Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
02/12/2019 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 | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 30-COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
8:59:54 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SB 30. He said his
intent was to continue public testimony and hold the bill for
further review. He read from a National Conference of State
Legislatures' paper on dual enrollment, noting that it points
out some risks but also opportunities:
Proponents of dual enrollment view it as a way to increase
the academic quality and rigor of high school classes,
lower the need for postsecondary remediation, reduce the
high school dropout rate, reduce student costs of attending
postsecondary institutions, and prepare young people to
succeed in college.
9:01:24 AM
MELISSA HAFFEMAN, Principal, Kodiak Middle School, Kodiak Island
Borough School District, Kodiak, Alaska, said that Kodiak Island
Borough School District has been working for a year and a half
to develop a middle college program. The focus has been on
developing a pre-kindergarten through 12th grade approach which
aligns academic and career tech pathways while smoothing student
transitions from elementary to middle school and from middle
school to high school and from high school to college. She
offered her belief that the success of a middle college program
is built on the foundation of vocational and academic pathways,
which begin in middle school, when students are dreaming about
their futures. Kodiak Middle School has been working on three
key aspects of a middle college program.
MS. HAFFEMAN said the school have been putting plans in place to
facilitate the transition from elementary to middle school. A
main component has been the vertical alignment and scaffolding
of reading, writing, and mathematics from kindergarten to 12th
grade. The school is developing improved orientations at the end
of fifth grade, which showcase the pathway options available at
Kodiak Middle School. Secondly, KMS has been partnering with
teachers to create professional development that will create
smooth transition points and establish academic and vocational
pathways. Professional development is increasingly focused on
project-based, applied, and STEM instructional methods.
Elementary and middle school teachers have increased
opportunities for dialogue to elevate the district's
instructional effectiveness. Finally, Kodiak Middle School is
working with Kodiak High School on helping students transition
to the high school environment. A key aspect for smooth
transitions is exposure to career and technical pathways
available at Kodiak High School and Kodiak College.
MS. HAFFEMAN said that in the next academic year, Kodiak Middle
School is going to dramatically increase career tech
opportunities by working with high school teachers through an
alignment of schedules and use of the Kodiak High School shops.
The plan is to offer eighth graders welding, culinary arts,
construction, drafting, fisheries, business, digital media,
health occupations, and coding options. Dr. LeVan, the principal
of Kodiak High School, will speak more on this. She concluded
that SB 30 creates a formal structure for middle college
partnerships that will benefit all Kodiak students.
CHAIR STEVENS commented that she sees the importance of
preparing students, even in middle school, for this opportunity.
9:05:51 AM
MEL LEVAN, Ph.D., Principal, Kodiak High School, Kodiak Island
Borough School District, Kodiak, Alaska, said he was excited to
bring about change through collaboration with Kodiak Middle
School and Kodiak College. The ongoing initiative is to raise
the performance bar by vertical alignment of academic and
vocational programs from grade 6 through college and technical
school graduation. Kodiak High School initiated this bar raising
with a vocational partnership with Kodiak Middle School, the
continuous grade 6-12 dialogue among teachers, expanding
concurrent enrollment options with UAA, and creation of new
academic and vocational pathways with Kodiak College. These
transitions are natural because of KHS's longstanding
relationship with Kodiak College. After working for a year and a
half, the agreement is in the final stages. Along the way, they
recognized that the only barrier that held them to a traditional
school day was the momentum of past practice. He stressed the
importance of exploring other areas of academic and vocational
proficiency that students can achieve during evenings, weekends,
and summers. He stated support for SB 30 as it formalizes what
Kodiak has been doing informally for many years.
CHAIR STEVENS asked how the district ensures that students who
enter a middle college program are ready.
DR. LEVAN replied that KHS tests and assesses students now but
is aware that they need to do better job as they take the step
to encourage students to launch into college a year or two
early. He opined that it was helpful to hear the Anchorage and
Mat-Su middle colleges make the point that counseling is the
centerpiece to make sure students have a successful transition
from high school work to college work.
SENATOR BIRCH said the only pushback he has heard from school
districts is that this is an unfunded mandate. He asked if the
requirement makes a material difference to school districts.
