Legislature(2011 - 2012)CAPITOL 106
03/07/2011 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Sitka School District Superintendent | |
| HB5 | |
| HB104 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 104 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 5 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 104-ALASKA PERFORMANCE SCHOLARSHIPS
CHAIR DICK announced that the final order of business would be
HOUSE BILL NO. 104, "An Act renaming the Alaska performance
scholarship and relating to the scholarship and tax credits
applicable to contributions to the scholarship; establishing the
Alaska performance scholarship investment fund and the Alaska
performance scholarship award fund and relating to the funds;
making conforming amendments; and providing for an effective
date." [In front of the committee was Version I, which had been
adopted as the work draft on February 9, 2011.]
CHAIR DICK opened public testimony.
9:09:16 AM
STEVE PINE, SERRC (Southeast Regional Resource Center), Alaska's
Learning Network, indicated that the infrastructure of Alaska's
Learning Network provided and enhanced opportunities, as well as
answering connectivity, staff development, and course content
issues.
9:11:00 AM
RYAN STANLEY, Technology Director, SERRC (Southeast Regional
Resource Center), Alaska's Learning Network, offered to address
any specific or general inquiries.
The committee took a brief at-ease.
9:12:19 AM
CHAIR DICK asked how every student, specifically in rural areas,
could receive the classes needed to qualify for the scholarship
program.
MR. STANLEY replied that SERRC worked with a variety of distance
delivery initiatives, and that one of the main objectives was to
locate the existing programs and incorporate them together. He
reported that there was a focus on customizing courses. He
shared that there was a suite of solutions designed for both
broad band internet and low band width, as well. He described
much of his work to be within the school network capabilities.
9:16:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked when these programs would be
available.
MR. STANLEY replied that five priority course areas would be
available to 240 students in the summer of 2011, with
considerably more growth for the fall.
9:17:19 AM
MR. STANLEY, in response to Representative P. Wilson, listed
math, foreign language, social studies, science, and language
arts as the upcoming priority course areas. He pointed out that
these would vary for the needs of each district.
9:18:07 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked about the funding for these
courses.
9:18:16 AM
MR. STANLEY replied that funding models included grants, pay per
service, and a formula by population which was paid by each
district.
9:18:47 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA asked if video teleconferencing was
possible between students in remote communities.
MR. STANLEY pointed out that the Alaska Learning Network would
include a community feedback and interaction loop.
9:21:22 AM
CHAIR DICK asked for a demonstration to how a course might work.
MR. STANLEY replied that course materials were not available,
but he described the course bits and reviews that had been
submitted.
9:23:19 AM
CHAIR DICK asked if courses would be available to rural
communities that would allow for qualification to the
performance scholarships.
MR. STANLEY replied that there were many courses, and that a
frame work would be available by the summer.
9:24:18 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON pointed out that graduation
requirements varied between districts, and asked what incentives
would be available for modification by the small districts.
9:25:15 AM
MR. STANLEY quoted a superintendent, "we would love to be
involved as long as we don't have to change what we're doing."
He noted that guidelines for application of the program had been
developed. He pointed to the ability to match a student's
specific needs to a specific program.
9:26:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked how the lack of technology by
remote schools was being addressed.
9:26:55 AM
MR. STANLEY replied that a set of solutions, called portable
courses, were being designed specifically for non broadband
schools, which would allow for copying and pasting directly onto
the local school network.
9:28:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI asked about the origin of those courses.
9:28:16 AM
MR. STANLEY explained that there were course providers outside
of Alaska, but that SERCC was pursuing courses already developed
in Alaska. He explained that the pieces of courses already
submitted, the "artifacts," were being reviewed for use in
future courses.
9:29:23 AM
MR. PINE pointed out that these would be aligned with the course
standards.
9:29:40 AM
REPRESENTATIVE KAWASAKI emphasized the need for culturally
relevant courses, and asked if the courses from outside Alaska
could be adapted.
MR. STANLEY replied that professional developers had been hired
to assist and train teachers with the use of the new technology.
9:31:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON suggested that the funding should be
provided by the State of Alaska, in order to allow students in
rural areas the same opportunities for performance scholarships.
9:32:50 AM
MR. STANLEY offered agreement that the access should be free to
all the students and teachers.
9:33:21 AM
CHAIR DICK offered support for proposed HB 104, but he
questioned the means for the remote villages to meet the
requirements.
