Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
01/29/2019 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB30 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | SB 30 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 30-COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
9:00:21 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SB 30. He stated
his intention to hear testimony on the bill and hold the bill
for further review.
9:00:54 AM
Tim Lamkin, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, said the bill establishes a state-
sanctioned collaborative between the secondary and postsecondary
education systems. He chose not to inundate the committee with
research on the effectiveness of dual credit and middle college
programs at this point, but the merits of the programs are not
in dispute. Of course, the devil is in the details, particularly
the financial structure of transferring funds between
institutions and other parties. Details also included the
language of whether districts "shall" or "may" participate. That
will be a key policy consideration for the committee. Another
topic will be whether mandates are funded or not. The fiscal
note is forthcoming. He noted the letter in the committee
packets from Norm Wooten, Executive Director of the Association
of Alaska School Boards.
9:03:29 AM
SENATOR BIRCH asked what distinguished this from students
earning college credit with Advanced Placement (AP) classes.
MR. LAMKIN answered that AP does not result in outright credit
for college courses, but others can address that with more
information.
CHAIR STEVENS said middle college is more structured than an
occasional dual credit class. Students can get the first or even
second year of college done while in high school. It has been
successful around the country. It is more structured and
requires more counseling with a goal of degree completion. It
also addresses the issue of students entering the University of
Alaska system who are not prepared and must take remedial
courses. This makes students prepared to enter college.
9:05:35 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said he supports the concept of the bill but
noted that Alaska Gateway School District Superintendent Scott
MacManus asked if this becomes a mandate they cannot afford.
Another issue is that even if it becomes a "may" clause, it may
lead to disparities in the long run. School districts with
higher energy costs may not be able to avail themselves of the
option while wealthier school districts can. But it seems
solvable to him.
CHAIR STEVENS said he is hesitant to say "may." It is important
to say it "shall" be done. They have heard from the Anchorage,
Mat-Su, and the Kodiak districts that they can do this under the
present foundation formula. Mat-Su has found that it saves money
for them. They pay the university for the classes, but they
don't need as full a faculty. A district that can't do it simply
has to make a report to explain why it cannot offer the program.
He agreed with Senator Begich about equity. Kids in Shishmaref
deserve to have a college education as much as kids in
Anchorage.
SENATOR HUGHES echoed Senator Begich's concern about how it will
work with rural students. She noted that they have discussed
virtual education as a way to give rural students the
opportunity to be in a live, two-way classroom with cream-of-
the-crop teachers in other parts of the state. That could be
part of this. The bill requires students to pick up the tab for
books and materials, but housing could be an issue for rural
students who might want to come to an urban area. However, a
robust virtual education system could help solve that.
CHAIR STEVENS responded that the bill does require districts to
pay for university tuition, but students would pay for books,
fees, and transportation. Anchorage and Mat-Su (and Kodiak will
also) pay for the cost of transportation
SENATOR HUGHES said the fairness issue needs to be part of the
conversation if some districts would pick up the extra costs and
some wouldn't.
CHAIR STEVENS said they would need information from the
university about fees. For example, would a student from
Shishmaref need to pay for the athletic program in Anchorage or
Fairbanks.
9:10:46 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO said she is an advocate for options for
students and families. She asked what does this look like. She
understands that students can take one or two classes on a
college campus. In this bill it almost appears that the student
becomes a college student.
CHAIR STEVENS answered not exactly. Students can take as many
college classes as they'd like, but they are still a high school
student. They can participate in high school activities but have
the opportunity to get college credit.
SENATOR COSTELLO gave the example of someone who is on an
advanced math track. She asked if the student could leave just
for the math portion and spend the majority of the student's
time at high school.
CHAIR STEVENS answered yes. The bill would also address
senioritis, when often the last year of high school is wasted.
It is a good opportunity to spend the last year seriously.
9:13:29 AM
MR. LAMKIN presented the sectional analysis of SB 30, version U.
Sec. 1: Amends current statute regarding an annual report
submitted to the legislature by the state board of
education and early development, to include in that
report a current summary of middle college activity
in the state.
Sec. 2: Adds a new Article 15 to AS 14.30 (Educational
Programs For Pupils) regarding Dual Credit.
(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) Establishes some baseline eligibility
requirements for students to be enrolled in
a public school, be in the 11th or 12th
grade, to not have already received a high
school diploma, and otherwise meet minimum
requirements set in regulation.
(C) Requires every school district in the state
to participate in the middle college
program, making dual credit available to
eligible students. Respective school
districts shall pay course tuition. The
student is responsible for all other
expenses associated with the course,
including fees, books, and transportation.
