Legislature(2021 - 2022)GRUENBERG 120
05/15/2021 10:00 AM House STATE AFFAIRS
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB198 | |
| HB187 | |
| HB177 | |
| SB32 | |
| SB71 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HB 198 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 177 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 32 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | HB 149 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | SB 71 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 187 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 32-COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
11:21:13 AM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that the next order of business
would be CS FOR SENATE BILL NO. 32(FIN), "An Act establishing
the Alaska middle college program for public school students;
relating to the powers of the University of Alaska; and
providing for an effective date."
[Before the committee was CSSB 32(FIN).]
11:21:50 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 11:21 a.m. to 11:23 a.m.
11:24:01 AM
SENATOR GARY STEVENS, Alaska State Legislature, prime sponsor,
introduced CSSB 32(FIN). He stated that the bill would pertain
to "dual credits" among middle colleges and larger school
districts to help prepare high school students for post-
graduation and would provide some cost savings. He suggested
that it could further reduce college dropout rates by increasing
student preparedness. He added that the classes would be
university academic level classes.
11:27:25 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Steven, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Senator Stevens, prime sponsor of CSSB
32(FIN), added that the University of Alaska and many school
districts had provided guidance in the development of the bill.
He encouraged the committee to reference letters of support
[included in the committee packet.]
MR. LAMKIN presented a sectional analysis of CSSB 32(FIN)
[included in the committee packet], which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Sec. 1: AS 14.07.168 Regarding an annual report
submitted to the Legislature by the state Board of
Education and Early Development, amended to include in
that report a current summary of middle college
activity and outcomes in the state.
Sec. 2: AS 14.30 is amended to add a new Article 15,
relating to the Alaska Middle College Program. AS
14.30.780
(a) Establishes a Middle College program for eligible
students in high school to enroll in courses at the
University of Alaska, and to earn credit toward a
college degree as well as credit toward high school
graduation.
(b) UA shall enter into an agreement with each school
district that elects to participate in the AMC, giving
access to any eligible student to participate in the
program.
(c) Eligibility: Establishes baseline student
eligibility requirements to include being enrolled in
a public school, be in high school (grades 9-12), to
not have already received a high school diploma, and
demonstrate to the satisfaction of both the school
district and the UA as being academically competent to
complete college level coursework.
(d) Awareness: School districts electing to
participate to establish and maintain awareness of AMC
course offerings and eligibility requirements to
students and parents, including the academic and
social responsibilities of participating in the AMC.
(e) Financing: UA and school districts shall include
in their respective MOU a manner of sharing costs
associated with providing the AMC program locally,
including tuition waivers, scholarships, and other
means of reducing program costs and finding
efficiencies.
(f) Course Quality: specifies that courses offered by
the AMC must meet quality and content standards,
including quality instruction, and regular course and
instructor review.
(g) Credit Cap: Under the AMC program, students may
not enroll in more than 15 credit hours per semester,
nor earn more than a total of 60 credits.
(h) ADM: Holds harmless a school district's Average
Daily Membership (ADM) calculation. Students
participating in the AMC program are to still be
counted toward the respective school district's ADM.
(i) Transcripts: Allows the UA and school districts to
exchange student transcript information for purposes
of determining program eligibility or for graduation
requirements.
(j) Definitions: Provides definitions for use of the
term "program" in this section as being the AMC
program, and for "school district" as consistent with
other uses of that term in statute, as defined on AS
14.30.350.
Sec. 3:AS 14.40.040(c), relating to the general powers
and duties of the UA, requiring the University to
implement the AMC and regularly review the AMC course
content and quality of instruction to meet national
standards for dual credit, enter into MOUs with
participating school districts, and award student
credit for course completion of AMC courses, which
will be fully transferable within the UA system.
MR. LAMKIN explained that each district has its own financial
needs, and that credit caps were included so that students may
not obtain an associate degree.
11:32:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE inquired about similarities between the
Jumpstart program and the proposed legislation.
MR. LAMKIN answered that they have similarities, and that
invited testimony would provide additional information.
