is that holding a valid
teaching certificate from another state requires that someone
have a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. He asked how
that would be known for sure.
MR. LAMKIN responded that there is a national movement for
conformity in teaching certificates. He is not aware of any
state that issues a teaching certificate without the applicant
having a baccalaureate degree.
SENATOR BEGICH said that in the past, a bill came up to allow
teachers to teach a foreign language without a teaching
certificate. He has been opposed to that because he sees it as a
loosening of the structure for education. He asked where the
protection in the law is to ensure someone has a Bachelor of
Arts or Bachelor of Science to teach.
MR. LAMKIN answered that he believes this is covered in a
section of the bill. Someone trained in Alaska must get a
baccalaureate degree. This is shifting the preliminary
certificates to a full certificate and applicants must prove
they have a baccalaureate. He is sure it is in the bill, but he
would defer to the commissioner on this.
9:11:12 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if the original requirement for Alaska
studies came from a bill by Senator Stevens.
SENATOR STEVENS replied yes. He taught that class for many years
at the university.
9:11:37 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said there has been discussion of this in other
professions as well. She wants to make sure the bar is not lower
in other states. There are other requirements besides a college
degree. Mississippi requires that teachers pass a test about how
to teach reading. It would be reassuring to have a national
comparison about teacher certifications. Alaska might want to
say yes for these states and no for others. She asked if there a
resource that allows for comparisons of requirements. She asked
if that is something the sponsor might think necessary.
MR. LAMKIN responded that people online can contribute to the
conversation and give a picture of the national landscape. They
will formally present on Friday.
SENATOR HUGHES said the committee is looking at early literacy
bills. If the state brought in a teacher from Mississippi, that
teacher would know how to teach reading. The literacy bill would
require three credits in reading instruction, but that may not
be required in another state. That person would not be as
prepared. That is her concern.
CHAIR HOLLAND moved to invited testimony.
9:14:30 AM
LARRY LEDOUX, Ph.D., Superintendent, Kodiak Island Borough
School District, Kodiak, Alaska, described SB 20 as an important
bill because teachers are difficult to find in Alaska. Alaska
cannot grow its own teachers in sufficient numbers to fill
positions and must look outside to find teachers. Alaska used to
enjoy hundreds of teachers who wanted to come to Alaska. When he
attended job fairs in Anchorage in the past, there would be
1,200 candidates lined up during the job fairs. Now it seems
there are more administrators looking for teachers than teacher
candidates. It is a competitive market. Alaska's salaries are
not as high as they used to be compared to other states. The
state needs to make it easier for qualified staff to come to
Alaska. This year, because of the emergency declaration and the
waiving of many requirements, it has been easy for Kodiak to
fill vacancies with quality teachers. The state waived Praxis
scores and the three semester hours in Alaska studies and
multicultural education. The Alaska certification office has
been exemplary in helping Kodiak certify its teachers. Many
teachers in Kodiak are military spouses. They often come in the
summer. Anything that holds up certification of these teachers
makes it difficult for them to be in classrooms on the first day
of school. This bill will help fill positions and attract more
teachers who sometimes go elsewhere because they don't want to
go through all the immediate steps necessary to be fully
certified, especially since they are taking a risk, from their
point of view, in coming to Alaska.
SENATOR STEVENS said that Senator Hughes brought up the issue of
applicants from other states who may not be as qualified as they
should be. He assumes Superintendent LeDoux would not hire
unqualified applicants.
DR. LEDOUX answered that his district would never hire a
teacher, especially in elementary areas, who did not have
sufficient credentials in reading. Generally, he has found that
elementary teachers have the reading background and experience.
If the district could not ascertain that, the district would not
hire them in spite of this bill.
9:18:51 AM
DEENA BISHOP, Ph.D., Superintendent, Anchorage School District,
Anchorage, Alaska, said that SB 20 allows potential applicants
to consider teaching in Alaska at a higher rate. The bill allows
the flexibility needed at just the right time in the state. Many
alternative certificate programs in the lower 48 do not require
student teaching but have a blended approach to gaining
certification. This bill allows new hires to move to the
professional certificate whereas they are not presently able to
do so because of the state's student teaching requirement. Often
they won't choose Alaska because of this provision. More people
are entering education as a second career than ever. Second
career educators are highly cherished. She personally has high
regard for them. They have so much more to offer to students,
especially when considering that education is preparing students
for the real world or success in life. Many second career
educators have worked in the private sector, which adds value to
classrooms. They are more inclined to enter into an alternative
certificate program. Anchorage has eight immersion programs.