9:34:01 AM
NORMAN ECK, PhD, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School
District, reported that there were 10 high schools in the
district, but that Kotzebue was the only school large enough to
offer this curriculum. He stated that six of the high schools
only had one or two teachers, and that it was not possible for
the teacher to provide the required courses with the necessary
depth to the students. He stated that the students deserved the
opportunities. He pointed to the difficulties, even in the high
schools with five teachers, which included the lack of capacity
for video streamlining courses. He confirmed that the district
had all the high schools on the same 55 minute class schedules
to allow for distance classes, but he admitted the difficulties
for motivation when there was only one student in a class. He
stated the need to address the small high school in Alaska. He
announced that magnet boarding schools allowed older high school
students to channel into nursing, teaching, and process
technology. He expressed appreciation for proposed HB 104, but
he declared the need for equal access to courses for all
students.
9:39:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked if the bill should be postponed
or to have a later effective date.
9:39:31 AM
DR. ECK replied that the bill should not be postponed, but that
the reality of the delivery system and the possibility for
students to immediately attain scholarships should be
considered. He stated the need for post high school training,
though not necessarily a college Bachelors degree. He stressed
that the computer screen did not "meet the need of those
students who do have that potential, just needs to be unlocked;
a computer screen, as much as they're into technology, still
doesn't unlock that deep part of what makes a student a student,
and develops you into a true human being, and brings you into
full citizenship in Alaska." He questioned whether grade point
average should be included in proposed HB 104, as many students
had not yet matured.
9:41:38 AM
CHAIR DICK referred to the Alaska Performance Scholarship
district survey on course offerings, which indicated whether the
schools in the district could provide students with the
necessary courses to meet the requirements for the Alaska
performance scholarships. He pointed out that the Northwest
Arctic Borough had indicated its ability to meet the
requirements.
DR. ECK agreed that the courses were available in some of the
schools, but he suggested that there must have been confusion on
the survey. He agreed that the potential was there for some,
but not all the high schools.
9:43:39 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA reported that it was necessary to better
connect urban and rural needs with mentoring.
9:45:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked to clarify if the district would be
able to offer the courses when the program was fully
implemented.
9:46:03 AM
DR. ECK replied that it was not physically possible for one or
two, possibly four, high school teachers to teach all of these
requirements to the levels necessary. He opined that reliance
on the computer would attract some students, but would not
provide all of the answers until there was an infrastructure for
video streaming. He declared the need for a high level of
individual student motivation to be successful with this
process.
9:47:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON stated that, until that level of streaming
occurs, the students will not have access to the skills to
perform in today's society.
DR. ECK, in response to Representative Seaton, said that a
student did not need physics to perform in today's society or to
attend college. He declared a need for small, regional boarding
schools or for instructors to be available to fly out to remote
sites, all of which would require increased funding. He
emphasized that the option of a distance delivery class didn't
guarantee student success.
9:50:11 AM
LARRY "WOODY" WILSON, Superintendent, Wrangell Public School
District, President, SERRC (Southeast Regional Resource Center),
agreed that, although the performance scholarship was not the
final answer for all the issues, it would provide an incentive
to students. He endorsed distance education as the way of the
future, and he noted that some states required a distance class
for graduation. He offered his support for any opportunity that
"was an improvement, if it moves the right direction, if it's
best for kids."
9:52:56 AM
JEFF THIELBAR, PhD, Superintendent, Skagway School District,
Board Member, SERRC (Southeast Regional Resource Center),
endorsed the scholarship program and HB 104 as an incentive for
students to do better. He listed motivation, robustness, and
technology as pertinent issues. He defined robustness as the
ability to deliver a "deep and enriching content in a course."
He agreed that although a face to face teaching situation was
the best, video and correspondence courses were better than
nothing. He observed that Skagway did not have the best
technology or the ability to deliver all of the courses with
teachers, but that the district was doing its' best.
9:55:59 AM
STEVE BRADSHAW, Superintendent, Sitka School District, Board
Member, SERRC (Southeast Regional Resource Center), said that
education had historically "tried to band-aid things together."
He said that the mandate for on line classes needed to be funded
appropriately at the state level. As an educator, he questioned
where the money was being placed. He offered his opinion that
to motivate students, it was important to invest the funding in
early childhood education at the pre-school level.
9:58:46 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON, directing attention to the needs based
component of the bill, asked if it would encourage a greater
diversity of students than the merit based component by itself.
9:59:45 AM
MR. BRADSHAW stated his belief that, although it was important
to have the merit scholarship available for every student, the
needs based component would motivate many additional students.
He pointed out that the top 10 percent of the graduating class
in the prior year had a high percentage of their school costs
paid.
[HB 104 was held over.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Memo re Constitutionalism.pdf |
HEDC 3/7/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 5 |
| CSHB 5 Version E.pdf |
HEDC 3/7/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 5 |
| CSHB 5 Fiscal Note.pdf |
HEDC 3/7/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 5 |
| District APS Course Survey.pdf |
HEDC 3/7/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 104 |
| Workforce Investment Board Resolution.pdf |
HEDC 3/7/2011 8:00:00 AM |
HB 104 |