Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
02/25/2011 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Pribilof School District | |
| HB5 | |
| HB93 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 5 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 104 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 93 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 5-CONSTITUTIONAL HISTORY CURRICULUM
8:24:47 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 5, "An Act requiring a standardized statewide
history of American constitutionalism curriculum and a secondary
school history of American constitutionalism examination in
public schools in the state; and providing for an effective
date." [A committee substitute (CS) labeled CSHB 5, 27-
LS0018\D, Mischel, 2/1011, was adopted as the working draft, at
the 2/21/11 meeting; also available in the committee packet was
a document labeled CSHB 5, 27-LS0018\E, Mischel, 2/24/11.]
8:25:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to rescind the action adopting CSHB
5, 27-LS0018\D, Mischel, 2/1011. There being no objection
Version D was rescinded.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved to adopt CSHB 5, 27-LS0018\E,
Mischel, 2/24/11. There being no objection, Version E was
adopted as the working draft.
The committee took an at-ease from 8:26 a.m. to 8:27 a.m.
8:27:20 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER referred to Section 3, subsection (a) to
note the deletion of the requirement for testing in the twelfth
grade, and pointed out that the legislation does not establish
testing standards.
8:29:17 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI queried whether existing statute defines
the term "curriculum segment."
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER deferred.
8:29:40 AM
JIM POUND, Staff, Representative Wes Keller, Alaska State
Legislature, answered that various terms were juggled in an
effort to arrive at one which would allow local superintendents,
and school boards, to determine how they want to classify the
segment.
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked for the sponsor's definition of
the term "curriculum segment."
MR. POUND recalled his high school experience to suggest that it
could be a six week course.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON pondered the options of specifying a
segment of time versus stipulating required curriculum. He
suggested that required curriculum could be incorporated into an
established program; a less onerous approach.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER offered that the intent is to provide
broad language and allow the districts to establish curriculum
and determine when the segment will be taught.
8:33:31 AM
CHAIR DICK stated support for the intent of the bill, but
expressed concern for the school districts receiving an unfunded
mandate, and asked whether testing would be imperative;
particularly attached as a graduation requirement.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER agreed that mandates are difficult to
impose, but the issue is important and should be brought to the
fore. Testing is necessary, as it creates a point of business
that must be accomplished. The school board is the contact
between the parents and what occurs in the schools, and
specifics for meeting curriculum requirements should be in their
hands for discussion. It is important to have an evaluation of
learned knowledge, and, to that end, a test is the best vehicle.
CHAIR DICK pointed out that about 25 percent of prisoners don't
understand the process by which the government acted to place
them in lockup.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER concurred.
CHAIR DICK pointed out that, given the parameters of the bill, a
one day course and a two minute test could be acceptable.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said yes, that is the latitude that the
bill allows.
8:37:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON, referring to Section 2, paragraph (4),
and Section 3, subsection (a), which name the seven documents to
be taught, recalled that the sponsor's intent to have American
values taught. She said:
There's a big difference ... between teaching these
[documents], and teaching American values. ... I'm not
quite sure what you want taught.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER explained that the suffix "ism" implies
standards and values, and the documents capture the values of
the nation. The source and the core of American human rights
are natural, as specified in these documents. He allowed that
some teachers may already be teaching some aspects of these
documents in existing curriculum.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON pointed out that current U.S.
government values are different than when the named documents
were adopted.
8:41:41 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA commented that the urban and rural values,
in Alaska, may create a discrepancy, and opined that imposing
non-indigenous values into the Native culture may not be
appropriate; other priorities may need to be addressed first.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER pointed out that the bill does not include
the Alaskan Constitution, but provides segue to that course of
study as well. He contended that the most important rights for
rural and urban Alaska, core values of sovereignty, are included
in the required documents.
8:46:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON said that law suits may be forthcoming
should this legislation be enacted. The bill does not require
the teaching of the specific documents, but rather instruction
of something portrayed in the documents. He paraphrased a
previous statement from the sponsor, stating:
Your response was that we're teaching the values that
were established when the [U.S.] Constitution, and ...
the Articles of Confederation, etcetera, were adopted,
and as was pointed out, those values aren't
necessarily the values today. ... We don't have
slavery ... we've got a lot of different things that
we incorporate in diversity today. Women didn't have
the right to vote - those kinds of things.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON pointed out that lacking a definition of
American Constitutionalism, and addressing it by the named
documents, which are peripheral to the ism, as well as lacking a
clear statutory definition of what values are to be taught under
the rubric, may invite challenges from the districts.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER disagreed, but acknowledged that the
values are not defined in the bill. He maintained that the term
"American Constitutionalism" is a definable term, and the bill
is to require the instruction of how the U.S. government was
formed.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON argued that the term is not commonly used
and said it would be important to prevent a misunderstanding of
what is to be taught by inserting a definition in the bill.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER underscored the intent to provide broad
language, and thus, allow latitude to the local school
districts.
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON maintained his concern to have clear
language regarding what is to be taught, in the proposed
statute. Additionally, he asked why the Alaskan Constitution is
not included in the list of source documents; Section 3,
subsection (a).
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER responded that it would change the scope
of the bill, and allowed that the committee has the jurisdiction
to amend the working draft. Some teachers may choose to include
the Alaskan Constitution, but he said:
This is a mandate to teach history, and some of the
circumstances, stories, values and things that
surround a fifteen year block of history in the United
States of America.
8:52:45 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON said that the intent is not clearly
stated in the bill. She said:
I'm not sure that what you really want is what the
bill says. ... You just want ... American history
taught with the start of the context of these
documents. That could mean just going over the
documents pretty quickly and then going onto ...
[other] American history.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said the bill is very clear and directed
attention to page 2 lines 20-25, and read [original punctuation
provided]:
An approved syllabus must ensure a students'
understanding of the history of American
constitutionalism as portrayed in the Declaration of
Independence, the first state constitutions, the
Articles of Confederation, the Constitution of the
United States, the Federalist Papers, the Bill of
Rights, and other historical documents produced in the
founding of our constitutional republic model of
government.
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON maintained concern for the intent not
being clearly stated.
CHAIR DICK interjected that the intent of the committee is to
continue public discussion and consideration of HB 5.
8:55:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON directed attention to the committee packet
to point that the Mat-Su Borough School District has provided a
resolution recommending that the legislature mandate a required
half credit course be taught in civics, focused on the Alaskan
Constitution, the U.S. Constitution documents, and the
Declaration of Independence. The district supports teaching
these documents along with civics, but the bill indicates
teaching the values held by the people, during the fifteen year
period when the documents were created. He noted that the CS
does not appear to reflect the resolution points, and asked
whether the Mat-Su Borough School District could choose to
institute a half credit class, under current statute.
REPRESENTATIVE KELLER said that the district could offer a
class; however, the resolution requests that classes be offered
statewide, in a specific and consistent manner.
8:58:08 AM
CHAIR DICK announced that the bill would be held.
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