Legislature(2019 - 2020)BUTROVICH 205
02/13/2020 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB6 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 6 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 169 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
SB 6-PRE-K/ELEM ED PROGRAMS/FUNDING; READING
9:02:59 AM
CHAIR STEVENS announced the consideration of SPONSOR SUBSTITUTE
FOR SENATE BILL NO. 6, "An Act relating to early education
programs provided by school districts; relating to funding for
early education programs; relating to the duties of the
Department of Education and Early Development; establishing a
reading intervention program for public school students enrolled
in grades kindergarten through three; establishing a literacy
program in the Department of Education and Early Development;
and providing for an effective date."
He stated his desire to move the bill from committee and asked
the sponsor, Senator Begich, to comment.
9:03:27 AM
SENATOR BEGICH stated that SB 6 has emerged from its original
inception as a voluntary, universal pre-K bill to the Alaska
Reads Act. One of the key components of its evolution has been
the ongoing partnership with the governor and the commissioner.
Over the last six hearings, a number of provisions have been
added. He has an agreement with the governor that the only
amendments he would support in the committee substitute would be
the amendments supported by himself and the governor. There is
at least one amendment today that he, the governor, and the
commissioner are in agreement with.
SENATOR BEGICH said the committee is trying to move a bill that
both moves education policy forward but also has a chance of
becoming law. He said he is looking forward to a robust
discussion of any amendments, but he will express opposition to
amendments that he and the governor did not agree to. He asked
the committee to respect that arrangement. He said his staff
will speak to the committee substitute, which has 34 different
changes.
CHAIR STEVENS solicited a motion to adopt the committee
substitute (CS) for SSSB 6.
9:06:41 AM
SENATOR HUGHES moved to adopt the CS for SSSB 6, work order 31-
LS0159\G, as the working document.
9:06:51 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion and asked Mr.
Lamkin to present the sectional.
9:06:55 AM
TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State
Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, delivered the following sectional
for CSSSSB 6, version G:
Sec. 1: Assigns a title to the act as the Alaska Reads
Act.
Sec. 2: AS 14.03.060(e) Is amended to recognize the
inclusion of early education programs as being part of
an elementary school, specifically head start
programs, at the approval of the Department of
Education and Early Development (DEED).
Sec. 3: AS 14.03.072(a) is amended to include a
requirement for school districts to inform parents
specifically of reading intervention services that are
offered.
Sec. 4: AS 14.03.078(a), relating to school districts'
requirement to provide annual progress reports to
DEED, is amended to include data for K-3 students
involved in the AK Reads Act as described below in
Section 7, as well as including data relating to:
(8) how districts are using their in-service days for
professional development; and
(9) the use and efficacy of the Parents as Teachers
program as described in Section 8, below.
Sec. 5: AS 14.03.080(d), relating to minimum school
age, sets June 1 as the new date by which a student
must be age 5 in order to enter kindergarten the
following Fall term. This subsection also allows for a
waiver for a child to enter kindergarten earlier than
age 5 if they pass an approved exam.
Sec. 6: AS 14.03.080(g) is a new subsection
establishing that a four or five-year-old, who has not
attended kindergarten, is eligible to attend a public
Pre-K program.
9:09:50 AM
Sec. 7: AS 14.03.120(h) is added to establishes annual
reporting requirements for school districts regarding
student performance metrics in grades K-3. This
includes data for the number 2 and percentage of
students in K-3 who are proficient at grade level
reading and are retained from advancing to their next
grade level for cause.
Sec. 8: AS.03.410 is created to codify a state Pre-K
program, providing a stair-step, three-year grant
program to provide training and assistance to low-
performing school districts in developing their local
Pre-K program. Over six fiscal years, all school
districts are offered the opportunity to participate.
14.03.420 codifies the Parents as Teachers (PAT)
program as a program of the state within DEED and
specifies criteria for PAT to demonstrate its efficacy
in supporting school districts with Pre-K education.
Sec. 9: 14.07.020(a), relating to the duties of DEED,
is amended to add its general supervision over Pre-K
programs in the state. This section also adds the DEED
duty of (18) establishing a state reading and reading
intervention program as described in Section 18,
below.