DR. LEVAN answered that Kodiak has learned that this is the
right thing to do for students, but formalizing the agreement
puts people who have to do the lifting, such as himself, on task
to get it done. He said he can't speak for other districts but
Kodiak has the advantage of having one main high school, one
middle college, and one local college. He acknowledged that the
coordination to get the program started is complicated and
requires effort. The weight of a formal agreement is helpful in
that regard.
9:11:00 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO said the committee heard yesterday about
districts' concern that some kids might not be ready. She asked
the bill sponsor to comment on the flexibility that districts
have about who can participate in the proposed program.
9:11:28 AM
CHAIR STEVENS replied that it is crucial that districts have
flexibility because the last thing he wants to do is put a young
person in jeopardy of failure. The committee needs to hear from
districts about how they ensure that students will likely be
successful. Part of the process is to understand that districts
can do that.
9:12:11 AM
SENATOR BEGICH said Section 2 of the bill, lines 20-24, requires
the school district to pay the University of Alaska's resident
tuition for students. He asked Principal LeVan if Kodiak High
School is doing that.
DR. LEVAN said currently no.
SENATOR BEGICH asked if the students pay the tuition.
DR. LEVAN answered that students who currently go to Kodiak
College pay the tuition. However, there is a concurrent
enrollment program taught by Kodiak teachers at Kodiak High
School. Those students pay a nominal fee to get their credits.
SENATOR BEGICH pointed out that the bill would require school
district to pay the University of Alaska's tuition rate. He
asked if the school district could absorb that cost.
DR. LEVAN responded that it is a matter of scale. At some point
if the program grows large enough, it would be an issue. Mat-Su
and Anchorage testified that they are able to make do because
they offset the cost by not having a teacher provide that
education. He said it is an issue but would hate to see that get
in the way of moving forward with this concept. He said the
state has the one obligation to educate its students and
everyone has to work together to get it done.
SENATOR BEGICH said he wants to make sure that the bill does
what it intends to do while allowing access to all students. The
state needs innovative ways to get students learning.
CHAIR STEVENS pointed out that school districts may do this now
and it's an important distinction that this bill says "shall."
If districts want children to move forward and have the
opportunity to get college credit in high school, this is
probably the way to do it. He acknowledged that some school
districts have expressed concern that it will be too costly. He
said he is certainly willing to hear suggestions and perhaps the
commissioner of education could grant exemptions if there's a
good reason.
SENATOR BEGICH suggested the phrase "shall pay the student's
tuition" on [page 2], line 21, could be a "may" clause to give
flexibility to school districts to pay the tuition.
CHAIR STEVENS asked Kodiak Superintendent LeDoux to comment on
the costs and the idea that some have said the district savings
money by paying for college tuition instead of paying for normal
classes on their own campuses.
9:17:35 AM
LARRY LEDOUX, Ph.D., Superintendent, Kodiak Island Borough
School District, Kodiak, Alaska, said that the Kodiak middle
college is a critical component of a systemic initiative to
graduate students who are fully prepared and equipped to pursue
the vocation of their choice. The district has adjusted the
scale and scope of the middle college program to reflect its
size but has not compromised the vision pioneered by the Mat-Su
and Anchorage programs. The district has worked for years to
transition its youth into postsecondary programs. However,
transition programs have been insufficient to bridge the gaps
between programs that are out of phase with each other with
regard to academic expectations, philosophy, and personal
accountability.
DR. LEDOUX said while many of the district's students have
successfully transitioned from high school, too many are
academically and emotionally unprepared for college or tech
school. Students rarely give college or tech school a second
chance if they fail after their first try. A middle college
integrates both institutions into a seamless pathway. Everyone
benefits when a student's first experience is with an Alaska
college. There is no need to leave Alaska for postsecondary
education when a student can accumulate college credits and earn
a college degree or licensure while in high school. Last year a
Kodiak student graduated with a diploma and an associate degree.
He said continuous budget deficits are challenging the
district's best efforts to help every child achieve their full
potential, but tough times can catalyze new scales of
efficiency, innovation, and collaborative partnerships. The
formal partnership envisioned in SB 30 is a step forward in
eliminating the barriers that challenge a true K-12 system of
education. The agreement about to be signed with UAA provides a
stable foundation for a long-term partnership that is somewhat
hardened from the tough financial times everyone is facing.
