02/01/2022 01:00 PM Senate FINANCE

SENATE BILL NO. 72                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     "An Act relating to civics education, civics                                                                               
     examinations,    and   secondary    school   graduation                                                                    
    requirements; and providing for an effective date."                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:08:07 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR GARY  STEVENS, SPONSOR, introduced  the legislation.                                                                    
He stressed the importance  of civics education. He remarked                                                                    
that there was a  misunderstanding about the public process.                                                                    
He felt  that children needed  to be educated  to understand                                                                    
what it  meant to be  a citizen  of the country.  He pointed                                                                    
out  that there  was a  recent history  of apathy  about the                                                                    
civics  process  and  involvement. He  remarked  that  other                                                                    
states  had taken  efforts to  improve civics  education. He                                                                    
stated that there was a  test for citizenship, that students                                                                    
should have as a requirement.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
Senator Hoffman wondered whether  Senator Stevens had passed                                                                    
that test.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens replied in the affirmative.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator Hoffman wondered whether  everyone who ran for state                                                                    
office should take the test.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens replied that it was beyond his purview.                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman looked  at line 12, page 2 of  the bill. He                                                                    
wondered why the percentage requirement is 60 and not 70.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
1:13:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
TIM LAMKIN,  STAFF, SENATOR GARY  STEVENS, replied  that the                                                                    
number was chosen by the  prior committees and noted that it                                                                    
was a bare  minimum passing grade, but stated  that it could                                                                    
have an amendment.                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Stedman felt that a  70 percent score would be more                                                                    
reasonable.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens deferred the subject  to the commissioner of                                                                    
the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
Senator Olson recalled  that the exit exam was  voted out of                                                                    
the legislature  a few years  prior. He noted that  he voted                                                                    
it out,  because there was  an issue with how  the questions                                                                    
might  be   asked  or   framed  without   understanding  the                                                                    
different correct answers for  the separate locations of the                                                                    
state.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens  replied that the  exam was not  intended as                                                                    
an exit exam, so the intention was to learn in the exam.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Senator Olson pointed  out that there would not  be a second                                                                    
exam  issued  unless  the student  had  received  a  passing                                                                    
score.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens agreed, and stressed  that it was not a one-                                                                    
shot test.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:18:47 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr. Lamkin discussed the Sectional Analysis (copy on file):                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
     Sec. 1: AS 14.03.076, relating to public schools, adds                                                                     
     a new section                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
          a.  directing the  State  Board  of Education  and                                                                    
          Early  Development  (SBOE) to  develop  curriculum                                                                    
          and  a  related  assessment based  on  the  civics                                                                    
          portion   of    the   naturalization   examination                                                                    
          administered  by the  U.S. Department  of Homeland                                                                    
          Security for immigrants  seeking U.S. citizenship.                                                                    
          The  curriculum and  assessment must  also include                                                                    
          systems of Alaska Tribal government;                                                                                  
          b.  requiring  students  to  pass  the  assessment                                                                    
          established  in (a)  above in  order to  receive a                                                                    
          high school diploma,  with exceptions for students                                                                    
          with a  disability and who  receive a  waiver from                                                                    
          their local school board;                                                                                             
          c. schools are to  document on student transcripts                                                                    
          when  a student  has passed  the assessment,  with                                                                    
          the  option   for  the   student  to   retake  the                                                                    
          assessment;                                                                                                           
          d. districts  are required  to report  annually on                                                                    
          their  respective  civics   course  offerings  and                                                                    
          overall average  student score on  the assessment;                                                                    
          and                                                                                                                   
          e.  a  passing  score   is  defined  as  correctly                                                                    
          answering  60  percent  or   more  on  the  civics                                                                    
          assessment.                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Section   2:  AS   14.07.168,  relating   to  reporting                                                                    
     requirements of  the SBOE, to  include in  their annual                                                                    
     report  to  the  legislature a  description  of  civics                                                                    
     education  curriculum in  the state,  of civics-related                                                                    
     course  offerings  in   respective  districts,  and  of                                                                    
     student  performance  on  the assessment  described  in                                                                    
     section 1, by district.                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
     Section 3:  Provides for an  effective date of  July 1,                                                                    
     2022.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Senator Olson  queried the  efforts of  the short  period of                                                                    
time until the effective date.                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens deferred to DEED.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Bishop queried  a plan  to  interface with  tribal                                                                    
governments.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Lamkin replied  that there  was a  support from  Alaska                                                                    
Native organizations, and were ready to have participation.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:23:49 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
MICHAEL JOHNSON,  COMMISSIONER, DEPARTMENT OF  EDUCATION AND                                                                    
EARLY DEVELOPMENT,  spoke in support of  the legislation. He                                                                    
pointed out the lack of  knowledge of U.S. civics, and noted                                                                    
that people  45 years old  or older scored much  higher than                                                                    
those under  the age  of 45. He  stressed the  importance of                                                                    
tribal government  and affairs education, so  there could be                                                                    
Alaska-specific  education.  He  felt  that it  was  a  much                                                                    
needed effort to repair the system,  but would not be a  fix                                                                    
all.                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
Senator Hoffman recalled  that he knew someone  who became a                                                                    
U.S. citizen in their nineties with a score of 100 percent.                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
1:30:36 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Bishop asked  about  the  involvement with  tribal                                                                    
organizations  to  build  the curriculum  in  time  for  the                                                                    
effective date.                                                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
Commissioner  Johnson  stated  that a  curriculum  had  been                                                                    
introduced  by  First  Alaskans   Institute  that  could  be                                                                    
incorporated into the exam.                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman wondered  how  many schools  in the  state                                                                    
taught Alaska history.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Commissioner Johnson agreed to provide that information.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop OPENED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
1:33:52 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
AMBER  VASKA, EXECUTIVE  DIRECTOR OF  TRIBAL GOVERNMENT  AND                                                                    
CLIENT SERVICES,  TANANA CHIEFS CONFERENCE,  ALASKA REGIONAL                                                                    
COALITION, FAIRBANKS (via  teleconference), spoke in support                                                                    
of the bill.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop CLOSED public testimony.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair  Stedman   wondered  whether  the  test   would  be                                                                    
multiple choice.                                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens replied in the affirmative.                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
Senator   Wielechowski  wondered   whether  districts   that                                                                    
already  a  civics curriculum  had  would  need to  redesign                                                                    
their curriculum.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
Senator  Stevens   replied  that  there  would   not  be  an                                                                    
expectation of  districts to rewrite curriculum,  but rather                                                                    
it would be universal across the state.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:40:40 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Senator Wielechowski  asked how and  when the exam  would be                                                                    
taken.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
Senator Stevens replied  that the test would not  be an exit                                                                    
exam,  but  rather  an attempt  to  ensure  civics  exposure                                                                    
education.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
Mr.  Lamkin stated  that every  district had  social studies                                                                    
requirements,   but   perhaps    not   specifically   civics                                                                    
education.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:41:57 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:42:07 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
1:42:25 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
Co-Chair Bishop  announced that the deadline  for amendments                                                                    
would be Friday, February 4 at 4pm.                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SB  72  was   HEARD  and  HELD  in   committee  for  further                                                                    
consideration.                                                                                                                  
                                                                                                                                
1:43:07 PM                                                                                                                    
AT EASE                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
1:45:36 PM                                                                                                                    
RECONVENED