Out-of-country educators often do not participate in the
traditional student teaching roles. This bill would allow for
out-of-country candidates to move to professional certification
as well. They cannot do that now because of the student teacher
requirement. The Anchorage School District, like Kodiak, has
about 7 percent of teachers and other certificated staff coming
from military families. They are military spouses. Recreational
opportunities in Alaska attract families but so does work. In
order to keep military spouses employed, a more flexible
certificate path is always valued in their transfers. SB 20
allows the time and flexibility need to transition to Alaska. SB
20 maintains high standards but allows more time to complete the
requirements.
9:22:15 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if any teachers in the Anchorage School
District are without a baccalaureate degree.
DR. BISHOP answered that the district has some, primarily in
career and technical education. The state has a type M
certificate. Districts must request a type M certificate for
people they want to teach particular courses. That keeps
districts accountable. Districts hire the best candidates. The
Anchorage School District has hundreds of type M people who do
not have a baccalaureate degree.
9:23:13 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Ph.D., Commissioner, Department of Education
and Early Development, Juneau, Alaska, thanked the committee for
focusing legislation on the shared priorities of the Alaska
Education Challenge. Priority four is to prepare, attract, and
retain effective education professionals. SB 20 will improve the
trajectory toward this priority. The state will continue to work
on preparing Alaskans to become certified teachers and
recognizes the current challenge to recruit enough teachers
requires the state to invite safe and skilled educators from
across the country. Many current teachers chose to move to the
state, learn from fellow Alaskans, respect the state's cultures,
and care for Alaska's students. This past year has given the
state an opportunity like never before to appreciate teachers
who work tirelessly for students, even when faced with a global
crisis. Alaska need teachers for students. Sondra Meredith, the
head of teacher certification, can answer any question about
current certification statutes and regulations. Tiffany and
Cassidy from Education Commission of the States have the
national perspective.
SENATOR BEGICH questioned the reason for the statutory
requirement to have a baccalaureate degree to be a teacher when
300 teachers in the Anchorage School District do not have one.
9:26:14 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that he cannot say why it was
placed in statute originally. It is easy to say that teaching
increasingly requires a higher level of training. Like many
other industries, that postsecondary training is essential for
the work; however, increasingly, many pathways exist to achieve
those skills and preparations that may not have been available
in the traditional, higher education setting 15 or 20 years ago.
The broad answer is that it is a matter of training and skills.
Students are complex and it requires a special kind of training
to meet their needs.
SENATOR MICCICHE cited AS 14.20.022, which could require a
baccalaureate or at least five years of experience in the
subject matter that the person will be teaching. He asked if
that is the certificate that most teachers are using who do not
have a BA or BS.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON deferred to Sondra Meredith, who knows the
statutes and regulations for all certificates and knows what was
waived during the pandemic.
9:28:43 AM
SONDRA MEREDITH, Administrator, Teacher Certification,
Department of Education and Early Development, Juneau, Alaska,
clarified that the type M certificate is a separate section than
the one Senator Micciche quoted. The statute for a subject
matter expert allows individuals with a bachelor's degree but
who have not completed a teacher education program to be
licensed in the state. Type M appears further along in the
statute.
SENATOR MICCICHE voiced support for the bill and said producing
evidence of a baccalaureate is easy. He understands why the
Alaska studies and cross-cultural studies are removed. It allows
districts to put a teacher to work right away. There are other
avenues without dropping the bar on every teacher without
requiring a BA. He asked why that is in the bill.
MS. MEREDITH said that when it comes to this particular pathway
that is in existence that the bill will change slightly, when
her agency looks at certifications from other states, it uses
the NASDTEC (National Association of State Directors of Teacher
Education and Certification) agreement to determine whether it
is a regular certificate. That has been established by NASDTEC.
The agency looks to see if the particular certificate being
presented represents a certificate that shows that the person
has completed a teacher preparation program and has a bachelor's
degree as the minimum requirement. She assumes the bill sponsor
would want that to continue. Her agency will continue to look at
the certificate to ensure that it is a regular certificate
issued by a state.
9:32:35 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if she said this is essentially removing a
redundancy.
MS. MEREDITH answered yes. As part of its processes, her agency
would be looking to the state that issued the certificate to
make sure it represented what she mentioned before.
SENATOR BEGICH asked if NASDTEC was an accrediting association.
MS. MEREDITH replied that it is a national association for her
licensing manager peers. The state has an agreement in statute
that connects the state to that agency.
SENATOR BEGICH said that satisfies his concern.
9:33:48 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE said that doesn't quite get him there. Other
than a subject matter expert, he doesn't see anywhere else in
code where a baccalaureate is required. He asked if the state is
thinking of dropping the requirement for a BA or a BS for a
teacher certificate. If not, he doesn't understand the value of
removing that section requiring that level of education. He is
just curious whether the state is considering for certain
subjects, other than subject matter experts, where the state is
having a difficult enough time landing educators in Alaska, that
someone with an associate of arts might be a target for
employment in the future.