DR. LEDOUX said the middle college in Kodiak is unique to the
district's circumstances and may not be financially or
logistically feasible in all districts. He expressed concern
about the language [on page 2, subsection (c)] that requires
school districts to pay all costs, including tuition, fees,
books, and transportation. He said it is unlikely that a small
school district would have enough students in a cohort to reduce
the need for a teacher, so every dollar spent on tuition and
fees would represent a new cost. This is frightening considering
the budget landscape. He said there should be time for
districts, universities, and communities to work out contracts
and perhaps there could be language that participating students
would not incur the full cost of tuition. He said he will not be
part of any middle college program that denies access if a
student cannot pay the cost. He noted that homeschool students
can use their allotment to pay for college courses. He noted
that SB 30 refers to students completing 10th grade but he
believes that access to the middle college should be based on
performance, not completion of a grade level.
CHAIR STEVENS asked for his thoughts on making sure students are
prepared.
DR. LEDOUX said the district is reviewing its entire K-12
program to ensure students have the skills to be successful in
college or tech school. Many currently are not. He said the
intent is to make sure all the transition points are well
connected, not just between high school and college. They start
with the expectations of universities or tech schools and work
backwards to make sure kids are ready.
CHAIR STEVENS read from the National Conference of State
Legislatures' paper on dual enrollment:
In Utah, the New Century Scholarship Program exemplifies a
statewide dual enrollment policy that distributes costs
among program partners, allowing students to participate
without incurring personal costs.
SENATOR HUGHES asked if the committee would have the opportunity
to ask the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
questions.
CHAIR STEVENS said there would be that opportunity and noted
that DEED's fiscal note is zero and the university fiscal note
is indeterminate.
9:26:13 AM
SENATOR HUGHES commented that the sponsor's intentions are very
noble because middle college is an excellent opportunity for
kids. Noting that students would be responsible for expenses
other than tuition, she said that could include housing for
rural students who come to urban campuses. She questioned
whether putting a formal structure for middle college in statute
makes the case for an adjustment in the school formula so that
rural district could pay the additional expense. If not, she
questioned whether there is a risk of a lawsuit about equity for
students. She cited an NCSL (National Conference of State
Legislatures) article that says dual enrollment terms describe a
variety of accelerated learning practices and questioned whether
the dual enrollment policy in Alaska doesn't already give
districts sufficient flexibility. She reiterated her concern
about the potential cost of outlining a formal structure in
state statute and asked DEED to respond.
CHAIR STEVENS replied that SB 30 seeks to add to existing
programs, not replace them.
SENATOR BEGICH suggested the committee review Superintendent
LeDoux's testimony when he mentioned a series of different ideas
when he discussed subsection (c).
CHAIR STEVENS said the committee will find out what is in state
statute about dual enrollment and will hear from DEED when
someone is available.
SENATOR BIRCH related his early construction experience was
building schools in rural areas as required by the Molly Hootch
Act, which mandated the state provide an equivalent level of
education statewide. He said Senator Hughes' concern is that the
state funds 100 percent of the cost of some rural schools and
with the "shall" provision, there will be an expectation that
the state will provide a middle college program statewide. He
said it is a valid issue and he looks forward to DEED's
comments.
CHAIR STEVENS found that a DEED representative was not available
and reiterated that the committee will get answers eventually.
9:32:38 AM
GENE STONE, Chief of Operations, Lower Yukon School District
(LYSD), Mountain Village, Alaska, said that by supporting SB 30
LYSD is demonstrating that it believes that students who meet
qualifying criteria can benefit substantially from early college
experience plus accumulate college credits toward an associate
degree. He related that as a participant in the design and
implementation of Mat-Su Middle College, he is familiar with the
benefits and cost structure of the program. He opined that using
K-12 dollars for dual-credit middle college is a smart
investment. He said the partnership between LYSD and the
Anchorage School District (ASD) students will facilitate a
middle college opportunity for LYSD students. Their students
will live in an LYSD residential facility in Anchorage and
attend Anchorage Middle College as LYSD students. He reported
that early research of middle college models found that "the
power of the place" is key to the success of a middle college.