Sec. 9: 14.07.020(a), relating to the duties of DEED,
is amended to add its general supervision over Pre-K
programs in the state. This section also adds the DEED
duty of (18) establishing a state reading and reading
intervention program as described in Section 18,
below.
Sec. 10: AS 14.07.020(c), relating to the definition
of "early education program" to mean an educational
program for children ages 3 to 5. The 3-year-old
students are not included in the program this bill
proposes but are included in the statute to ensure
they are not excluded from existing State and Federal
programs.
9:12:13 AM
Sec. 11: AS 14.07.050, relating to locally-decided
selection of textbooks, allows DEED to make textbook
selections for reading material related to reading
intervention programs described in Section 18, below.
Sec. 12: AS 14.07.165(a), relating to the duties of
the state board of education and early development
(Board), adds to those duties a requirement to
establish regulations for PreK standards, and Pre-K
teacher certification requirements.
Sec. 13: AS 14.17.500, relating to calculating a
school district's average daily membership (ADM) for
budgeting purposes, adds (d) to specify a Pre-K
student is counted as a half-time student.
Sec. 14: AS 14.17.905(a), relating to counting the
number of schools in a district, is amended to include
Pre-K students as being part of an elementary school,
and provides for an exception as described in Section
15, below.
9:13:26 AM
Sec. 15: AS 14.17.905, relating to counting the number
of schools in a district, adds (d) to avoid letting
school districts count Pre-K students twice in
Foundation Formula ADM calculations. In other words,
Foundation funding would only be provided to those
districts that are not already being funded by another
state or federal Pre-K program.
Sec. 16: AS 14.20.015(c), relating to teaching
certificate reciprocity for teachers moving to Alaska
from out-of-state, adds that such teachers must
complete additional reading instruction training in
order to be eligible for an Alaska teaching
endorsement in elementary education.
Sec. 17: AS 14.20.020, relating to general issuance of
teacher certificates, adds (l), that all teachers must
complete additional reading instruction training in
order to be eligible for an endorsement in elementary
education.
9:14:36 AM
MR. LAMKIN advised that Section 18 is a major part of the bill.
He stressed that the section states a student "can" be retained.
He said a significant amount of legal language is in this
section to carefully navigate if, when, and how a student might
be retained for a second third grade year rather than advancing
to fourth grade.
Sec. 18: AS 14.30 is amended to add Article 15, creating a
Statewide Reading Intervention Program.
AS 14.30.760 Directs DEED to establish a statewide reading
assessment and screening tool to identify students with
reading deficiencies; assist teachers in monitoring student
progress in reading proficiency, and provide training to
teachers in reading intervention tools.
AS 14.30.765 District Reading Intervention Services must be
offered by districts for K-3 students exhibiting a reading
deficiency, and be implemented in a manner to include a
high amount of communication between teachers, parents,
administrators and the student. Considerable detailed
attention is given under this section for instances when a
student failing to progress toward reading proficiency can
result in being withheld from advancing to the next grade
level.
AS 14.30.770 Directs DEED to establish a statewide reading
program, specifically to assist school districts in a
variety of ways to affect the reading intervention services
described in AS 14.30.665, above. DEED shall employ and
deploy reading specialists to districts, in addition to
making complementary tools and resources to districts in
addressing student reading proficiency.
AS 14.30.775 aligns use of the word "district" in this Act
with the definitions given elsewhere in statute when
referring to a school district.
9:17:08 AM
Sec. 19: AS 47.17.290(12), relating to the Dept. of Health
and Social Services (HSS), child protection, includes
"early education"(Pre-K) program staff as an "organization"
required to report any sign of child abuse or neglect.
Sec. 20: AS 14.03.410, relating to the Pre-K grant program
described in Section 8 above, once all school districts
have had the opportunity to participate, is repealed July
1, 2031.
Sec. 21: Is transition language, directing DEED to use
2018-19 school accountability rankings for purposes of
determining the first cohort of lowest performing schools,
to identify their Pre-K grant eligibility for FY 21.
Sec. 22: Sets an effective date of July 1, 2020.
9:18:13 AM
CHAIR STEVENS noted that Senator Hughes has three amendments and
Senator Costello has two. He called on Senator Hughes to move
the first amendment.