MR. LAMKIN pointed out that subsection C is the "shall" vs.
"may" section.
(D) Holds harmless a school district's Average
Daily Membership (ADM) calculation;
students participating in the middle
college program are to still be counted
toward the respective school district's
ADM.
(E) Allows the University of Alaska and
individual school districts to share
student transcript information for purposes
of determining program eligibility and
satisfactory course completion.
(F) Aligns the existing definition of "school
district" as set in AS 14.30.350, meaning a
borough school district, a city school
district, a regional educational attendance
area (REAA), a state boarding school, and
the state centralized correspondence study
program.
Sec. 3: Amends AS 14.40.040(a), relating to the general
powers and duties of the University of Alaska, to
allow for the UA system to enter into agreements
with school districts in the state for purposes of
carrying out the Middle College program.
9:16:32 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked if Anchorage, Mat-Su, and Kodiak are
concerned about reporting. She also asked why not allow highly
motivated 9th and 10th graders to participate.
CHAIR STEVENS answered that they can ask districts to respond
about the grade question.
MR. LAMKIN said that is a policy consideration.
9:18:42 AM
PAUL PRUSSING, Project Coordinator, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, said section one adds
three data elements to gather from the university. It has no
fiscal impact on the Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED).
SENATOR HUGHES asked if this was one of the recommendations of
the Alaska Educational Challenge.
MR. PRUSSING replied that the Alaska Educational Challenge has
13 recommendations, three commitments, and five goals. One goal
is career and technical education dual credit, but increasing
educational opportunities is part of the Alaska Educational
Challenge. As Senator Begich pointed out, ensuring that all
districts have access to these classes is important.
9:20:30 AM
STEPHANIE BUTLER, Executive Director, Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education (ACPE), Juneau, Alaska, said she planned
to present a high-level summary of programs that create bridges
from high school to college in Alaska. ACPE's nexus with middle
college and dual enrollment programs is around financial aid
questions and coaching and other services that their outreach
team offers to students and families. They do not have expertise
in middle school per se, but they have lots of experience in
connecting students and families and their questions with the
experts.
MS. BUTLER reviewed the agenda for her presentation:
ACPE Mission
Middle College Connections
Benefits
Barriers
How ACPE Can Help
MS. BUTLER described the difference between middle college and
dual enrollment. Dual enrollment is any program that allows high
school students to earn college credit in high school. Middle
college is a subset of dual enrollment. It is a collaboration
between a student's high school and local college that provides
for student cohorts to enroll in the local college and earn
college credit. Students generally attend the local college
campus with traditional college students, but with very specific
supports from their high school. Many states described their
middle college programs as a high school embedded in a local
college campus. Students must apply to get into a middle college
program. They generally graduate with both a high school diploma
and associate degree at the same time. The overarching terms for
programs that help students bridge the gap between high school
and college are bridging programs.
MS. BUTLER said that slide 5 showed the ACPE nexus with middle
college and bridging programs is mainly about providing
informational resources to students. She reviewed the number of
existing dual enrollment programs in Alaska shown on slide 6.
She pointed out that middle colleges are operated by school
districts and that Anchorage and Mat-Su already have middle
colleges.
MS. BUTLER reviewed the diversity of other programs available,
including a program at AVTEC [Alaska's Institute of Technology]
that allows high school students to graduate with a credential
as a merchant mariner.
MS. BUTLER said other early college options include the
International Baccalaureate (available at West High and Palmer
High); CLEP, the College Level Examination Program offered by
the College Board; summer college programs, offered by many for-
profit organizations; AP testing, another College Board program;
and internships.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if she agreed SB 30 does not impact any of
these programs.
MS. BUTLER agreed.
9:28:28 AM
MS. BUTLER reviewed the potential benefits of bridging programs
on slide 8:
• Increased high school graduation rates
• Increase college enrollment rates
• Higher college GPAs
• Greater college persistence and faster progress to
graduation
• Larger benefit to traditionally underrepresented
populations (males and low-income students)
• Include collegiate and CTE tracks
CHAIR STEVENS asked if these programs would reduce the need for
remedial education.
MS. BUTLER answered that one finding in her research is that the
structure of middle college programs, where all the supports are
available to high school students while they are taking a
college course, is very effective. Students are more likely to
be successful.
MS. BUTLER said potential barriers to participation in bridging
programs are financial, academic, and informational. A student
not enrolled full-time in a degree program generally cannot
access state or financial aid. For example, the Alaska
Performance Scholarship is only available to high school
graduates.
9:31:35 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked if it could be possible to have a grant
program draw from existing scholarship programs to assist low-
income students in middle colleges.