Simply providing dual credit through Advanced Placement and
online courses does not provide a campus experience. The early
success of the Anchorage and Mat-Su middle colleges was a direct
result of students experiencing the power of the place,
experiencing college courses on a UAA campus.
MR. STONE said statewide participation should be encouraged, but
a statewide plan is needed to provide a residential component
for qualifying students. While LYSD has addressed the
residential component, further discussion is needed to
facilitate residential requirements for other districts to
satisfy the "shall" language.
SENATOR COSTELLO said she is encouraged by the innovation and
creativity that LYSD and ASD have shown in putting the program
together. She described it as a win-win situation; LYSD is using
some of the $24,000 it gets per student through the base student
allocation (BSA) formula to partner with ASD so students have
the opportunity to go to a larger community and perhaps take
classes at King Career Center, along with academic courses. She
asked for more financial details about the agreement.
MR. STONE clarified that the BSA is closer to $18,500 per
student. LYSD purchased three buildings to have a boys and a
girls residential facility and an administrative facility and
the district will purchase credits through Anchorage. At King
Tech, LYSC will purchase after normal school hour sessions that
are taught by ASD teachers.
SENATOR COSTELLO described it as a wonderful model to offer
career and technical opportunities that may not be accessible in
rural areas. She offered kudos for the innovation. This is
exactly the kind of partnerships that are needed in Alaska, she
said.
SENATOR HUGHES agreed with Senator Costello's comments. She
asked if LYSD was able to absorb the residential cost, including
the purchase of the buildings, using the BSA funding or if the
district was requesting a separate appropriation.
MR. STONE said LYSD is using statute to qualify for residential
funding. He noted that statute provides an opportunity for the
commissioner to authorize up to $1 million for the startup of
the residential facility. Using K-12 dollars to access middle
college would eliminate the need for some teachers in a
traditional high school structure. If LYSD brings 50 students in
every nine weeks, they will be able to reorganize FTE (full-time
equivalent) for staffing at the secondary level.
SENATOR HUGHES asked how much the statutory residential funding
would amount to.
MR. STONE answered that it will depend on the regional formula.
He said he wasn't sure of the amount but the Northwest Arctic
[Borough receives] $16,000 per student for the residential
component and some transportation. Grant funding also helped
facilitate transportation.
SENATOR HUGHES asked with 50 students in a cohort, how many
cohorts would LYSD do per year.
MR. STONE answered four cohorts, including a summer cohort.
SENATOR BEGICH commented on the potential fiscal impact of the
residential school bill that expanded the capacity of DEED to
approve regional residential schools. He said he brought that up
to caution against establishing DEED approved residential
schools that result in a massive fiscal note for the department.
He suggested the committee look at the model that was described
to ensure the bill does not raise questions about equity and
cause every district in the state to demand a residential
school. That is not the intent. Rather, the intent is to offer a
new option to students to help move them to success and
hopefully lower the cost for school districts.
CHAIR STEVENS announced that Paul Prussing from the Department
of Education was available to answer questions.
SENATOR HUGHES asked if there is a dual enrollment policy in
statute.
9:46:12 AM
PAUL PRUSSING, Acting Program Coordinator, Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska,
responded not that he was aware of.
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether formalizing the middle college
structure in statute sets up a case for adjusting the funding
formula to allow rural school districts to offer middle college.
The costs for those rural districts might involve transporting
students to urban areas and housing them, even if participation
is permissive rather than mandatory. She asked if the state
would be obligated to cover those costs and even if the answer
is no, if there could be a question of equity.
MR. PRUSSING replied that he didn't know how districts were
funding programs now. His understanding of middle college
programs is that the school districts would pay tuition and
associated costs through the existing ADM [average daily
membership] for each student. He said he believes that districts
could leverage their existing funds to offer middle college
courses, but he didn't know for sure.
SENATOR HUGHES said Mr. Stone testified that LKSD is looking at
the residential statutes to possibly get $16,000 per student for
200 students a year plus the startup funds for the residential
component. She asked if he could calculate the additional cost
if other rural districts duplicated that model of using the
residential statutes.
