Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
02/24/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation(s): Alaska Department of Education and Early Development | |
| Presentation(s): Fy 2021 Student Enrollment & Covid-19 Federal Relief Funding | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
February 24, 2021
8:03 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Harriet Drummond, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Tiffany Zulkosky (via teleconference)
Representative Grier Hopkins
Representative Mike Prax
Representative Mike Cronk
Representative Ronald Gillham
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY
DEVELOPMENT
- HEARD
PRESENTATION(S): FY 2021 STUDENT ENROLLMENT & COVID-19 FEDERAL
RELIEF FUNDING
- HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
MICHAEL JOHNSON, PhD, Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a PowerPoint presentation titled,
"Introduction to 'DEED.'"
ERIN HARDIN, Special Assistant to the Commissioner/Legislative
Liaison
Office of the Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Assisted with providing a PowerPoint
presentation titled, "Introduction to 'DEED.'"
HEIDI TESHNER, Director
Division of Finance and Support Services-Administrative Services
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Provided the committee with updates on FY
21 student enrollment.
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:03:01 AM
CO-CHAIR HARRIET DRUMMOND called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Representatives Cronk,
Prax, Zulkosky (via teleconference), Hopkins, Gillham, Story,
and Drummond were present at the call to order.
^PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY
DEVELOPMENT
PRESENTATION(S): ALASKA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY
DEVELOPMENT
8:04:13 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND announced that the first order of business
would be a presentation titled, "Alaska Department of Education
and Early Development."
8:04:55 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, PhD, Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), first pointed out that the department
works with the committee during the interim as well as during
session. He began with slide 2 of a PowerPoint presentation
titled "Introduction to 'DEED'" [hard copy included in the
committee packet]. He explained he would provide a high-level
overview of the department, discuss student achievement, and
touch on COVID-19 impacts.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON moved to slide 3 and stated that education
begins and is maintained in the home. However, he continued,
from a public policy perspective it begins with the Alaska State
Constitution. He urged committee members to read transcripts
from the Alaska Constitutional Convention that led to Article
VII, Section 1, of the constitution, which states:
The legislature shall by general law establish and
maintain a system of public schools open to all
children of the state, and may provide for other
public educational institutions. Schools and
institutions so established shall be free from
sectarian control. No money shall be paid from public
funds for the direct benefit of any religious or other
private educational institution.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON displayed slide 4 and discussed DEED's
mission and vision statement adopted by the Alaska State Board
of Education & Early Development. He read from the mission
statement, which states: "An excellent education for every
student every day." He added that this applies even when there
is a pandemic. He then read from the vision statement, which
states: "All students will succeed in their education and work,
shape worthwhile and satisfying lives for themselves, exemplify
the best values of society, and be effective in improving the
character and quality of the world about them." He said he
particularly appreciates that the vision statement chosen by the
state board comes from the legislature through [Alaska Statute
14.03.015].
8:10:59 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON turned to slide 5 and specified that to
adequately implement its responsibility to maintain a system of
public education, DEED must be clear about its purpose. In its
daily work, he explained, DEED provides information, resources,
and leadership to Alaska's families, schools, policymakers, and
education stakeholders to support an excellent education for
every student every day. Today's presentation is an example of
this, he added.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON reviewed the oversight of Alaska's public
schools as outlined on slide 6. He said the legislature has
made clear that Alaska's schools are to be governed and operated
by locally elected school boards. In some ways, locally elected
school boards are where democracy gets closest to the family, he
stated. School boards establish policy and educational programs
for the students enrolled in their schools. The legislature, he
continued, has given DEED general supervision over public
schools with an emphasis on distributing funds appropriated by
the legislature and federal government, and the department's
authority is appropriately limited to that which is given to it
by the Alaska State Legislature.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON displayed slide 7 and described DEED's core
services and functions as represented in the legislature's
budget documents and in keeping with statutory authority.
Regarding the core function of distributing public school
funding, he said DEED ensures that funding is appropriately
distributed to recipients based on legislative appropriation,
statute, and in accordance with the foundation formula that's in
statute and other formula programs. Examples of this function
include the foundation program, pupil transportation, additional
foundation funding, boarding home grants, residential schools,
youth and detention special schools, charter school grants, and
some student and school achievement. Regarding the core
function of providing fiscal accountability, compliance, and
oversight, Commissioner Johnson specified that DEED ensures it
effectively and efficiently manages state, federal, and other
funding by providing comprehensive fiscal and administrative
services. Examples of this include executive administration,
which is his office; administrative services; information
services; school finance and facilities; child nutrition;
student and school achievement; and teacher certification.
8:14:43 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON continued addressing slide 7. Regarding
the core function of developing, implementing, and maintaining
school effectiveness programs, he explained that DEED assists
school districts by providing programs, technical on-site and
distant delivery support, early intervention services, and
efforts to increase the statewide graduation rate. He
emphasized that the statute calls upon DEED to assist and
support the instructional programs that are chosen and operated
by the locally elected school boards, the school districts.
Examples of this include State System of Support (SSOS), Head
Start and early education programs, pre-kindergarten grants,
Alaska Performance Scholarship Awards, and Alaska education
grants to the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON remained on slide 7. He explained that the
fourth core function is providing opportunities for, and
collaborating with, government entities and other public and
private organizations to engage in active partnerships in
pursuit of state educational goals. He said there are more
student and school achievement supports through various other
programs and financial support like the Alaska Mental Health
Trust. Included in this function is early education
coordinating, like Best Beginnings and Parents as Teachers.