MS. BUTLER responded that she would research available options.
SENATOR BEGICH said it poses the possibility of offsetting the
issues he brought up earlier about potential disparity.
CHAIR STEVENS added that college books can be $100 or more.
SENATOR HUGHES wondered if private scholarships, particularly
for children of active duty military, would be eligible for aid
related to college.
SENATOR BEGICH said he runs a private scholarship program and
this would fall under that grant program.
MS. BUTLER said she will research scholarship options.
MS. BUTLER addressed academic considerations. Students must be
prepared for academic rigor. Their grade point averages (GPAs)
in collegiate courses become part of their student transcripts,
and grades can affect future financial aid eligibility.
MS. BUTLER said students need to understand processes and
bureaucracies to enroll in these programs, and they need to
understand the benefits. Middle colleges tend to remove barriers
because students have high school supports.
9:36:17 AM
MS. BUTLER reviewed how ACPE can help on slide 13.
• Success Centers in-person (Dimond Mall and UAA Enrollment
Services) and telephone/distance coaching and assistance
• Alaska College and Career Advising Consortium (ACAC)
initiatives, including mentoring provided through partners
• AKCIS online planning tools (www.akcis.org)
• Financial aid and higher education outreach events
SENATOR BIRCH asked if there is a presumption that every high
school will have an associated college campus in the vicinity or
if there is a distance learning option. He wondered how much
flexibility there would be for high school students without a
nearby college campus.
MS. BUTLER referred the question to Mr. Lamkin.
CHAIR STEVENS said the university has many extension programs.
Maybe the university can provide the details.
SENATOR BIRCH said he was intrigued by students at AVTEC in
Seward graduating with Coast Guard credentials. He asked whether
the International Baccalaureate (IB) was a degree program.
MS. BUTLER answered that the IB is an internationally-recognized
credential that documents high academic rigor. It is not a
college credential, but some colleges will award up to 30
credits to students with an IB.
CHAIR STEVENS encouraged everyone to visit AVTEC to learn more
about the program.
SENATOR BEGICH reinforced the points made by Senator Birch and
Senator Hughes about distance learning and how that could be
integrated into this. He mentioned the concepts in SB 96 from
the previous session that had broad support.
9:42:07 AM
DEENA BISHOP, Ph.D., Superintendent, Anchorage School District;
Anchorage, Alaska, began by noting that this is her third year
with the Anchorage School District (ASD) and the second year
that ASD has had a middle college. She was the assistant
superintendent in Mat-Su when they began the middle college
there.
DR. BISHOP said this offers all 53 school districts the
opportunity to see who their students are and to ask how they
can make middle college happen for their students. It starts
with asking who are the students. One of the biggest
opportunities and challenges in Anchorage is language diversity.
Twenty percent of their students have more than 100 languages.
Challenges to Alaska's school districts are unique. With support
of the bill, they can figure it out.
DR. BISHOP said one of the biggest variables for the ASD is
economically disadvantaged students. The middle college excites
her with this group. They have strong students whose families do
not have the financial or cultural capital to navigate college.
The middle college allows them to assist with navigating those
waters.
DR. BISHOP said many times they talk about college or career and
technical education (CTE). She hopes people understand the power
of "and" and "both." The University of Alaska is one of the
largest suppliers of CTE. CTE is not done outside of college
readiness or middle college. It is combined with it.
Concentrators, which are two or more semesters within a pathway,
a structured approach to CTE, provide success for students. The
graduation rate for students who have taken concentrators in CTE
is 93 percent compared to the overall rate of 81 percent. The
impact is especially high for students with disabilities.
DR. BISHOP showed a picture of the Alaska Middle College School
Chugiak-Eagle River Campus of UAA. Anchorage juniors and seniors
were able to take courses at the campus and simultaneously
complete high school graduation requirements and earn college
credit. The campus is closed because of damage from the
earthquake, and those students now attend the Anchorage campus.
IB and AP students must take an exam and then colleges can
accept those credits. She pointed out that middle colleges do
not always have more rigorous courses. Some AP courses can be
more rigorous. It is not "either or"; it is "and" and "both." It
is about offering choices to students.
DR. BISHOP said their middle school students continue to want a
connection to high school, such as going to the prom or playing
sports. ASD middle college is a place-based model with 11th and
12th graders students on campus. It is dual credit. This is not
college is taking over the high school, and it is not high
school taking over college. It is a true partnership. School
districts would work with institutions in their areas to find
the best answers for students.