MR. PRUSSING responded that he would need to ask School Finance
to run those calculations.
CHAIR STEVENS said he heard differently and would suggest the
committee asked Mr. Stone to clarify the costs. [Mr. Stone was
no longer available.]
9:53:12 AM
DR. LISA SKILES PARADY, Ph.D., Executive Director, Alaska
Council of School Administrators (ACSA), Juneau, Alaska, said
her members support choice and increased opportunity for
students. She opined that if the requirement language was
removed, everyone would be on the same page. She said it is
cause for celebration that school districts are creating great
opportunities for students without a mandate. She noted that
[ASD Superintendent] Dr. Bishop said middle college may not be
for every student or every district; [Mat-Su School District
Superintendent] Dr. Goyette said about eight percent of her
students attend middle college and recommended changing the
language from "shall" to "may;" Dr. LeDoux said the model may
not fit for every district, but it fits for them; and Mr. Stone
said the LYSD concept of the residential opportunity in
Anchorage is working for their students but it may not be right
for every district.
DR. PARADY said ACSA wants to support this model, but not as a
requirement for every district. She noted that [Executive
Director of Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education] Ms.
Butler testified about the numerous districts working on bridges
and transitions across the state. She informed the committee
that a coalition of all Southeast Alaska districts, minus two,
is working with Sealaska, the University of Alaska Southeast
(UAS) College of Education, and ANSEP (Alaska Native Science and
Engineering Program) to build a middle college hybrid for
Southeast Alaska students. The scale is not the same as
Anchorage, Mat-Su, or Kodiak, but they are trying to do their
own middle college program. They are meeting regularly to figure
out funding sources and how to make it work for their kids with
the UAS campus as a hub. She emphasized that so much is
happening that a mandate is not necessary. She reiterated the
recommendation to change "shall" to "may" if the bill goes
forward.
DR. PARADY said Senator Hughes raised important considerations
about housing. Senator Birch mentioned virtual education and
that raises the question about whether districts that do not
have a campus have adequate bandwidth to offer virtual
education. That is an equity issue. She said she is confident
that all districts are looking at how to best serve their
students. She opined that everyone in education today thinks
about that. The job of school boards at the local level is to
work with school districts to best meet those needs.
DR. PARADY said that a requirement to do more with less may not
be the right step for public education at this point. She
thanked Senator Stevens and the committee for their constant
attention on how to improve education. She expressed hope that
her comments be taken as supportive of the concept of how to
increase opportunities for students in Alaska. She said her
final comment is that the fiscal note did not account for an
analysis of the districts. The zero note from the department and
indeterminant note from the university and says nothing about
the cost at the local level. ACSA does not see it that way and
believes that analysis is needed.
CHAIR STEVENS responded that it is a good point about the fiscal
note. He said he would like to hear more about the Southeast
hybrid model.
DR. PARADY said she would share the contact information after
the meeting.
SENATOR HUGHES asked if she was familiar with the dual
enrollment policies that other states have in statute and
whether ACSA could recommend any of those policies.
DR. PARADY answered that she would work with her members and
follow up with that information.
10:03:11 AM
SENATOR BEGICH recalled that that when there was a community
college system statewide, he was able to take both a high school
and college course at ACC when he was 16 and receive credit for
both. The dual authority existed in the community college
structure under AS 14.45.70. He asked if that authority might be
presupposed to exist between the university system, in Anchorage
in particular, and school districts.
SENATOR BEGICH said he believes the first "shall" clause is a
protection of equity so every student has the opportunity to use
the middle college concept. It is the second "shall" clause that
drives the cost. He asked Dr. Parady to consider that there is a
place to still provide every student the opportunity to access
middle college programs.
SENATOR BEGICH noted that since the legislature is the school
board for the unorganized borough, that cost should be reflected
in the fiscal notes. Regional Attendance Areas (REAA) may not
appear to be under the legislature's jurisdiction, but they are.
He encourage DEED to report on the impacts for REAAs. The
districts in organized boroughs should report those costs or
cost savings.
CHAIR STEVENS said that it is a good reminder that the
legislature is the school board for the unorganized borough.