Also included in this function is the Alaska State Council on
the Arts, which resides in DEED; the Professional Teaching
Practices Commission; Mt. Edgecumbe School and Mt. Edgecumbe
facilities; the state library operations, archives, and museums;
the Broadband Assistance Program; and the Alaska Commission on
Postsecondary Education, which includes the Washington, Alaska,
Montana, and Idaho (WWAMI) Program and loan servicing.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said the department's organizational chart
depicted on slide 8 represents many dozens of skilled state
employees who serve their fellow Alaskans and the committee. He
specified that DEED has about 185 staff members and distributes
roughly $8.3 million per staff member in grants that go out the
door. He pointed out that the State Board of Education and
Early Development oversees the department. He explained that
Alaska statute designates the state board as the head of DEED,
which is unique among all state departments, and the state board
is supervisor of the commissioner. The governor appoints the
members of the board, and they are subject to confirmation by a
majority of legislators in a joint session. He noted that the
department is comprised of five divisions: Division of
Innovation & Education Excellence; Division of Finance & Support
Services; Division of Administrative Services; Division of
Libraries, Archives & Museums; and Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
He further noted that within the department are three
commissions - the Alaska State Council on the Arts (ASCA), the
Professional Teaching Practices Commission (PTPC), and the
Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education (ACPE) and each
commission is overseen by a designated board established in
statute. He pointed out that ACPE appears under DEED only for
administrative and budget purposes and that the department has
no authority over ACPE.
8:18:27 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND inquired whether the number of 185 encompasses
all the employees currently under the DEED umbrella.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied he doesn't think it includes the
boards and commissions. He said he would get back to the
committee in this regard.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND stated that in 2013 when she started with the
legislature the department had significantly more employees.
She suggested that the historical difference between the number
of employees in 2013 and today be addressed during the budget
process discussion.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON agreed that this could be done.
8:19:45 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON addressed the five strategic priorities of
Alaska's Education Challenge outlined on slide 9. He related
that the Alaska Education Challenge is the result of work done
over the last four years by parents, students, educators,
policymakers, tribal leaders, partner organizations, local
school boards, and several committee members to create a shared
vision for improving Alaska's public education system.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON discussed the first shared priority shown
on slide 9 to support all students to read at grade level by the
end of third grade. He reported that just 37 percent of
Alaska's third graders read at or above grade level on some
assessments. Commissioner Johnson explained that before third
grade, students are learning to read, and beginning in fourth
grade and beyond, in general a student needs to be prepared to
learn to read across all subjects. Research shows that a
person's ability to read is a critical predictor of educational
and lifelong success, he continued. Reading well in the early
grades is particularly important for students with high levels
of socioeconomic risk, such as poverty and high mobility. He
recalled the hard work done last year on [the Alaska Reads Act,
Senate Bill 6], but that the pandemic truncated working on the
bill. He said he looks forward to working with committee
members again on this priority.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON continued on slide 9. Regarding the second
shared priority to increase career, technical, and culturally
relevant education to meet student and workforce needs, he
reported that Alaska students who take two or more career and
technical (CT) credits in high school, including at least one
credit of content specific rigorous study, achieved 20 percent
higher graduation rates. There is evidence, he added, that
classroom instruction that is aligned with a student's culture
increases his or her likelihood of success, and therefore DEED
looks forward to working with the committee on this priority.
8:22:34 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON addressed the third shared priority shown
on slide 9 to close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable
educational rigor and resources. He related that Alaska has
achievement gaps between student groups that are very large,
such as a 54 percent gap in average fourth grade reading scores.
An equitable education system, he said, means that every Alaskan
family has access to high quality, rigorous, culturally relevant
learning opportunities and resources for excellent education
regardless of any inequalities that may exist in the system.
Tribal compacting and chartering are examples of the kind of
commitment and family ownership of education that will help
ensure that all students receive an excellent education.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON remained on slide 9 and spoke to the fourth
shared priority to prepare, attract, and retain effective
education professionals. He acknowledged that in the past the
committee has given great attention to this issue, and pointed
out that nearly two-thirds of all Alaska teachers come from out
of state, which needs to be changed. He said national research
suggests that outcomes improve when students receive quality
instruction from well-prepared teachers and that teacher
turnover negatively impacts those outcomes. He related that
last year the governor formed the Teacher Retention and
Recruitment Working Group, and he looks forward to sharing the
results of the group's teacher retention survey and
recommendations.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON turned to the fifth shared priority on
slide 9 to improve the safety and well-being of students through
school partnerships with families, communities, and tribes. He
stated that this past year has reminded everyone daily how
important safety and well-being is for students and staff, and
that there is no greater shared responsibility than to create
conditions that enable children to be joyful, healthy, and
achieve their fullest potential. He said he looks forward to
working with the committee on this. In summary, he specified
that these five priorities shape and guide DEED's daily work, as
well as DEED's work with school districts.
8:24:59 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON, in response to Representative Hopkins,
stated that he started as commissioner in 2016 under Governor
Walker and is now serving with Governor Dunleavy.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked whether Commissioner Johnson was
part of developing the Alaska Education Challenge [under the
Walker Administration].
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that he has been included since
its start in January 2017, which began with a survey that had
thousands of respondents. He said there was then a big
gathering in Anchorage at which Co-Chair Drummond urged him to
continue the work. So, while he was part of this, it was a
project that involved many people throughout the state.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS expressed his appreciation for having a
guiding policy document like this that can be carried over from
one administration to the next. Drawing attention to the fifth
priority, he said he is an advocate for stronger social and
emotional learning and education in schools. He requested the
commissioner to elaborate about what DEED has done, what DEED
has seen at school districts, and what a path forward might be
under priority five as the state attempts to rebound from the
impacts of the past twelve months.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that three shared commitments tie
the priorities together. He explained that before coming up
with the five priorities, DEED worked with school boards and
others around the state to agree to share commitments to the
priorities and work together on them. These commitments are
fundamental to success in these priorities, he continued, and
are in the full Alaska Educational Challenge document.