11:33:08 AM
DEENA BISHOP, Ph.D., Superintendent, Anchorage School District,
stated that the program would occur on-site, including virtual
courses, and would provide concurrent [university and high
school] credit. She stated that middle college provides an
opportunity for students to engage in a more rigorous academic
program. She stated that the Anchorage School District has
approximately 280 students participating in the program, of
which 160 students have 12 credits or more at the University of
Alaska. She stated that the proposed legislation could aid in
college preparedness. She stated that the bill would benefit
both high school students and the University of Alaska and would
be available to multiple school districts in Alaska and
expressed her commitment to ensure that all Alaskan students be
provided with the opportunities.
11:37:58 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN referenced page 2 of the committee packet
item entitled, "SB 32 Additional Info_MOA_AMCS 2018-2020.pdf,"
referencing tuition and fees and asked what the cost to the
district is and how it would be paid considering that costs paid
would make funds unavailable for other use.
DR. BISHOP answered that Alaska Middle College had been
established as a school, and the students enrolled in the school
generate the funds. She explained that the fees are calculated
on a separate basis.
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN asked from where the tuition money is
allocated.
DR. BISHOP answered that the money comes from the base student
allocation (BSA) within the school district, and from block
grants.
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN offered his interpretation of Dr. Bishop's
answer that the BSA is partially budgeted for the middle college
program and other funds [supplement] the BSA.
DR. BISHOP noted that the Anchorage School District has a lower
BSA compared with that of the Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim [School
District.]
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN asked whether students from the Lower
Yukon-Kuskokwim School District enrolled in the program are
attending the vocational-technical programs and college classes.
DR. BISHOP confirmed this as correct and added that other
students are invited to participate.
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN asked the total number of students
enrolled in the program, to which Dr. Bishop answered 282.
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN requested a copy of Annex A, the middle
college fees and payment schedule, to which Dr. Bishop agreed.
11:44:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY stated that the program was an example of
best practices in education. She asked whether the middle
college is perceived to be a separate school and is of
determinate size for the calculation of the BSA.
DR. BISHOP answered that, within the Anchorage School District,
the middle college would be comparable to an alternative school.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY encouraged the use of federal scholarship
funds to expand the program to additional students and asked
whether there exist students in need of scholarships.
DR. BISHOP answered that there may exist districts other than
Anchorage with students in need of scholarships and expressed
her support for the idea of expanding access to those students.
She added that the Alaska Performance Scholarship could
supplement the program to enable students to become teachers in
the third and fourth years of college.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked for additional information regarding
the third- and fourth-year educational track.
DR. BISHOP explained that there exists a new program that would
employ the middle college for the general education requirements
and the next two years the student would be enrolled in college.
She added that MOUs are in place to cover full tuition with a
target to underrepresented students such as Alaska Natives and
other demographics.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked whether two-year the program was
associated with the University of Alaska educational program or
an undergraduate program.
DR. BISHOP answered that the University of Alaska Anchorage
School of Education does not have accreditation and would be the
school at which students meet the general education
requirements, and that the education certificate would be earned
from a different university in Alaska, which is yet to be
identified. She added that students in the program would return
to locations to teach in Alaska for two years.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked whether the two potential Alaska
Schools were the University of Alaska Fairbanks School of
Education and the Alaska School of Education at University of
Alaska Southeast.
DR. BISHOP confirmed this as correct and added that the
University of Alaska Anchorage offered courses in special
education in grades kindergarten through eighth.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked how many agreements and how many
students exist other than those from the Anchorage School
District and the Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim School District.
MR. LAMKIN answered that the program had grown to include
enrollment of students from Kodiak and the Matanuska-Susitna
area in addition to those from Anchorage and the Lower Yukon-
Kuskokwim districts. He noted that the bill before the
committee would expand the program to all Alaska school
districts.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked the total number of students from
districts other than Anchorage and Lower Yukon-Kuskokwim.
MR. LAMKIN offered to provide the number of students in follow
up to the committee.
11:52:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN asked whether the proposed system is
subject to market demand for career paths other than education.
DR. BISHOP answered that other career paths exist within the
middle college and the program had been conceived to provide
general education with an emphasis on college preparation. She
noted that discussions have been taking place with the College
of Public Policy and Governance with the University of Alaska to
develop programs in conjunction with the middle college.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN asked whether there is an inherent focus
in academia rather than in other programs.
DR. BISHOP answered no, and the College of Career and Technical
Education at the University of Alaska Anchorage had been the
first participant in the program. She added that the most
difficult courses were those general academic classes such as
math and focus had been made in the program to ensure that
credits for those classes were transferable to other
institutions.