DR. PARADY said she completely supports knowing the full cost,
especially for the unorganized borough. She clarified that ACSA
members support the middle college model if it didn't add a
financial burden and was equitable. She pointed out that another
option is for the University of Alaska to waive those costs. She
said there are a lot of ways to look at this before moving
forward. with an additional requirement.
CHAIR STEVENS said the university is supportive of this program
but whether they would pick up costs is another question.
10:08:15 AM
JACKIE BOYER, representing self, Juneau, Alaska, said she
graduated from Alaska Middle College in 2014 with a high school
diploma and an associate degree as part of the first two-year
graduating cohort. Because of her education, she immediately
started working for a nonprofit called First Alaskans. The
following January she was an intern for the Alaska Legislature.
She thought she still held the title of youngest intern as she
had just turned 19 at the time. She worked full time and
finished her bachelor's degree early while raising two of her
siblings. She is starting her fifth year of work and has to
remind herself that she is under 23. Hard work and coffee and
middle college made her life possible. She didn't have a lot of
support in high school, but her initiative and ability to attend
middle college and jump start her education and career had a
domino effect. She has had so many opportunities she wouldn't
have had. The program is not just data and statistics. It is
individual stories of success.
CHAIR STEVENS noted that she got two years of college in high
school.
SENATOR HUGHES asked how she heard of the program.
MS. BOYER said she was planning to homeschool and work and when
she heard of the Mat-Su middle college, she thought why not.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if there was any possibility of reduced
university tuition for dual credit programs.
10:13:00 AM
TERI COTHREN, Project Manager, Workforce Programs, University of
Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, replied that the university submitted
an indeterminate fiscal note for SB 30. She offered to
investigate that further as the bill progresses.
SENATOR BEGICH asked whether the university currently provides
dual credit through agreements.
MS. COTHREN said the university has several models of supplying
dual credits.
SENATOR BEGICH pointed out that it is allowed in practice
whether or not it is in statute.
SENATOR BIRCH asked if high school students in Fairbanks have
the ability to attend classes at the university.
MS. COTHREN responded that high school students have several
opportunities and options to receive dual credit at the
university campus in Fairbanks. A robust career and technical
educational program has been in place for many years.
SENATOR HUGHES said that she understood that when a university
works on a partnership agreement, high school students get high
school and college credit. She asked whether a student not in a
formal agreement who decided to take a math class would
automatically get high school credit. She questioned whether
other states had put that into state statute.
MS. COTHREN deferred the question to Dr. Parady or the
department.
DR. PARADY answered there are some differences across the state
regarding dual credit. University of Alaska President Jim
Johnsen has formed a task force on that question in order to
have alignment and consistency across the state. It is an issue
UA is working on.
CHAIR STEVENS noted the concerns about setting students up for
failure by taking college classes they are not prepared for. He
asked if they have any records of dropout rates.
MS. COTHREN replied that UA was in the process of completing a
paper through UAA's Center for Education Policy Research on dual
credit outcomes. More information would be available this
spring.
10:21:10 AM
CHAIR STEVENS opened public testimony.
10:21:28 AM
BRIDGET WEISS, Ph.D., Superintendent, Juneau School District,
Juneau, Alaska, said school districts are doing some incredible
things across state with dual credit. The Southeast
collaboration is about preparing students to access dual college
credit programs early so that they can ensure a larger body of
students are academically and socially ready for that step.
ANSEP is looking at how to initiate the program with UAS and
Southeast communities, using Southeast resources.
DR. WEISS said last week she was in Senate Finance listening to
the proposed supplemental budget education cut of $20 million
for the current fiscal year and then heard the discussion of SB
30. As the person responsible for meeting the needs in the
district, it was disheartening. She completely applauded the
dual credit options that the committee has heard of. Last year
184 Juneau School District students received dual credit.
However, the unknowns of the fiscal impact of bill were
unnerving as all districts are facing unprecedented financial
decisions.
CHAIR STEVENS asked if the program included the Ketchikan and
Sitka campuses, as well as Juneau.
DR. WEISS answered yes, and they partner with UAS. She asked the
committee to explore the subsidized tuition piece.