Regarding safety and well-being, Commissioner Johnson related
that research indicates that schools that are warm, inviting,
secure, and build meaningful relationships with every student
and staff member, address the physical, health, and mental
needs. The department didn't address this on its own, he noted;
DEED worked with the Alaska Association of School Boards and
created the Trauma Informed Framework. A toolkit was created to
go with that, which can be found on the DEED website, and online
training for teachers is associated with that. To date, DEED
has received 6,000 requests for copies of this framework.
Utilizing that framework is one way to move forward, he said.
8:30:54 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND complimented Commissioner Johnson on a moving
speech he previously gave to people from all over the state.
She requested the commissioner to provide new committee members
with DEED's document from last year regarding the Trauma
Informed Framework, given it informs the committee's work. A
big discovery in the Alaska Education Challenge, she noted, is
how much attention needs to be paid to trauma impacts on
students and families in order to educate students effectively.
8:31:36 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILHAM asked whether there is anything school
districts can do to get parents more involved in regard to
reading proficiency.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that there are multiple ways. One
example, he said, is the state supported Parents as Teachers
program founded by Representative Tuck. The program supports
families in doing activities at home to prepare kids for the
trajectory of becoming reading proficient by the end of third
grade. Since the pandemic, school districts are helping via
partnerships with apps for iPads and other online programs.
Alaska Public Television, he continued, has developed programs
for television that support kids learning to read. Information
is provided to parents about activities that can be done to
prepare kids for that trajectory. He explained that learning to
read is a trajectory that starts right after birth with hearing
sounds and learning to comprehend.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND noted that the Department of Health & Social
Services administers the Parents as Teachers program.
8:34:12 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY said she is excited about tribal
compacting in education. She requested an update on a timeframe
for draft legislation, or concepts for the legislature to
consider, regarding the tribal compacting concept.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that he too is excited about this
opportunity. He said the case for tribal compacting, tribal
charter, working with tribes in education, has never been
stronger because of the amazing work over the last 10 months by
tribal health. Around the state, tribal health has been part of
a successful response to the pandemic. The partnerships between
school districts and tribal health have allowed many Alaska
students to have in-person learning, he related. Many
communities were quick to vaccinate teachers through tribal
health networks. Based on that, there is every reason to move
further into these conversations with confidence and enthusiasm.
For example, DEED has signed agreements with Knik Tribal
Education Agency and with Tanana Chiefs. He noted that tribal
compacting is complex in terms of what legislation looks like.
Tribal groups around the state are already starting education
work, he continued, and he looks forward to working with
Representative Zulkosky on what components are wanted by
everyone in a bill. The timeline is hard to predict, as he
doesn't want a bill to be submitted that doesn't have the
support of tribes, he explained. That is why DEED is spending
so much time working with tribes to determine the elements and
components that tribes want to see and support in a bill.
8:38:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY related that this last year she has served
on the National Council of State Legislators' International
Study Group of other high performing countries and what
components of their education system have gotten them to where
they are. She said the five priorities in the Alaska Education
Challenge all fall into those components, so Alaska is on the
right track in its work for good outcomes for its kids. She
advised that the committee's work on education is also about the
economy because it is about the state's future citizens and
workforce. In regard to the effort on student reading by the
end of third grade, Representative Story asked whether work has
been done to assess all the components being looked for in the
reading bill because they need to be happening now in all of
Alaska's school districts. She further asked whether evaluation
has been done of the assessments provided by the districts and
the reading curriculums they are using. Whether or not the
reading bill goes forward, she opined, it must be ensured that
Alaska's school districts are already doing the components of a
strong reading program. She inquired about what the components
are and whether the department can give more support. She asked
whether DEED has from each district the assessment of reading,
and what groups of students in each district need more support,
and the plan for how they are doing that for certain students.
She requested the commissioner's thoughts in this regard.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that in terms of assessment, DEED
has gathered minimal data over the past year because the focus
has been on mitigation and the pandemic. Though districts have
been doing some of that work, he said DEED has been careful not
to add a burden on top of all the other things districts are
doing in terms of reporting. There is the Comprehensive
Literacy State Development Grant, he continued, which is going
on in 16 or so districts and DEED will have information for the
committee in this regard at some point coming up. Moving
forward, the department will continue the work, assess, and get
information on those components; it is relevant to have
situational awareness to effectively implement any legislation
that may pass the legislature. He noted that the state board
recently updated DEED's early learning standards as part of that
work moving forward.
8:43:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK stated he is excited to be on this
committee since he is a graduate of Alaska's public schools and
university, was a teacher for 25 years and retired, and served
on a regional school board. In regard to the second priority,
he said he thinks that especially in Alaska's rural schools
focusing on vocational life skills is critical because to be
successful in its education system Alaska is going to need to
develop its natural resources and create opportunities for those
kids to learn. Regarding the fifth priority, he said there
needs to be focus on the well-being of Alaska's kids as well as
teaching them how to be resilient and have the proper coping
skills to deal with anything that life throws at them, the
pandemic being an example. As a teacher, he said he thinks
those skills are missing in Alaska's schools, but allowed that
funding and having the right counselors in schools have been a
part of that. He stated he would like to sit down with the
commissioner to talk about these things.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON quipped that the best place to discuss the
aforementioned is at "Fast Eddies because it's his favorite
restaurant." He said he looks forward to working with the
representative on those and concurred that the pandemic has
highlighted the need for both of those issues.