DR. BISHOP said she would not call this an unfunded mandate, but
an uncomfortable opportunity because it pushes them. In ASD they
pay for fees, books, and transportation from the base student
allocation (BSA). It is affordable. They also can provide
teachers, counselors, and support so that the scaffolding on
both sides works for their students. Even when they use an
online learning vendor, someone in the local community is still
the advisor or coach.
9:55:19 AM
DR. BISHOP said one of their goals to have the demographics of
the middle college match the demographics of Anchorage. They are
on a good path to have that diversity represented in middle
college. They spend time sharing and advertising with many
groups. They have learned that they must go to where families
are to share the opportunities in the Anchorage School District.
DR. BISHOP shared student feedback:
• Students reported best features as:
o Sense of independence and responsibility
o Flexibility in schedule
o Ability to get ahead in college
• Students reported best resource as:
o Anchorage School district teachers
o Resources available on campus to support emotionally
and academically
• Students reported math as most challenging subject
DR. BISHOP shared parent feedback:
• Parents reported best features:
o College environment
o Challenging coursework
o Opportunity to get a head start on college while
fulfilling high school graduation requirements
• Parents appreciate support their students are given by ASD
staff as they transition to college-level work
DR. BISHOP said they have successes with students who thought
they could never have success in college. This bill provides the
opportunity to get the work of equity done for students. It is a
huge asset for them to be able to provide college to their
students. They believe in choice and success for life for all
Alaskan students.
SENATOR BEGICH said that while he is glad that ASD can fund this
through the BSA, they have lower energy costs and a higher tax
base than rural Alaska. The higher energy costs in rural Alaska
eat into the BSA and allows less flexibility. He referenced the
higher graduation rate for students who take concentrators and
asked if these students are self-selected.
DR. BISHOP replied that they have data on students who have
tried many different avenues, such as culinary arts and welding.
Once they find a desire in ninth or tenth grade and take
consecutive courses and build competencies, they are highly
successful. ASD is working on placing students in internships in
the community. Even in middle college it is total self-interest.
Their biggest challenge is sharing the many opportunities with
students. With the superintendents she is working with now, the
issue isn't necessarily the finances for CTE or college. It is
the ability to find people who can teach courses students are
interested in. Partnerships help provide more opportunities for
students. Middle college is not the answer to everyone. Whether
it is CTE partnerships or middle college or partnerships among
districts, it all starts with students and their interests.
SENATOR BEGICH said he would like to see the data about the
percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the middle
college.
DR. BISHOP said she would provide the data on the representation
of low socio-economic students.
SENATOR HUGHES said she wanted to recognize Kathy Moffitt
[Director, Administrative Projects, ASD] for her work in
starting middle colleges in Anchorage and Mat-Su. She asked what
the benchmark is for economically disadvantaged. She noticed 53
percentage of students in the ASD are economically
disadvantaged. She asked whether the ASD has data on the first
generation of students attending college.
CHAIR STEVENS echoed that he would also like that data.
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether the reporting requirements in the
bill would be burdensome and whether students are paying any
costs.
10:05:13 AM
DR. BISHOP said reporting the self-reported data on first
generation college students would not be difficult. The fees
depend on individual courses. One of the biggest issues for them
has been paying for textbooks. The university kept changing the
required books, which was expensive. They worked with the
university to narrow the textbook selection.
SENATOR HUGHES asked about the economically disadvantaged
criteria.
DR. BISHOP answered that it is mainly federal criteria as
determined by the free reduced lunch program. She suggested that
a DEED representative could answer the question.
CHAIR STEVENS noted that many states and universities are moving
to online textbooks, which are cheaper.
SENATOR BIRCH said the impact on their 48,000 students is one
half of one percent, a modest number of students. He asked for a
description how it works, such as do kids go to classes with
other students at a campus.
DR. BISHOP responded that if students want an experience of high
school on a college campus, they would enroll in Alaska Middle
College with one foot in high school for wrap around services.
Middle college is their school, located at the university
campus. Student can get a ride from their high schools because
the campus is next to King Tech. Most juniors or seniors ride
the city bus or have their own car. They can spend the day at
the university. They have a flexible schedule. They can only
enter courses if they are college ready as shown through a
variety of assessments.
DR. BISHOP said many of students earn between 35 and 45 credits;
some have earned 60 or more. The middle college is on campus,
but students can still take courses at their high schools.
SENATOR COSTELLO mentioned that DEED is looking at coding
opportunities. She asked if computer science counts as math
credit in the ASD.
DR. BISHOP responded that she will investigate that. She agreed
that it should if it doesn't. The Anchorage School Board is
looking into coding opportunities for all ASD students.
CHAIR STEVENS said each district will approach this differently.