SENATOR COSTELLO said that she used to teach in the Juneau
School District after graduating from the UAS Master of Arts in
Teaching program. She said she is encouraged by all the
opportunities for students and feels strongly that every student
deserves the education they are ready for. She suggested a
mandate might not be the way to go, but districts sharing with
each other about what they are doing would be good. She didn't
want the governor's proposed budget to mean that this type of
effort stops. She stated support for career and technical
education (CTE) and dual credit and getting students real world
skills.
DR. WEISS said that one of the biggest challenges is meeting the
needs of the continuum of students and dual credit plays a
critical part on how to serve one end of the continuum. CTE is
another. The graduation rate for students who take two or more
CTE courses is 93 percent. She pointed out that those CTE
programs become most vulnerable with fiscal challenges.
10:29:01 AM
SCOTT MACMANUS, Superintendent, Alaska Gateway School District,
Tok, Alaska, said Alaska Gateway is a small district with 380
kids. They must make size an advantage and personalize
instruction. Hundreds of students have received dual credit
since they started offering it in 2003. The district learned
that kids and families have to have skin in the game in order to
be successful. When the program started, 25 percent of students
didn't pass their classes. The district wasn't providing the
tutoring and counseling support that it does now, but also, when
the district was paying all fees, kids didn't finish. When kids
had to pay, the success rate jumped to 95 percent.
10:32:26 AM
PATRICK MAYER, Superintendent, Yakutat School District, Yakutat,
Alaska, said SB 30 represents increased opportunities for
students through the establishment of a middle college program.
Many districts offer dual credit, but through many different
models. In a perfect world, the tenants of SB 30 would be ideal
and all districts would have the same platform and resources.
The reality is that Alaska is diverse. Some districts with less
monetary resources focus on a cadre of small programs done well.
Yakutat operates on the thinnest of margins and couldn't afford
SB 30. When they pay for dual credit classes up front, students
don't seem to have the motivation to complete them, but
completion rates increase when students pay. Yakutat does not
have a local campus, and poor connectivity prevents multiple
students from participating in distance delivery classes
simultaneously. He said this is an unfunded mandate. Dual credit
options are a local control issue. He urged the committee to
substitute "may" for "shall" in SB 30.
CHAIR STEVENS said he appreciated his comments. He didn't want
to make life more difficult but to improve things.
10:36:14 AM
CHRIS REITAN, Superintendent, Craig City School District, Craig,
Alaska, said he is in full support of SB 30 in theory because
its intent is to expand curriculum options and ease transitions
from high school to university. He recommended changing "shall"
to "may." He said this model works very well for school
districts directly connected to a local university. Lower Yukon
School District has a great plan, but not all school districts
can buy a facility to offer access. Craig and Galena, where he
was superintendent for seven years, are looking at expanding
dual credit with tech prep agreements with the university where
they can house the classes and have a local instructor. He
emphasized the need to attach the program to the local needs and
economy. He noted there are many questions are about whether
this would require a change to the BSA. He said LYSD is looking
at AS 14.16.200, which is state funding for districts operating
residential schools. That would be the vehicle of funding if
districts have the wherewithal to have a residential facility.
He recommended the committee look at that funding because it is
broken down by region.
SENATOR COSTELLO asked if students who are pursuing dual credit
are in the classroom and participating when achievement tests
are administered.
MR. REITAN replied that achievement tests are specific to
reading, writing, and math and the dual credit programs at Craig
and Galena are through CTE fields, such as welding, aviation,
and carpentry.
10:42:23 AM
DAVID NEESE, representing self, Anchorage, Alaska, described SB
30 as a nice attempt to expand education opportunities in
Alaska. He suggested that the "shall" provision should apply to
unorganized parts of the state where the legislature sits as the
school board and the "may" language should apply to organized
boroughs. He also observed that the bill limits the program to
University of Alaska campuses, so dual credit through
correspondence will need to be considered.
10:45:51 AM
STEWART MCDONALD, Superintendent, North Slope Borough School
District, Utqiagvik, Alaska, said the dual credit program has
been around since Alaska had community colleges, but it isn't an
organized effort. The first inconsistency is that school board
graduation requirements limit the kind of credit that can be
given. A student who has completed a full semester of a college
course may only receive a half credit toward their high school
graduation requirements. He said he understands that the
university is trying to resolve those inconsistencies but it
cannot change school board policy.