8:45:44 AM
ERIN HARDIN, Special Assistant to the Commissioner/Legislative
Liaison, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), drew attention to the informational
links listed on slide 10 for the two topics that legislators and
constituents most ask about school finance and facilities, and
early learning programs. She said online information [for
school finance and facilities] is available for budgeted or
audited district operating fund reports and annual audited
revenue reports required under AS 14.03.120. The department
produces annual foundation reports, historical reports, and a
number of informational publications, she continued. The fiscal
year 2021 (FY 21) Student Count Period and Hold Harmless
Provision White Paper was one of the most heavily read
informational publications produced this past fall. The
department houses an online school facility database and map,
and also posts the annual capital improvement project (CIP)
priority lists. She further advised that a number of dedicated
web pages for early learning programs could be found that
provide information about each program and/or grant that
receives state funding. The department recently produced a
detailed white paper on the federal Head Start program, which
includes information about the new FY 21 State Equitable Funding
Formula, which was the result of legislative intent language
included in the operating budget in 2019. She added that the
department has an experienced and long-standing fiscal team that
is available to provide the committee with specific funding
presentations.
8:48:40 AM
MS. HARDIN highlighted available constituent resources as listed
on slide 11. She related that the vast majority of questions
received by DEED are from constituents asking about teacher
certification requirements. She said DEED has a dedicated team
to support Alaska's educators with their certification needs and
the department houses many informational resources on its
website. Those include a number of online renewal options for
educators as well as access to mandatory trainings through the
department's eLearning online course catalog. She specified
that last year DEED's eLearning program provided more than 60
trainings to districts at no cost and now serves more than
27,000 school district employees. The most heavily trafficked
courses are those focused on school health and safety topics.
She offered to help any committee members who would like to
access the eLearning curriculum.
MS. HARDIN continued addressing slide 11. She related that in
fall 2019, DEED launched an online data portal specifically for
Alaska's families titled "The Compass: A Guide to Alaska's
Schools." She explained that the purpose of the online portal
is to provide Alaska's families with important information about
their child's school so they can make the best decisions for
their child's educational experience. The Compass presents
school-level data that is reported to DEED by districts in an
easily accessible and understandable format. For example, she
continued, visitors can review a profile of their individual
school, can compare their school's performance data over
multiple years, can compare two schools in their district or
neighboring district, and explore educational options in their
school district and across the state. The website includes an
option for the public to provide feedback. Last year DEED
expanded the information available on The Compass to include
data relating to per-pupil expenditures of local, state, and
federal funds, which was done in accordance with the new federal
education requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
8:51:20 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON addressed the COVID-19 update provided on
slide 12. He said COVID-19 has been an enormous challenge for
Alaska's schools, and the department is dedicated to developing
a stronger and better education system as a result of this
trial. He advised that everything today and in the future is
based on exceptional partnerships that are had with others.
Compared to other states, the collaboration and communication
that has taken place in Alaska between districts and educational
partners has been remarkable. He thanked Alaska's teachers,
school administrators, parents, and educational partners that
have been relentless in facing the challenges of COVID-19 and
creating opportunity for students. Thanks to the coordination
efforts of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, he said,
regular weekly meetings have been held throughout the pandemic
with superintendents, principals, fellow education stakeholder
organizations, and medical staff. He offered thanks for the
partnership of the Department of Health and Social Services
(DHSS), which hired and dedicated medical staff to be available
to support school districts and schools.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON continued addressing slide 12. He thanked
the many tribal health organizations that have partnered with
their local school districts through this. He said DHSS has
held weekly ECHO [Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes]
sessions, a kind of webinar to help all kinds of stakeholders
make decisions throughout the pandemic. He further noted that
thanks to the partnership of the Southeast Regional Resource
Center and the Region 16 Comprehensive Center, DEED was able to
quickly stand up a number of resources and webinar series on a
website called aklearns.org, which is serving as a hub and
clearing house of resources for teachers and families that are
still dealing with the pandemic. One example of the webinar
series, he continued, is called "Beyond the Bell," an
afterschool opportunity for high demand topics. Additionally,
there are webinars for school maintenance staff and bus drivers
on how to deal with the pandemic.
8:53:43 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON remained on slide 12. He offered thanks to
the National Education Association of Alaska (NEA-Alaska) for
its partnership with DEED to provide access to the Alaska Learns
Commons. He explained that this statewide, shared warehouse of
K-12 course content for all educators can be accessed on a
learning management system called [the Canvas Learning
Management Platform]. He related that the School Boards
Association has hosted virtual meetings for school board members
dealing with legal issues and other topics associated with
response to the pandemic. He said the department has worked
with philanthropy to get donations of hundreds of thousands of
bottles of hand sanitizer, personal protective equipment (PPE),
and other resources for school districts. Initially last
spring, he continued, a major focus of the department's COVID-19
response was the Alaska Smart Start 2020 for re-opening schools
in the fall. Along with DHSS, the department published the
Smart Start 2020 framework for districts and most districts
began their planning last May and June for school.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON related that DEED is in the process of
reviewing and updating based on new CDC guidance, and shifting
the focus to more recovery and getting schools open and what the
next school year is going to look like. He said the
Comprehensive Center helped DEED create the aforementioned
website to connect the public with individual school districts
and their plans. He added that he will provide committee
members with the information so members can connect to that
website and see the districts' Smart Start 2020 plans.