9:18:55 AM
SENATOR HUGHES moved to adopt Amendment 1, G.1:
31-LS0159\G.1
Caouette
2/12/20
AMENDMENT 1
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR HUGHES
TO: CSSSSB 6 (EDC), Draft Version "G"
Page 4, line 1, following "students":
Insert "and teaching staff"
9:19:03 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion.
SENATOR HUGHES explained that the amendment asks districts to
not only report the number of students per classroom, but also
the teaching staff to get a sense of the ratio. She noted that
the committee heard that Florida has small class sizes, and it
will be challenging for K-3 teachers who have large classrooms.
The committee needs to consider that and gather data to make
policy decisions down the road. The districts also might choose
to make policy decisions based on the information.
SENATOR BEGICH said his staff discussed this with the
department. It was just an oversight that this was not included
in the bill and he supports the addition.
9:20:28 AM
CHAIR STEVENS removed his objection and finding no further
objection, Amendment 1 was adopted.
He called on Senator Hughes to move the next amendment.
9:20:41 AM
SENATOR HUGHES made a motion to adopt Amendment 2, G.2:
31-LS0159\G.2
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2/12/20
AMENDMENT 2
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR HUGHES
TO: CSSSSB 6 (EDC), Draft Version "G"
Page 1, following line 11:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 2. The uncodified law of the State of
Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read:
LEGISLATIVE INTENT. It is the intent of the
legislature that each school district consider
prioritizing funding to reduce student-to-teaching-
staff ratios for grades kindergarten through three."
9:20:45 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion.
SENATOR HUGHES said she would withdraw the amendment after some
discussion, unless members would like to include it. She
acknowledged that intent language does not carry the weight of
law, but it can have value. The intent language would read that
each school district should consider prioritizing funding to
reduce student-to-teaching staff ratios for grades kindergarten
through three. Intent language does not mandate that districts
do that, but districts should have that conversation.
9:22:16 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO expressed appreciation that the amendment will
be withdrawn. She said she is aware that research indicates that
there is a most effective class size and she hopes that
districts will adjust class sizes to ones that are optimal for
students as the address many other issues. She said local
control is important and the legislature needs to impose
mandates thoughtfully.
SENATOR BEGICH added that everyone supports the idea of smaller
class size and he supports the intention of the amendment.
However, he and the commissioner agreed that SB 6 would not have
intent language. At least it has been put on the record, he
said.
9:25:01 AM
SENATOR HUGHES expressed hope that districts will prioritize
funding to create smaller class sizes and increase the chance of
success for those students and teachers. She said the amendment
was in response to concerns she heard from a number of teachers
across the state.
SENATOR HUGHES withdrew Amendment 2, G.2.
9:25:33 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Hughes to move the next amendment.
9:25:38 AM
SENATOR HUGHES moved to adopt Amendment 3, G.6.
31-LS0159\G.6
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2/12/20
AMENDMENT 3
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR HUGHES
TO: CSSSSB 6 (EDC), DRAFT VERSION "G"
Page 24, following line 2:
Insert new bill sections to read:
"* Sec. 19. AS 14.30.765(c), enacted by sec. 18 of
this Act, is amended to read:
(c) If at any time during the school year a
student in grades kindergarten through three
demonstrates a reading deficiency, the district or
school shall notify the student's parents or guardians
in writing or during a conference. The district or
school shall provide the student's parents or
guardians with updates on the student's progress every
two weeks after the initial notification. The initial
notification must
(1) be provided to the student's parents or
guardians not later than 15 days after identification
of the reading deficiency;
(2) state that the district identified the
student as having a reading deficiency and that a
reading improvement plan will be developed under (b)
of this section;
(3) describe current services that the
district is providing to the student;
(4) describe the proposed evidence-based
reading intervention and supplemental instructional
services and supports that the district will provide
to the student to improve the identified area of
reading deficiency;
(5) explain that the district or school
will inform the parents or guardians in writing of the
student's progress toward grade level reading at least
every two weeks;
(6) identify strategies for the parents or
guardians to use at home to help the student succeed
in reading;
(7) explain that if the student has a
reading deficiency at the end of the school year,
unless the student receives an exemption under (g) of
this section or has previously been retained in
kindergarten, grade one, grade two, or grade three,
the student may be prevented from progressing to the
next grade level under (d) of this section; and
(8) explain that a student in grade three
must [SHOULD] demonstrate sufficient reading skills to
progress to grade four under (e) of this section,
unless the student receives an exemption under (g) of
this section or has previously been retained in
kindergarten, grade one, grade two, or grade three.
