01/27/2014 08:00 AM Senate EDUCATION

            SB 111-REPEAL SECONDARY SCHOOL EXIT EXAM                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:01:16 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS announced that the  only order of business would be                                                               
SB 111.  He noted there  was a new version  of SB 111  before the                                                               
committee.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR   DUNLEAVY  moved   to  adopt   the  proposed   committee                                                               
substitute (CS) for  SB 111, labeled 28-LS1113\U,  as the working                                                               
document.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS objected for discussion purposes.                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                
TIM   LAMKIN,  Staff,   Senator   Gary   Stevens,  Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,  explained a  change in  SB 111  on                                                               
behalf of  the sponsor.  He said  version U  makes one  change in                                                               
Section 6;  it phases  out the  exit exam  to allow  students who                                                               
failed the exam prior to July  1, 2014, an opportunity to pass it                                                               
before  it is  discontinued entirely.  The window  to retake  the                                                               
exam would  close on June  30, 2017. This language  is consistent                                                               
with the  Governor's bill [SB  139] to  allow those who  have not                                                               
passed the exam to retake it.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS noted it was the  only change in the bill. He asked                                                               
Mr. Morse to comment on the new transition language.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
8:03:10 AM                                                                                                                    
LES  MORSE,  Deputy  Commissioner, Department  of  Education  and                                                               
Early Development  (DEED), Juneau,  Alaska, reported that  it was                                                               
important to  include the transition  language in order  to allow                                                               
students  from  2004  to  the   current  date  that  may  hold  a                                                               
Certificate of  Achievement, but did  not pass the exit  exam, to                                                               
retake the test within the next three years.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS noted the arrival of Senator Gardner.                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNLEAVY  inquired if the  bill eliminates both  the exit                                                               
exam and the concept of the exit exam.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. MORSE  said the bill would  eliminate the concept of  an exit                                                               
exam as  it currently  stands. It  does not  eliminate assessment                                                               
requirements at the high school level.                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR DUNLEAVY  surmised that  future exams would  be readiness                                                               
exams.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
MR. MORSE agreed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
8:05:44 AM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR  HUGGINS  opined  that  competency exams  do  not  affect                                                               
change. He requested Mr. Morse's opinion.                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MORSE replied  that  when  the exit  exam  was enacted,  the                                                               
educational  system was  looking  for  an accountability  measure                                                               
that would be responsive to  post-secondary education, as well as                                                               
to industry.  It  was a concept that made sense  at the time, but                                                               
now  is proving  to  be  a barrier.  He  maintained  that SB  111                                                               
attempts to address what makes sense  for the next ten to fifteen                                                               
years.                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HUGGINS  recalled decreased performance results  from the                                                               
exam, beginning in 2009. He  wondered what school districts could                                                               
do if performance continues to decrease.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MORSE reviewed  results  of the  exit  exam; reading  scores                                                               
since  the  first year  of  the  exam increased,  writing  scores                                                               
decreased,  and mathematics  scores increased  by ten  percent. A                                                               
positive result was that after  passing the exam, students tended                                                               
to focus on courses that helped  them to be successful after high                                                               
school. The  exam also promoted  new curriculum for  students who                                                               
did not perform  well, especially in writing. It  also made aware                                                               
the need  to be  more focused  on writing and  reading at  a much                                                               
earlier age.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HUGGINS thought the debate on  the exit exam was over and                                                               
there is  a need to focus  on larger problems. He  noted Alaska's                                                               
low  rating of  28th or  29th  on the  Program for  International                                                               
Student Assessment (PISA).                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MR. MORSE agreed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HUGGINS said it was not  due to lack of funding. Compared                                                               
to all nations Alaska ranks about 40th.                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
MR. MORSE agreed.                                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HUGGINS urged Alaska to improve.                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
8:11:52 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS  asked whether the  statistic regarding  10 percent                                                               
more students passing math included  all students who have passed                                                               
the exam.                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MR.  MORSE said  those  numbers depicted  those  who passed  when                                                               
taking  the exam  for the  first time  in 10th  grade. Today,  76                                                               
percent  passed; 66  percent passed  in 2004  when students  were                                                               
first held accountable.                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR  STEVENS opened  public testimony.  There  were no  further                                                               
testifiers.                                                                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR STEVENS  agreed with Senator  Huggins that it is  time move                                                               
on from the exit exam.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
[The  assumption is  that the  objection  to adopt  CSSB 111  was                                                               
removed.]                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  DUNLEAVY moved  to report  CSSB 111,  Version U,  out of                                                               
committee  with individual  recommendations  and attached  fiscal                                                               
note.                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
There being  no objection,  CSSB 111(EDC)  moved from  the Senate                                                               
Education Standing Committee.                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
8:13:30 AM                                                                                                                    
At ease                                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
8:15:21 AM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR STEVENS noted all members  of the committee have signed "Do                                                               
Pass."                                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR  GARDNER  requested  data  from the  exit  exam  for  the                                                               
previous five years.                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR HUGGINS said today is National School Choice Day.