8:58:10 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON moved to slide 13 and provided further
update regarding COVID-19 response. In March 2020, he reported,
DEED stood up the Alaska Statewide Virtual System to provide
information resources and leadership during the spring closure.
In blending that with [the Canvas Learning Management Platform],
over 300 teachers have now been provided training in online
delivery, and 37 districts are part of that platform and have
requested access. He explained that the statewide Canvas
Learning Management Platform brings all of this together for
districts, and DEED has secured this platform for the rest of
this school year and the next two school years so that educators
can be a part of that commons. He said 25 districts are
currently actively using this learning management system, which
is being accessed by 70,000 individual students and teachers.
9:00:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY requested an update on COVID-19
vaccinations for teaching staff.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that Governor Dunleavy and DHSS
announced a week ago that teachers are now prioritized. All the
teachers in some communities have been vaccinated, he said, and
at a large Anchorage high school about 75 percent of the staff
have been vaccinated. This provides a level of comfort and
security and is turbo-boosting the level of return to in-person
learning. He pointed out that the vaccination of school staff
includes tribal health and the work they have done in many
communities.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked about the statewide virtual system
and the support of teachers in their professional development
and learning. She inquired about the Alaska Staff Development
Network (ASDN) and the modules that are being provided. She
further inquired about the cost per teacher for professional
development modules that are being taken by teachers.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that the Alaska Staff Development
Network has been providing lots of online support for teachers
around virtual delivery and other subjects. He reported that
their Response to Instruction/Intervention (RTI) conference this
year had lots of sessions around this and was the most highly
attended RTI conference in history with well over 1,000 members
attending. The resources provided by DEED are at no charge, he
said, but he isn't sure about the charges for ASDN courses.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked how staff accesses Alaska Commons.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that there is the statewide Alaska
Commons, each district has its own section within that, and
teachers sign up through their districts to get access. He said
many districts were already using the Canvas Learning Management
[Platform] prior to the pandemic, and DEED bought that as a
statewide license so districts wouldn't have to purchase it
themselves.
9:04:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked whether COVID-19 vaccines would
also be available for support staff in Alaska's schools.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered yes.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS commented that often the first and last
person that students see at school is support staff. He
inquired whether the Alaska statewide virtual system with the
different learning delivery models is available for support
staff as well as for teachers.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that support staff members are
critical to operating the school system, and this includes
instructional aides, bus drivers, cooks, school nurses, school
secretaries, and others who make the school system work. He
said the department's statewide license provides for these staff
members to have access to [the Canvas Learning Management
Platform] and they can sign up through their own districts where
their districts choose to use it.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS offered his support for everyone who
makes the schools run in addition to the teachers.
9:06:29 AM
REPRESENTATIVE GILHAM inquired whether vaccinations were
mandatory for teachers to keep teaching.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded no, and added he wasn't aware of
it being mandatory anywhere in the state. He said some teachers
have chosen not to be vaccinated, but vaccination is available
to all who choose to receive the vaccine.
9:07:05 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK thanked the commissioner for working
closely with the Alaska Gateway School District. He related
that the district is working with village councils to help with
adjusting school calendars.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that he appreciates the creative
thinking and ideas of Superintendent MacManus and he has shared
those ideas with other school districts.
9:08:17 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON resumed his presentation. He explained
that slide 14 highlights what was mentioned by Ms. Hardin
regarding The Compass. He said no school is completely
successful without parent and community involvement, and DEED
created this website for the public and policymakers to both
celebrate and support their local schools. Transparency and
public education should be inseparable, he stated, and The
Compass helps them to stay linked. The Compass provides
achievement data, financial data, contact information, and
compares and contrasts different schools. He said the
department looks forward to growing those where districts can
highlight the many things happening for kids in school districts
every day.
9:09:31 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY related that [Juneau's] superintendent has
said that as students return to school the impacts on students
and the learning loss are quite sobering. She asked whether the
commissioner's perspective is that it is going to be a one-year
or multi-year catch up process of getting students back to where
[they should be].
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that children are too precious to
predict their future and he doesn't know what the impact will be
or how long it will be. He said he wants to make sure [that
schools] are ready to address those challenges for the long term
and not assume that it's a temporary issue. Students will have
varying degrees of impacts from what has happened over the last
year, he advised, and he wants the system to be ready to provide
varying degrees of support for those students and families as
they need it for the rest of this year, next year, and beyond if
necessary. He stressed that when a student is not proficient in
reading around the end of third grade it impacts the student for
the rest of his or her school career. He said some students are
going to need extra support throughout the remainder of their
school career to make sure they stay or get on track. The
bottom line, he continued, is to not let the pandemic thwart the
dreams and hopes of any student.
9:11:58 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON discussed the enrollment data and
demographics portrayed on slide 15. He pointed out that the
numbers on the slide represent individual students little
girls in third grade, young men in tenth grade, some that love
music or sports, some that are learning trades, and some who are
reading a book for their first time. As well, the numbers
represent students that are happy and students that are living
in trauma. Every single student is a gift to this world and
every one of them can learn, he said. The numbers depicted are
less about the funding and the counts, and more about the
responsibility to each and every student.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON explained that the achievement data on the
next few slides should inform policy discussions, but that it is
only a partial view as he just described. He reminded members
that even where Alaska is underperforming, good things are
happening in classrooms around the state every day. He said
slide 16 is the National Assessment of Educational Progress
(NAEP), which is known as the nation's report card because it is
the only assessment that is given the same in every single state
in the U.S. It is nationally representative so scientific means
are used to determine the number of students that take it every
year, he advised. A sample of students across Alaska in grades
4 and 8 are tested every other year in math and reading. He
pointed out that 2021 was a year that NAEP was supposed to be
administered, but the federal government postponed it because of
the pandemic. Currently, the plan is to administer NAEP in
2022, which means that updated NAEP data will probably not be
received until the end of 2022. He noted that Alaska's
graduation rate last year was about 79 percent.