* Sec. 20. AS 14.30.765(e), enacted by sec. 18 of
this Act, is amended to read:
(e) A student in grade three must [SHOULD]
demonstrate sufficient reading skills to progress to
grade four. A student demonstrates sufficient reading
skills for progression by
(1) scoring at a proficient or higher
achievement level on the statewide screening or
assessment tool or on the statewide summative
assessment;
(2) achieving an acceptable score on an
alternative standardized reading screening or
assessment as determined and approved by the
department; or
(3) demonstrating mastery of reading
standards through a student reading portfolio based on
criteria established by the department."
Renumber the following bill sections accordingly.
Page 24, following line 15:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 24. Sections 19 and 20 of this Act take
effect July 1, 2024."
Renumber the following bill section accordingly.
Page 24, line 16:
Delete "This"
Insert "Except as provided in sec. 24 of this
Act, this"
9:25:44 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion.
SENATOR HUGHES stated while she appreciates Senator Begich's
fervor, passion, and dedication to education, and the
commissioner's too, legislators are the policy makers. He may
have agreements with the governor and commissioner, but
legislators have the opportunity during this process to make
decisions about policy. She said she knows that there has been a
concern that this amendment might derail the bill. She does not
share that concern. Data and information show that this is the
best route and she is putting forward this amendment because she
thinks it will give students and teachers the greatest chance of
success. As the committee has heard, Alaska's children are not
different from others in the nation. It is not that their
teachers are not as good as other teachers in the nation. It's
that the system is broken and Amendment 3, G.6, is an attempt to
fix it.
SENATOR HUGHES explained that the amendment allows the bill to
move forward for three years. She acknowledged that she is
grateful that the committee substitute allows the recognition
program she suggested. That recognition program is to motivate
school districts and teachers to bring their students to the
level of reading proficiency prescribed in the bill. Three years
allows time for districts and the department to get up to speed
with resources, professional development, slightly different
curriculum, and new activities using science-based methods.
After the three year transition period, students must achieve a
certain level of proficiency for promotion to fourth grade. The
committee viewed a map during an earlier hearing of states
colored dark blue that indicated good comprehensive reading
policies. That map did not represent states with the best
results; the map only represented states with comprehensive
policies. She has updated the map with red dots showing states
with good comprehensive policies and excellent results. She
asked for and received permission to distribute copies of the
map.
SENATOR HUGHES pointed out that the map on the third page had 10
states with red dots. These states all have strong promotion
policies. The chart on the top page addresses Senator Begich's
concern about the need to know the starting point when looking
at achievement data. For example, a state that already has high
scores may not experience much growth. This chart is an attempt
to be more transparent. It reflects scores over a 16-year period
for the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) for
fourth graders eligible for free or reduced lunch. Those are
students who come from homes struggling with poverty who often
get left behind. The national average gain was 2.5 points. In a
six-year period, the chart shows that Mississippi shot up to
number three from 43rd out of 50 states with a gain of almost 18
points. That 18 points is significant because that is how much
Alaska needs to climb to get to the U.S. national average.
9:33:14 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said score growth is six times higher for states
with strong promotion policies compared to states with weak
promotion policies for fourth graders eligible for free or
reduced lunch. The jurisdiction with a strong promotion policy
with the largest growth was Washington, D.C., with an increase
of 21 points from 2003-2019. The highest growth for a state with
a weak promotion policy was only 6.2 points for New Mexico.
States with a weak retention policy saw an average growth of
1.5, which is below the national average of 2.5. Seven of nine
states with strong promotion policies improved faster than the
national average.
SENATOR HUGHES said that people have referenced research that
shows retention is bad. She would say that is true if something
like this bill is not put in place. If a retained student just
repeats a grade and nothing is done differently, that student
will continue to struggle. Research that takes into account what
the legislators are doing with this bill is different. The
research is not unequivocally stating that retention is bad. A
2017 study by Harvard University, Boston University, and the
University of Konstanz in Germany looked at what happens with
intervention strategies for a child who is not proficient and
repeats third grade. It involves more contact hours focused on
accelerating that child so that child does achieve.