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN described a traditional educational
structure as consisting of kindergarten through twelfth grade,
community college, and the higher university level institutions
and asked Dr. Bishop for a comparison of the respective benefits
and shortcomings between the traditional structure and the
proposed structure that offers a middle college.
DR. BISHOP emphasized that the systems should cater to the
targeted students and should be "nimble" to address needs such
as workforce needs. She added that there exist over 100
certificates available in the University of Alaska system and
that those should be driven by the needs identified in the
workforce.
MR. LAMKIN added that this program includes Career and Technical
Education programs such as welding, automotive, and carpentry
programs for high school students to begin training.
11:59:05 AM
PAUL LAYER, Ph.D., Vice President, Academics, Students, &
Research, University of Alaska, echoed previous testimony that
characterized the program as win-win-win for students, the
university, and school districts for high school students into
university-level programs gaining both high school graduation
credits as well as the potential to earn an associate's degree.
He added that many students in the program had entered the
university system for a variety of courses of study. He stated
that, in addition to the Anchorage and Matanuska-Susitna middle
college programs, there was also a Fairbanks North Star Borough
School District, Kodiak School District middle college program,
and the Kenai Peninsula College Jumpstart program. He stated
that there exit different levels of engagement between the
school districts and the programs in the different locations.
He noted that there is also the University of Alaska Fairbanks'
and the University of Alaska Southeast's Alaska Advantage
Program which is among other programs that offer virtual
educational opportunities for students from any district across
the state who may not have access to a local campus. He stated
that the virtual middle college program has over 300
participants from more than 30 school districts. He added that
the classes result in college credit for students. He estimated
the total number of enrollees across all programs and platform
to be over 700 students.
12:05:30 PM
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE asked what the course completion success
rate had been for enrollees.
DR. LAYER estimated the pass rates at equal to or higher than
students in traditional programs.
MR. LAMKIN stated that, based on national data, students
enrolled in middle college programs have substantially higher
graduation rates and increased likelihood of entering a higher
education program. He noted that the proposed bill contains a
reporting requirement that would reveal the requested data.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE referred to page 2, on line 25 and asked
whether students enrolled in homeschool programs would be
eligible to participate in the program.
MR. LAMKIN answered that they would.
REPRESENTATIVE VANCE expressed her support for the bill and
explained that she had a child who had successfully participated
in the program and had earned college credit prior to high
school graduation.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS expressed his support for the bill.
12:09:56 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS referred to Section 2(f) of the bill and
asked whether other institutions of higher education had been
considered for participation in the program, including the
Alaska Pacific University.
MR. LAMKIN said subsection (f) addressed accreditation
[requirements] including accreditation of virtual institutions.
DR. LAYER added that the bill would also allow for high school
teachers to obtain certification to teach dual-credit classes.
He added that no agreement exists with the Alaska Pacific
University but that one could be sought.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked for an example of a district
accrediting of a teacher.
DR. LAYER answered that certification of teachers had occurred
often and had been the basis for the dual-credit program from
its inception.
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS asked for anecdotal observations of
matriculation of students from high school entering the
university system.
DR. BISHOP answered that 70 - 78 percent of students enrolled in
the middle college program remain enrolled in the university
system.
12:15:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KAUFMAN asked the sponsor and other participants
to follow up with the committee as to whether the annual
reporting requirements contain metrics to drive [improving]
performance of the program.
12:16:27 PM
CHAIR KREISS-TOMKINS announced that CSSB 32(FIN) was held over.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 198 Letter of Support - Koponen 5.13.21.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
HB 198 |
| HB 177 Amendment A.1.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
HB 177 |
| HB 177 Research Legal Opinion 05.05.2020.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
HB 177 |
| HB 177 Research Legal Opinon 08.26.2020.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
HB 177 |
| SB 71 Sponsor Statement.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 Sectional Analysis.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 Sample Plates Plate Demand.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 ArtsCouncil_Support-Letter_KodiakArts_08March2021.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 Version B.PDF |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 Public Testimony Rogers.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| SB 71 DMV License Plate Options.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
SB 71 |
| HB 187 Amendment G.1 - Kreiss-Tomkins.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
HB 187 |
| HB 187 Amendment G.2 - Kaufman.pdf |
HSTA 5/15/2021 10:00:00 AM |
HB 187 |