9:15:52 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON moved to slide 17 regarding NAEP grade 4
reading. He reported that only about 25 percent of Alaska
students performed at or above the proficient level, which
ranked Alaska 50 out of 50 states. He said that regardless of
what someone thinks about the assessments, Alaska still doesn't
compare well with other states.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON spoke to slide 18 regarding NAEP grade 8
reading. He stated that Alaska is at about 23 percent and
ranked 47 out of 50 states.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON displayed slide 19 regarding NAEP grade 4
math. He related that about 33 percent of Alaska students were
rated at or above [proficient]. He showed slide 20 regarding
NAEP grade 8 math and reported that about 29 percent of Alaska
students performed at or above proficient. He pointed out that
the aforementioned figures are from 2019, and therefore before
the pandemic.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said slides 21 and 22 depict the [2019]
Performance Evaluation for Alaska's Schools (PEAKS), a unique-
to-Alaska English and math assessment administered in grades 3
through 9, and science assessment administered in grades 4, 8,
and 10. About 76,000 students participated in the spring 2019
administration, he said, but PEAKS was not administered in 2020
because of the pandemic. The PEAKS assessment is tied to the
tens of millions of dollars in federal funding that Alaska
receives, he advised; not in terms of the outcomes but that
Alaska administers a unique statewide assessment.
9:18:48 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX stated that these scores are disturbing and
seem to be trending in the wrong direction. He asked whether
the NAEP tests for proficiency are compared to a standard or
compared to everyone else.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that the answer is both. He
explained that the NAEP Governing Board is comprised of
governors, educators, and others, and sets the standard for what
is going to be assessed; it is a general knowledge kind of
assessment in reading and math. He noted that assessments are
also given in other subjects, but Alaska hasn't participated in
those. The reporting of the results is comparative with other
states, he said, so a statistical sampling is done in every
state; reports are then done and that is where the comparability
comes in among other states and some territories.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX requested the commissioner to elaborate on
the PEAK testing that is unique to Alaska but yet tied to
federal funding.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that in the mid-1960s a federal
law was passed called the Elementary Secondary Education Act.
It has taken on different forms over the decades, he explained,
recently being No Child Left Behind and most recently being
ESSA. Those Acts require as part of receiving federal title
dollars in education that each state set standards and then
assess those standards. So, PEAKS is Alaska's assessment of its
standards tied to Alaska submitting an application for ESSA.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX said he wants to follow up on this later to
understand better, to try to identify the causes, and determine
what to do next.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND offered assurance that there would be follow-
up in terms of assessments, generally speaking.
9:22:25 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS observed on slides 17-20 that there are
scales of 0 to 500 and calculated that Alaska's students score
2% less out of a total of 500 points on this national
standardized test. He asked whether that 2% gap between Alaska
and the nation is demonstrating that Alaska is 50 out of 50
states.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that most people think in terms of
a 100-point scale, with 90-100 being an A. But standardized
assessments use a different kind of scale, he explained. The
NAEP assessment is a scale of 0 to 500 and different questions
are weighted differently in terms of points. So the analysis is
a bit more complex than just somebody getting a 497 and someone
437 because there are different weighted questions and that sort
of thing. He drew attention to the notes at the bottom of some
of the slides that state whether the change is statistically
significant. He offered to provide committee members with
information from the NAEP Governing Board that goes into
technical detail about the scale, the comparability, and what up
or down movement on that may or may not represent.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS quipped that the committee would need a
statistics teacher to be present for such a hearing to explain
the statistics. For example, he said, the bottom of slide 18
states that .05 is significantly different, yet it is a .02
difference between 262 and 252.
9:25:23 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND observed that the Y-axis on slide 17 is
missing everything from 0 to 190 and from 240 to 500. She said
that if this graph were presented with all of those numbers on
the Y-axis, the difference would be much smaller. When looking
at the graph provided, it looks like the difference between the
national average and the Alaska average is about 20 percent. If
it were instead looked at on the full scale of the Y-axis from 0
to 500, she stated, that difference would not be statistically
insignificant, but it would be visually much different. She
asked whether the graphs are provided by NAEP or DEED.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that the graphs are taken right off
NAEP's national website. He noted that DEED only gets statewide
data, not individual district data from NAEP, and so that's
another factor in looking at these numbers.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND further observed that each graph has different
parts of the Y-axis that are missing.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX advised that care needs to be taken when
looking at charts and data, which is why he asked whether this
is compared to some standard or compared to each other. He said
that if it is compared to a standard then this is of concern.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND agreed.
9:27:50 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY recalled the commissioner's statement that
NAEP testing was waived in 2019 and said she doesn't know if
that will be the case for this year. She further recalled that
last year Commissioner Johnson waived the requirements for
testing for the Alaska Performance Scholarship. She inquired
whether that would be the case again for this year for both NAEP
and the Alaska Performance Scholarship.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that NAEP would not be given in
2021 because the federal government has postponed it to 2022.
Regarding the PEAKS assessment, he said DEED just received a
letter from U.S. Secretary of Education Cardona that there will
not be blanket waivers for statewide assessments this year, so
DEED is moving forward to administer PEAKS. The department is
working with its education partners at the federal level to
determine what that may or may not look like, he continued.