SENATOR HUGHES reminded everyone that the bill has exemptions
for certain things, so it only addresses kids who could become
proficient. When there is a strong promotion policy, it is a
game changer. Data that states retention does not work does not
apply here. The applicable research shows that if children are
not promoted until proficient, their grade point averages (GPAs)
go up. These children learn more in all the other grades. Their
GPAs in high school are higher, and these students do not tend
to drop out. With the old way, dropouts went up with retention.
If students are going to have higher GPAs with this policy in
place, there will be no increased chance that these students
will drop out.
9:38:27 AM
SENATOR HUGHES said this is a whole new system that legislators
are fixing for students. She suggested that this start in year
2024 to allow adequate time for districts and schools to ramp up
and for DEED to implement. This policy would not apply to any
third grader who did not have the full benefit of these
policies. That is what this amendment does and why she thinks it
is the right policy for students. It will be helpful to teachers
to have classrooms filled with many more proficient readers.
CHAIR STEVENS asked for any comments the amendment.
SENATOR BEGICH stated opposition to Amendment 3. He said:
I admire the passion of my colleague in continuing to
pursue the retention issue and defining the strong vs.
weak retention elements. I think we need to just take
a step back and remember that no single silver bullet
[for education]. That's been said numerous times by
all of our professional testifiers. It's a combination
of different factors. It's how we educate our
teachers, it's whether we do or don't have pre-
kindergarten, it's whether we have a strong reading
program or not. It might relate to class size. There
are a number of reasons.
SENATOR BEGICH said that there are a number of data points and
reports that significantly dispute some of the findings on
retention. He said he would not debate that now but would
address three factors in the bill and why Amendment 3 should be
rejected. First, SB 6 supports local control, recognizing that
decisions about retention are crafted at the local level. The
superintendents of Haines, Mat-Su, Anchorage, Alaska Gateway
schools testified to that. This amendment would impose on those
districts a mandatory, universal state policy of retention. The
reason "should" and not "must" is used is to retain local
control. Second, the bill, as written, recognizes the role of
the teacher, student, and parent in that discussion process. SB
6 specifically outlines that the issue of retention is
significant and should be a discussion point between those
parties. Third, the bill includes universal, voluntary pre-K to
give parents the final choice about whether their child should
go into pre-K or not. It also provides parents a voice in
retention decisions. Changing the language from "should" to
"must" removes the parent from that final decision, including
homeschool parents. Currently, homeschool parents can opt out of
tests and assessments, but this amendment, would remove that
option. He said he opposes [Amendment 3] because it takes away a
piece of integrity within SB 6 that is essential for its
successful development and application. He asked the committee
reject Amendment 3.
9:44:17 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO observed that retaining a child from social
promotion is a serious issue. She is encouraged by the states
that have seen great improvement by doing that. She is concerned
about the testimony from a district that advertised for a
reading specialist and waited for two years to find one. The
heart of this legislation is to train teachers in evidence-based
teaching methods that will work with students. The state does
not know where it will find reading specialists. The bill does
not require existing teachers to get additional training. In
addition, the state has a retention problem with teachers.
Considering a bill to keep a child back who cannot read at grade
level is a premature discussion. The state does not know if it
can fill the spots for reading specialists required by the bill.
At this point, she would be a no vote on the amendment. Her
amendments address some of the issues that would put Alaska in a
place to confidently do something like this. Now, districts are
struggling to find reading specialists. The committee has heard
that current classroom teachers are not necessarily trained in
the methods that work. Those issues need to be fixed first
before putting such a high-stakes statute on the books.
SENATOR HUGHES said everyone wants students to succeed. She
understands the local control argument, but the whole bill is
dictating and mandating policy. She said she relies on data
about what will work best for teachers and students. Anchorage
and Mat-Su School Districts, representing over 40 percent of
students in the state, believe that a strong proficiency
promotion policy will get the state where it needs to go. She
recalled that small districts have said they favor this approach
because in small communities school board members are often
related to students. She said she respects Senator Costello's
thoughts that this would be premature, but the language in
Sections 19 and 20 would be implemented after four years, which
is ample time to get up to speed and be ready. She said she
stands by the amendment.
9:49:29 AM
CHAIR STEVENS stated there is objection and called for a roll
call vote.