MS. MEREDITH responded that most certifications are issued under
AS 14.20.020. In subsection b of that provision, a bachelor's
degree is the minimum requirement. That is the overarching
statute for all certificates except for the subject matter
expert and the out-of-state reciprocity language that is
separate from the section.
9:36:09 AM
CASSIDY FRANCIES, Senior Policy Analyst, Education Commission of
the States, Denver, Colorado, said generally, experience is the
biggest indicator of teacher effectiveness. A lot of policy
makers have used that as justification for providing
reciprocity, that the out-of-state teachers have experience
teaching.
9:37:27 AM
TIFFANY MCDOLE, Policy Researcher, Education Commission of the
States, Denver, Colorado, said she and Cassidy are presenting at
a later hearing with a formal analysis of the national landscape
on statute related to reciprocity. They will speak about how
states consider bachelor degrees or baccalaureates in the
licensing process.
MR. LAMKIN said that to touch upon Senator Micciche and Senator
Begich's concern, the key word is reciprocity. The target is
that if a teacher is in good standing in a particular subject
matter with the respective certificate, there would be
reciprocity for that certificate. The intent is not to lower the
bar regarding a baccalaureate degree. Senator Steven's office
will make sure that the bill is not doing that.
SENATOR BEGICH clarified that Ms. Meredith said that AS
14.20.020(b) requires a baccalaureate degree. This simply
removes a redundancy in the law. If the agency is examining
certificates through reciprocity and the accreditation process,
then teachers will have met that requirement. Once she explained
that to him, it makes it clear to him that it is a redundancy
and the bill is not lowering the standard. He will look at
.020(b) to make sure that is the case, but that seems to be what
folks are saying. He has deeper concerns that he will bring up
with the Anchorage superintendent about the hundreds of type M
certificates but not now.
SENATOR MICCICHE said that he sees the statement in .020 and
agrees that it has a requirement, but this bill seems to
indicate unless it is a certificate born out of reciprocity.
That concerns him. He would like to understand that. It seems to
point in that direction, trusting in the certification of other
states. He does not think that is the goal and is not sure it
needs to be removed. He would like to know if others can point
the committee in that direction, that it still does satisfy that
requirement. He does not think it is redundant. He thinks it is
saying when the state is receiving other certificates, a BA or
BS is still required, unless it is a type M certificate.
9:41:31 AM
SENATOR HUGHES offered her understanding that one of the
regulations that was suspended for out-of-state teachers during
COVID-19 was fingerprinting because it slowed the hiring
process. She said she wonders if the timing of fingerprinting
will be a problem. She asked if the fingerprint records from
other states are being accepted so teachers. If not, she asked
what kind of delay could be expected.
9:42:27 AM
MR. LAMKIN said he is reviewing the emergency orders and he does
not see that fingerprinting regulations were suspended.
SENATOR HUGHES suggested that should be double checked, and
whether Alaska would want to accept the fingerprinting done in
another state so there would be no delay.
MR. LAMKIN deferred to Ms. Meredith.
MS. MEREDITH explained that the fingerprint regulations were not
suspended because of a provision under AS 14.20.010 that allows
individuals applying for certification to present their
fingerprint cards. That gives the department 90 days to work
with the Department of Public Safety (DPS) to receive their
criminal history report. During that time, those individuals are
considered to be fully licensed in Alaska, so there is no
penalty to the applicant or district as long as the fingerprint
card is provided. The department did work with DPS during the
emergency orders. DPS allowed the department to submit a name-
based check for individuals having difficulty getting hand-
rolled prints. That worked well and gave the individual more
time to get fingerprints rolled. With the removal of the
emergency orders, that is no longer an option, but the
department still has the additional time after someone initially
applies for certification.
SENATOR HUGHES thanked her for the clarification.
9:45:34 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND held SB 20 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 01_SB020_TeacherCert_Reciprocity_Sponsor-Statement.pdf |
SEDC 3/15/2021 9:00:00 AM SFIN 3/29/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 20 |
| 02_SB020_TeacherCert_Reciprocity_BillText_version A.pdf |
SEDC 3/15/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 20 |
| 03_SB020_TeacherCert_Reciprocity_Sectional_version A.pdf |
SEDC 3/15/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 20 |
| 04_SB020_TeacherCert_Reciprocity_Research_Dept.Defense_Military-Spouses.pdf |
SEDC 3/15/2021 9:00:00 AM SFIN 3/29/2021 9:00:00 AM |
SB 20 |