There is some flexibility in that administration, but where
students are in school, it seems like Alaska is expected to give
that statewide assessment. He stated that Executive Director
Sana Efird of the Alaska Commission on Postsecondary Education
is working on the Alaska Performance Scholarship issue and would
like to make the scholarship accessible to all students given
the current situation.
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether PEAKS, which costs millions
of dollars to administer, is still charging for the test since a
year was missed due to the pandemic. She further asked whether
Dynamic Learning Maps could meet Alaska's federal requirements.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that he would provide specific
contract information to the committee. He said there have been
some adjustments, but last year [the state] was right at the
time to administer the assessment so the vendor had already
incurred a lot of cost. But, he advised, work has been done
with the vendor to adjust that. According to the letter that he
recently received from the U.S. Department of Education, MAP
assessments would not be allowed to serve as [Alaska's]
statewide assessment due to a number of technical reasons in
terms of the adaptability of the assessment. The contract for
PEAKS was up, he stated, and [DEED] has been working with
educators to revise the assessment system so that it is more
efficient and provides the needed data without having multiple
layers of assessment, such as PEAKS and MAPS, but this year Map
would not be able to count for Alaska's statewide assessment.
9:32:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY stressed the importance of reading by the
end of third grade, given it is needed for all subjects. She
stated she hopes the committee's work on teaching reading is
clear to others, including its work on the proposed Alaska Reads
Act. She said she wants to know the components that are being
used to teach and what assessments are being used. She inquired
whether DEED has been working with the University of Alaska
College of Education and the components it is using for a strong
reading program.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that he and President Pitney
communicate regularly working on making sure the Board of
Regents and Board of Education are communicating, collaborating,
and discussing the aforementioned issues. He recently talked
with Posie Boggs, he related, and the entire discussion was
focused on teacher preparation specifically around reading
instruction. So, he said, reading is a topic of conversation,
partnership, and collaboration that is going forward.
9:35:37 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON returned to his PowerPoint presentation.
Addressing slide 23, he said the 2019 NAEP results are a call to
action, not an impossible challenge, but an opportunity for
improvement. He expressed his confidence that Alaska has the
people and the resources to face that challenge. He said DEED
is focusing attention on the following priorities: 1) a $20
million grant was received for literacy, state development
working with 16 districts, and other work around literacy and
reading; 2) DEED's redesign of the state system of support
coaching program, which is currently underway and is targeting
training for principals, school staff, and teachers designed to
support literacy, leadership in schools, early reading
instruction, and the use of data to inform how to best address
problems; 3) a $9.1 million Project Aware grant was received in
September 2020 for advancing wellness and resiliency in
education. This grant will assist the state in improving mental
health by growing mental health literacy, reducing mental health
stigma, strengthening early identification and intervention for
student mental health conditions, as well as providing more
robust services for students in a number of districts and
hopefully being a model for other places in the state. While
those are just three examples, he said, it's important to note
that it's going to take all Alaskans working together to ensure
every student has equitable opportunity to succeed and learn.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON explained that slide 24 is a list of
questions for pondering, looking forward to, and respecting this
committee and appreciating the opportunity to talk about things
in the future. He said every person on the committee has ideas
worth discussing in regard to the question of how to confront
Alaska's education challenges. Other questions include: How to
resource an excellent education today without jeopardizing the
responsibility to Alaska's future students? How can funding be
made to work better for students? How to rebuild and recover
from COVID-19? How to be more transparent so as to invite more
folks into Alaska's public education system? Commissioner
Johnson thanked the committee for inviting the department to
speak today.
9:39:33 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY offered her appreciation for ways to
include families in this work, CT education in middle and high
schools, and working with the university. She noted that
districts aren't satisfied either with where the state is now.
It is critical for the committee to look at reading, she said.
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX stated he appreciates what the commissioner
said about serving today's children while keeping future
children in mind.
9:42:58 AM
The committee took an at-ease from 9:42 a.m. to 9:43 a.m.
^PRESENTATION(S): FY 2021 Student Enrollment & COVID-19 Federal
Relief Funding
PRESENTATION(S): FY 2021 Student Enrollment & COVID-19 Federal
Relief Funding
9:43:38 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND announced that the next order of
business was a presentation titled, "FY 2021 Student Enrollment
& COVID-19 Federal Relief Funding."
9:45:17 AM
HEIDI TESHNER, Director, Division of Finance and Support
Services-Administrative Services, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), began her PowerPoint presentation
titled "FY 2021 Student Enrollment Counts & COVID-19 Federal
Relief Funding." She said she would be providing the committee
with updates on FY 21 statewide enrollment counts, the
foundation payment and advances process, the federal impact aid
disparity test, and state-funded formula programs that are
affected by the shifts in student enrollments. She noted that
due to time constraints the discussion of COVID-19 federal
relief funding would be provided at a later date.
MS. TESHNER turned to slide 3 and explained the legislature has
provided in a formula in statute for funding school operational
costs. Referred to as the Public School Funding Formula, she
said it's more commonly known as the Foundation Formula. It was
adopted under Senate Bill 36 in 1998 and implemented in 1999.
9:46:45 AM
MS. TESHNER moved to slide 4 and said the foundation formula is
defined in Alaska Statute (AS) 14.17. She explained that the
funding for each district is a combination of state aid,
required local contribution, and federal impact aid. She noted
that Alaska's 19 Regional Education Attendance Areas (REAAs) do
not have a local contribution. A school district is only
eligible for foundation funding as it's calculated under the
formula and set out under AS 14.17.410, she said. The first
step in determining state aid for a district is determining the
average daily membership (ADM) of each school. She pointed out
the links provided on the slide for the school finance website.