9:49:54 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Senator Hughes voted in favor of
Amendment 3, G.6 and Senators Begich, Costello, Coghill, and
Stevens voted against it. Therefore, Amendment 3 failed by a
vote of 1 to 4.
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Costello to move Amendment 4.
9:50:07 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO moved to adopt Amendment 4, G.3.
31-LS0159\G.3
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2/12/20
AMENDMENT 4
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR COSTELLO
TO: CSSSSB 6 (EDC), Draft Version "G"
Page 1, line 7, following "Development;":
Insert "establishing a teacher retention working
group;"
Page 24, following line 15:
Insert a new bill section to read:
"* Sec. 22. The uncodified law of the State of
Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read:
TEACHER RETENTION WORKING GROUP. (a) A teacher
retention working group is established to review
issues and make findings related to challenges with
teacher retention at public schools in the state and
make recommendations for improvement in teacher
retention. Members of the working group serve without
compensation.
(b) The teacher retention working group consists
of the following members:
(1) the commissioner of education and early
development or the commissioner's designee;
(2) two members of the Alaska Council of
School Administrators, one from an urban area and one
from a rural area;
(3) two members of the National Education
Association - Alaska, one from an urban area and one
from a rural area;
(4) two members of the Association of
Alaska School Boards, one from an urban area and one
from a rural area; and
(5) the chairs of the legislative committees
having jurisdiction over education.
(c) The teacher retention working group shall
select a chair from among its membership.
(d) The teacher retention working group shall
meet periodically and prepare a report of its findings
and recommendations. The working group shall submit
the report to the governor and to the senate secretary
and chief clerk of the house of representatives for
distribution to all legislators on or before
January 15, 2021, and shall notify the legislature
that the report is available. The working group
expires January 16, 2021."
Renumber the following bill section accordingly.
9:50:19 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion.
SENATOR COSTELLO said Alaska struggles to retain teachers. This
bill provides an opportunity to look into this issue and come up
with some recommendations. Amendment 4 creates a teacher
retention working group comprised of the commissioner of
education or a designee; two members from the Alaska Council of
School Administrators, one from an urban area and one from a
rural area; two members from the National Education Association,
one from an urban area and one from a rural area; two members
from the Association of Alaska School Boards, one from an urban
area and one from a rural area; and, finally, the chairs of the
legislative committees having jurisdiction over education. The
amendment asks the group to meet and prepare a report of its
findings and recommendations to the legislature, on or before
January 15 of next year.
9:52:56 AM
At ease
9:55:06 AM
SENATOR BEGICH moved to adopt conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 4:
On line 17, after the word "two," I add in the words
"teachers who are". On line 19, after the word "two,"
add "superintendents who are." Last would be to add a
new category of a member of the Alaska State Board of
Education, which is missing. That addition will
require renumbering.
SENATOR HUGHES asked whether "superintendents" should be on line
15.
SENATOR BEGICH answered yes and restated the conceptual
amendment:
My amendment would be first to amend line 15. It would
say "two superintendents who are members of the Alaska
Council of School Administrators; "two teachers", on
line 17, "who are members of the National Education
Association"; and adding a sixth category, which would
be a board member of the Alaska State Board of
Education.
SENATOR BEGICH clarified that teachers and superintendents are
wanted, but not just anyone.
9:57:21 AM
At ease
9:58:04 AM
CHAIR STEVENS reconvened the meeting and asked Senator Begich to
withdraw his amendment so the committee could go on to another
one.
9:58:13 AM
SENATOR BEGICH withdrew conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 4.
SENATOR BEGICH moved to adopt conceptual Amendment 2 to
Amendment 4, which he read:
On line 15, after the word "two," add "superintendents
who are." On line 17, after the word "two," add
"teachers who are." And add a sixth category that
would be two members of the Alaska State Board of
Education, one from an urban area and one from a rural
area.
CHAIR STEVENS asked for Senator Costello's thoughts.
SENATOR COSTELLO replied she considered it a friendly amendment
and she would support it.
9:59:03 AM
CHAIR STEVENS called for a roll call vote.
9:59:20 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Senators Begich, Costello, Coghill,
Hughes, and Stevens voted in favor of the conceptual amendment
to the amendment. Therefore, conceptual Amendment 2 to Amendment
4 was adopted by a vote of 5 to 0.