[Superintendent] Larry LeDoux in Kodiak said that he believes
many classes will be at his high school, but some will be on the
college campus as well. He asked Dr. Bishop if some of her
qualified teachers teach college classes.
DR. BISHOP said there are several models. Their middle school
model is placed based, where students experience the power of
the place. About 75 percent of the students in the program stay
with the University of Alaska. Lots of high school teachers are
adjunct teachers for college courses at night. In some high
schools they offer college credit for a single course. This bill
will provide opportunities for districts to think about the
students they are servicing and how to best meet the needs of
those students. It will depend on resources, such as constraints
regarding bandwidth. Kodiak is doing an innovative program. Not
everything has to look the same.
10:19:23 AM
MONICA GOYETTE, Ph.D., Superintendent, Matanuska-Susitna Borough
School District, Palmer, Alaska, went over the overview of her
presentation.
• Historical Review of the Mat-Su Middle College School
(MSMCS)
• Program Design
• Student Outcomes
• SB30 Support and Language Revision Recommendations
DR. GOYETTE said MSMCS began with a partnership with the
University of Alaska. The original vision was to prioritize
first generation college students. The program has not reached
capacity so haven't had to prioritize those students, but they
would if they did reach capacity. Their original campus was in
Eagle River. Legislative funds allowed them to expand and
improve that campus.
DR. GOYETTE said they did transition to the Mat-Su College
Campus in 2018. At that time the ASD took over the Alaska Middle
College and they became the Mat-Su Middle College.
DR. GOYETTE said they started with 47 students in 2011 and now
enroll 177 students. The ethnicity of students at MSMSC match
the district enrollment except Alaska Natives are under-
enrolled. She believes that is mainly because they have the
ANSEP [Alaska Native Science & Engineering Program] Accelerated
High School, which is a form of middle college. Forty Alaska
Native students are in that program. MSMSC has two girls for
every male. Forty-four percent of Mat-Su students are eligible
for free and reduced lunch compared to 17 percent at the middle
college, so they need to do targeted outreach in those areas.
DR. GOYETTE said the MSMSC is very structured. They have a
dedicated high school counselor on site full time and partner
with college advisors. Since the college semester is 16 weeks
and the K-12 semester is 18 weeks, they use the first two weeks
to do orientation and to run students through a basic writing
course about expectations for scholarly writing at a college
level.
DR. GOYETTE said they do pay for all books. They track all
add/drop withdrawal dates. They have scaffolded support. The
first semester students have an assigned study hall, and they
track the students' grades. The MSMCS campus has three
portables. They pay energy and custodial costs of the portables
and pay for 3.5 Mat-Su district staff.
DR. GOYETTE said it is difficult for people to change their
mindsets that high school students are not ready for college.
They have a vetting process so students can demonstrate they are
ready for college. Universities can report up to 60 percent of
their freshman class dropping out, which means those students
probably have bad grades on their transcripts and debt. MSMCS
has a five percent drop out rate from one year to the next, so
95 percent of their students are essentially making it through
their freshman and sophomore years of college. To her, that is a
huge indicator of success.
DR. GOYETTE reviewed ACT data on slides 9 and 10. The English
and composite ACT scores for MSMCS juniors are higher than the
national, Alaska, and Mat-Su borough averages.
DR. GOYETTE displayed slide 11, which compared the 2017 per
student cost at Wasilla High, Colony High, and Mat-Su Middle
College. Wasilla High School and Mat-Su Middle College are very
similar in costs. Even in their community there is concern that
they are diverting funds from needier students. They think that
it is an excellent use of taxpayer dollars. It is a win-win to
help families with future college costs, which is incredibly
expensive.
DR. GOYETTE said they pay a flat fee for tuition. The bill would
support standardization of tuition. Tuition is $212 per credit
for lower level courses. Fees can be 12 to 15 percent of the
total cost of tuition. They provide transportation from high
schools to all the schools of choice. They pay for Chromebooks
because many texts are e-books. They pay the full cost of going
to college for their students.
10:34:20 AM
DR. GOYETTE stated that she supports the spirit of the bill. She
is excited that these opportunities could be available to more
students. Their district recommendation is to change "every
school district shall participate in the middle college program"
change to "may" participate because of district variables such
as access. Many distance courses are in the evening to
accommodate working adults, which means even less scaffolded
support for students. They have staff with college level
expertise. She concluded by noting that students must be
prepared for college to have success in middle college. It would
be a travesty to mass enroll students who were not prepared and
who would then internalize that as a failure and feel that
college was something not available to them.
CHAIR STEVENS apologized to witnesses who did not have a chance
to testify and expressed his desire to give them an opportunity
at a future hearing.
[SB 30 was held in committee.]