She said data can be found for the foundation formula website,
various publications, historical average daily membership data,
state aid, Base Student Allocation history, annual foundation
reports, and the disparity test memos and explanations. She
drew attention to the supplemental handouts provided to the
committee an eight-page document titled "Public School Funding
Program Overview" that walks through each step of the formula,
and a 1-page document titled "Alaska Public School Funding
Foundation Formula History" that outlines changes to the funding
formula over time.
9:49:03 AM
MS. TESHNER spoke to the annual count period information shown
on slide 5. She explained that the average daily membership
(ADM) is defined as the student count data and is the number of
enrolled students during the 20-school-day count period ending
the fourth Friday of October. For the 2020-2021 school year,
the 20-day count period began on September 28 and ended on
October 23. To determine state aid, she said districts must
submit their student count data (their ADM) to the department
within two weeks after the count period ends, in accordance with
AS 14.17.600(a). The numbers for the 2020-2021 school year
count period were due to the department on November 6, she
noted. So, based on statute, the student count data for the
count period is the starting point for all calculations that
lead to determining state aid for each school district.
9:50:11 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked what month the funding would begin
following the September 28-October 23, 2020, count.
MS. TESHNER replied that slide 12 of the presentation provides
this information but explained that DEED has gone through its
reconciliation process, and its April, May, and June payments
for this school year will reflect what those October counts came
out to be. The department is truing it up now, she continued,
and the districts' last three payments of the last three months
of this fiscal year will be what the 2021 foundation formula
trued-up amounts will be.
9:51:39 AM
MS. TESHNER discussed the FY 21 statewide school enrollment
counts depicted on slide 6. She noted the table at the top of
the slide shows the statewide FY 21 Online Alaska School
Information System (OASIS) update count data compared to the FY
21 projected count data and the FY 2020 actual. She further
noted that the FY 22 projected count data is also shown and
compared to the FY 21 OASIS count data. She explained that the
FY 21 projected data is the data that was submitted to the
department in November 2019 in accordance with AS 14.17.500, and
those counts are used to prepare the FY 21 governor's budget.
The projected data is used for budgeting purposes at the state
level, she continued, and there is no provision that allows DEED
to pay on projected data. The FY 21 OASIS update data is the
results of the department's reconciliation and review of the
student count data provided by districts during the 20-day count
period that ended on October 23, 2020. Annually the department
reviews the initial data submitted to remove all duplicates to
ensure that no student receives more than one ADM, as well as
reviewing the department's special education intensive student
reviews. After that process is done the department has come up
with its OASIS update information that is of December 18. She
noted that DEED is still finalizing its review of the special
education intensive counts, so any changes as a result of that
review are not reflected in the numbers being provided to the
committee in this presentation. The FY 22 projected data is
what was provided to the department in November 2020 in
accordance with statute, she explained, and those counts were
used to determine the governor's FY 22 budget.
MS. TESHNER continued her discussion of slide 6. She drew
attention to the student count data at the top of the slide and
reported that the FY 21 OASIS regular ADM (brick-and-mortar ADM)
has decreased 15,352.91, a 13.4 percent decrease, compared to
the department's FY 21 projected data. The FY 21 OASIS
correspondence ADM has increased 13,445.80, or a [94.9] percent
increase over the FY 21 projected, with an overall ADM decrease
of 1,907.11 or a 1.5 percent decrease compared to FY 21
projected. She said the overall adjusted ADM is an increase of
5,698.09 or a 2.2 percent increase compared to FY 21. She
explained that slides 8 and 9 provide a glance at the factors
that determine the districts' adjusted ADM and the statewide
adjusted ADM. "The factors that are contributing to the
increase in adjusted average daily membership," she pointed out,
"is due to changes in our school size ADMs, the hold harmless
provision, and shifts in correspondence, so shifting from brick
and mortar to correspondence."
9:55:57 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked where the 1,907 students have gone in
the total ADM production; for example, whether they have left
the state or gone to private schools. She said some schools do
exit interviews of students who have left the district.
MS. TESHNER responded that the department doesn't collect data.
Unless a student is enrolled in a public school, she continued,
DEED doesn't know where they have gone. The districts, if
they've done exit interviews, know if a student has left the
state, or gone to a private school or private correspondence, or
other non-Alaska public school system. So, she advised, the
districts could easily answer that question.
9:57:16 AM
REPRESENTATIVE STORY asked whether it would be possible for DEED
to ask the districts for the reports with this information, as
it would be helpful for the committee to know about the students
and where they've gone.
MS. TESHNER agreed the department would ask the districts.
CHAIR DRUMMOND related that the state demographer has noted that
lots of families have left the state, and therefore in turn
students have left the state.
9:58:22 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX inquired as to how DEED arrived at the
projections for FY 22. He observed that the department is
projecting 8.8 percent of students coming back to brick and
mortar and 31 percent of correspondence students leaving.
MS. TESHNER answered that the projected numbers are provided
directly by the districts; the districts project what their
enrollments will look like in the following year. She explained
that every November the districts analyze the trends that
they've had, and the conversations that they've had, and many
districts have heard from parents that they want their kids to
come back to the brick and mortar if they have gone to the
correspondence. She said the department compiles the data
received from the districts for budgeting purposes. There is no
student identification behind any of the numbers, she noted. It
is strictly a count that districts project will be for the next
year; it is then trued up after the count period every year.
9:59:54 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND concluded the hearing and stated that the
presentation would be continued at a future meeting to be
announced.
10:00:23 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 10:00 a.m.