CHAIR STEVENS asked for any comments on Amendment 4, as amended.
SENATOR BEGICH said the idea is absolutely right on the button
and consistent with the governor's State of the State speech. He
clarified that his initial resistance was because he thought the
governor planned to unroll his own resolution regarding a
working group. He offered his view that since that has not
happened, the committee should act on it.
10:00:10 AM
CHAIR STEVENS called for a roll call vote on Amendment 4, as
amended.
10:00:31 AM
A roll call vote was taken. Senators Begich, Costello, Coghill,
Hughes, and Stevens voted in favor of Amendment 4, as amended.
Therefore, Amendment 4, as amended, was adopted by a vote of 5
to 0.
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Costello to move the next amendment.
10:00:40 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO moved to adopt Amendment 5, G.4.
31-LS0159\G.4
Caouette
2/12/20
AMENDMENT 5
OFFERED IN THE SENATE BY SENATOR COSTELLO
TO CSSSSB 6 (EDC), Draft Version "G"
Page 12, lines 29 - 30:
Delete "meet additional reading instruction
coursework requirements established"
Insert "complete three semester hours of
coursework in reading instruction approved"
Page 13, lines 2 - 3:
Delete "meet additional reading instruction
coursework requirements established"
Insert "complete three semester hours of
coursework in reading instruction approved"
Page 24, line 12, following "TRANSITION.":
Insert "(a)"
Page 24, following line 15:
Insert a new subsection to read:
"(b) A person who holds a certificate issued
under AS 14.20.020 with an endorsement in elementary
education but who has not completed the coursework
required under sec. 17 of this Act shall complete the
three semester hours of coursework in reading
instruction required under sec. 17 of this Act not
later than two years after the effective date of this
Act."
10:00:46 AM
CHAIR STEVENS objected for purposes of discussion.
SENATOR COSTELLO explained that the committee learned that to
improve children's reading proficiency, Alaska needs to employ
evidence-based, proven methods for how to teach reading. The
reading specialist is the heart of the legislation since it is
important to get reading specialists in classrooms so students
can learn to read.
She said that Amendment 5 would require teachers to receive
three semester credit hours of reading instruction to obtain an
elementary certificate. She has been a classroom teacher in two
districts in the state and worked with students who dropped out
of school. Teachers have requirements in order to retain their
certification. She recalled testimony that some elementary
school teachers do not have access to the most up-to-date,
evidence-based methods of delivering reading instruction to
students. Therefore, it is important that the bill require at
least three semester hours of coursework. Although teachers
currently choose their courses for recertification, the state
must provide students with teachers who are trained to teach
reading in methods that work. Research shows there are ways to
teach reading that are successful.
SENATOR HUGHES said she has concerns about determining the
requirement now. It might not be enough for what teachers need.
Districts or teachers may have to cover course costs. She asked
if the professional development that DEED could prepare might be
better or accomplish the same outcome without the cost. Further,
DEED and the State Board of Education and Early Development
might decide that six credits are required. She respects the
intent of Amendment 5 to make sure teachers receive specialized
training, but she is not sure that the committee should make
that decision today. She expressed concern about putting the
cost burden on districts and teachers when DEED has expressed a
willingness to shoulder the responsibility of educating
teachers. She said she would be interested in hearing from
Senator Begich and the commissioner.
SENATOR BEGICH said he thought Senator Hughes was addressing the
fact that DEED on record has expressed a desire to provide
coursework. This amendment is potentially prescriptive. The
committee heard a university presentation, and he was not
convinced that the university has the capacity to fully provide
for the provisions in the bill. "Hours of coursework" in the
amendment implies a university course.
10:07:28 AM
SENATOR BEGICH moved to adopt conceptual Amendment 1 to
Amendment 5. He read:
On line 4 "of" be deleted and "or equivalent" be
added; that on line 9 "of" be deleted and "or
equivalent" be added; and then on line 18 "of" would
be deleted and "or equivalent" be added.
SENATOR BEGICH said those three areas would cover what he
thought Senator Hughes was speaking to and what he believes is
the intent of the department. It would be consistent with the
rigor that Senator Costello seeks.
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Costello to respond and said he
would be willing to call the commissioner up.
SENATOR COSTELLO replied she considered it a friendly amendment.