MR. MCDONALD pointed out that dual credit is not an organized
degree-seeking program so students cannot officially work on a
degree until they receive their high school diploma. He also
pointed out the need to work out the funding mechanisms for when
the university supplies the teacher versus when the public
school system provides the teacher, all of which can affect the
cost to the districts. Technical assistance also needs to be
provided to all 53 school districts throughout the state because
not everybody is at the same level. He said this can help
everyone get focused and resolve issues rather than letting
everybody discover the pitfalls.
MR. MCDONALD said that under the current dual credit system,
students seeking professional certifications will take countless
CTE dual credit courses that do not in the long run support a
degree. The credits are not transferable because they are not
inside the structure of a degree. He said the key here is the
"shall" and "may" discussion. The mechanism of mandated payment
needs to ensure the technical work and fiscal plan is sound and
doable at scalable levels. Especially for single site districts
like Yakutat. He said he applauds the effort represented in SB
30 completely and strongly urges that the funding mechanism is
part of the mandate. He said we need to pull together and sort
out these details.
CHAIR STEVENS said he appreciates the comments.
10:52:22 AM
JEFF DEETER, School Board Member, Alaska Gateway School
District, Tok, Alaska, recounted how dual credit benefitted both
himself when he was in high school in the Alaska Gateway School
District and his children. He said he ran for the school board
because of the discrepancy between the rigor of core UA classes
and what was available in Dot Lake. The school board recently
worked to make that transfer between high school and the
university more on par. He said he is pleased with the
discussion and eager to see the bill move forward but the
"shall" or "may" in today's fiscal climate is a concern. Another
concern is that the university should make the decision about a
ninth grader who has demonstrated proficiency.
SENATOR COSTELLO commented on the value of his testimony.
10:58:54 AM
KATHY MOFFITT, Director, Administrative Projects, Anchorage
School District, Anchorage, Alaska, said SB 30 supports choice
and opportunity for students who meet criteria to enroll in
college courses. She shared that she was instrumental in
bringing middle college programs to Mat-Su and the Anchorage
School District. She has seen first-hand the benefits to
students and their families. She said SB 30 has parameters but
allows flexibility for each unique district. She said she knows
the implementation processes will need refinement. She offered
her belief that the state has the resources to support and work
through hurdles or roadblocks. She said she supports the word
"shall" because it will require school districts to consider how
to move beyond the K-12 curriculum. She added that she does
believe there must be an opt-out plan, which could be a report
on a why a district could not offer the program.
SENATOR HUGHES asked if she believes that the current funding
school districts statewide receive would be adequate for all
districts to implement a middle college model.
MS. MOFFITT answered that it is hard to predict what hurdles and
roadblocks there might be. Districts may implement dual credit
programs through correspondence, one course, or CTE. She said
she interprets the bill as telling districts "you shall look
into it," but there must be an opt out.
SENATOR HUGHES said it is important for us to understand if some
districts aren't allowing that college credit to count maybe
that districts have crosswalks so students know that if they
take a certain math class that it will count for high school
credit. Noting that David Neese testified that correspondence
coursework met the Moore vs. State of Alaska decision, she said
it is important to hear from DEED about whether distance,
virtual coursework would meet the equity requirement or if it
must be a live, on-campus experience.
11:07:07 AM
CHAIR STEVENS concurred that it is important to know. He held SB
30 in committee.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| SB030_MiddleColleges_BillText_VersionU.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_SponsorStatement_29Jan2019.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_Sectional_VersionU.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_FiscalNote01_UnivAK_29Jan2019.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_FiscalNote02_DEED_28Jan2019.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_Research_DualEnroll NCSL March 2008.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_Research_SeattleTimes_March2018.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_Research_OregonRunningStart_Feb2016.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_Letters_AASB_NormWooten_13Nov2018.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |
| SB030_MiddleColleges_Letters_AKGateway_MacManus_28Jan2019.pdf |
SEDC 2/12/2019 9:00:00 AM |
SB 30 |