10:08:39 AM
SENATOR COGHILL objected for purposes of discussion.
He said he wanted to hear from the commissioner. It is not just
the university that is going to certificate people. The credit
hours may narrowly dictate what can be done with certification.
He said he wanted to know if reading certifications could be
obtained outside the university and not necessarily based on the
state's university.
SENATOR HUGHES said she appreciates the attempt to make it work,
but it could be from colleges and universities from across the
country or world. The committee does not know whether those
three hours by a particular university will meet DEED's
requirements. It might not equip teachers at the level that DEED
needs. The amendment to the amendment would now give teachers a
choice that might not meet the need. She is still concerned and
wondered whether "approved by DEED" would need to be included
somewhere.
CHAIR STEVENS asked the commissioner to comment.
10:11:14 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Ph.D., Commissioner, Department of Education
and Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, said Senator
Costello is right to connect teacher quality and the quality of
instruction with the success of this reading bill. If Alaska
passes the Alaska Reads Act without addressing the quality of
instruction, then it will not be successfully implemented.
He said the conceptual amendment to Amendment 5 does not
necessarily connect the coursework with content. That coursework
could be reading strategies that are not evidence-based. If
coursework or professional development is going to be mandated,
it should be based on the science of reading, as indicated in
the bill, to make sure the intent of the Amendment 5 is fully
realized.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said, for example, before his time the
department spent a lot of money developing an Alaska reading
course based on the science of reading. The department paid for
professionals to create some videos associated with it. Some of
the people the committee heard testify were involved in the
development of the course. DEED has not been providing it, but
this could resurrect that course. There have been conversations
around microcredentialing. Instead of three university credits,
teachers could receive three different microcredentials in
different aspects of reading.
SENATOR HUGHES said it sounds like the commissioner has some
hesitation with the amendment. Once "or" is used instead of
"and" it may be a legal situation. She asked the commissioner if
he would be comfortable if it said something like three semester
hours of science-based reading instruction approved by the
department.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied he is a bureaucrat and is not
elected, so his opinion should not be the deciding factor. He
offered his view that Amendment 5 is a great amendment, with a
couple of modifications to broaden what would count as
coursework. It is smart to address the need to equip teachers to
teach well, based on the science of reading, but maybe that is
not just done through the university. He suggested that it could
allow other types of professional development to count.
SENATOR HUGHES asked what language would address
microcredentialing, for example.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said microcredentialing could be another
way to provide professional development if the language is broad
enough. The legislature already funds professional development
in school districts. DEED could work with school districts so
that the professional development days already in place could
count to something equal to three credits. Those are
opportunities teachers already sit through. He is saying be
specific enough about the robustness of the coursework but leave
it broad enough so that it can be delivered to teachers in a
number of ways.
SENATOR COGHILL said he sees the breadth of what the committee
is trying to do. Before the amendment, there already was a "must
require" with a regulation cited. It brings all stakeholders to
the table. The amendment says that one stakeholder holds all the
information. He likes the idea of a regulation bringing everyone
to the table with public comment. That is different from
requiring coursework with a certain number of hours. He said he
is probably going to default to the language already in the
bill.
10:19:15 AM
At ease
10:29:01 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Begich to withdraw conceptual
Amendment 1 to Amendment 5.
10:29:09 AM
SENATOR BEGICH withdrew conceptual Amendment 1 to Amendment 5.
CHAIR STEVENS asked Senator Costello to withdraw Amendment 5.
10:29:12 AM
SENATOR COSTELLO withdrew Amendment 5, G.4].
10:29:22 AM
CHAIR STEVENS said this issue needs to be settled before the
bill leaves the committee. The committee will try to flesh this
out with the commissioner and then meet to move the bill.
[SB 6 was held in committee.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 32_SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_BillText_draftCS-versionG.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 33_SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_Sectional_Version G.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 34_SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_BillText_Changes-from-Version S to G.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| 35_SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_FiscalNotes_SummaryTotal_VersionS_12Feb2020.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_ProposedAmendment_Hughes_G-1.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_ProposedAmendment_Hughes_G-2.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |
| SSSB006_AK-Reads-Act_ProposedAmendment_Hughes_G-6.pdf |
SEDC 2/13/2020 9:00:00 AM |
SB 6 |