Legislature(2025 - 2026)DAVIS 106
03/14/2025 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB105 | |
| Presentation(s): Statewide and Standardized Assessment Tools | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 105 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
March 14, 2025
8:03 a.m.
DRAFT
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Rebecca Himschoot, Co-Chair
Representative Andi Story, Co-Chair
Representative Maxine Dibert
Representative Ted Eischeid
Representative Jubilee Underwood
Representative Rebecca Schwanke
Representative Bill Elam
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE BILL NO. 105
"An Act relating to mental health education."
- HEARD & HELD
PRESENTATION(S): STATEWIDE AND STANDARDIZED ASSESSMENT TOOLS
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HB 105
SHORT TITLE: PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) GALVIN
02/14/25 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/14/25 (H) EDC, FIN
03/14/25 (H) EDC AT 8:00 AM DAVIS 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE ALYSE GALVIN
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: As prime sponsor, presented HB 105.
DAVID JIANG, Staff
Representative Alyse Galvin
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: On behalf of Representative Alyse Galvin,
prime sponsor, read the sectional analysis and gave a PowerPoint
presentation to HB 105.
JASON LESSARD, Former Board Member
Alaskan Psychiatric Institute
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony on HB 105.
JAMES BIELA
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Alaska Chapter
Bethel, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony on HB 105.
ANN RINGSTAD, Executive Director
NAMI Alaska
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave invited testimony on HB 105.
DR. ROY GETCHELL, Superintendent
Haines Borough School District
Haines, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation titled "Statewide and
Standardized Assessment Tools".
ANJI GALLANOS, Principal/Superintendent
Kake City Schools
Kake, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Gave a presentation titled "Statewide and
Standardized Assessment Tools".
KELLY MANNING, Deputy Director
Division of Innovation & Education Excellence, Department of
Education & Early Development
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions on the presentation
titled "Statewide and Standardized Assessment Tools"
ACTION NARRATIVE
8:03:20 AM
CO-CHAIR ANDI STORY called the House Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 8:03 a.m. Representatives
Eischeid, Story, Himschoot, Underwood, Dibert, Schwanke, and
Elam were present at the call to order.
HB 105-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
8:04:15 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 105, "An Act relating to mental health
education."
8:05:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ALYSE GALVIN, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented HB 105. She began by reading the sponsor
statement for HB 105 [included in the committee packet] which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Sponsor Statement: House Bill 105
Mental Health Education
HB 105 represents a significant effort to address the
mental health challenges facing our youth. This
legislation recognizes that mental health education is
a vital component of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum
and aims to ensure it is treated with the same level
of importance as physical health education.
To achieve this, the bill directs the Board of
Education & Early Development to work alongside the
Department of Health, the Department of Family and
Community Services, regional tribal health
organizations, and both national and state mental
health experts. This collaborative effort will ensure
that mental health instruction is developed with input
from a broad range of professionals, leading to a
well-rounded and effective curriculum.
Acknowledging the essential role of parents in their
children's education, HB 105 includes a provision
requiring schools to notify parents or guardians at
least two weeks before introducing any mental health
instruction. This measure promotes transparency,
strengthens trust between schools and families, and
encourages parental involvement in their child's
learning experience.
By revising existing health education laws, this bill
guarantees that mental health receives the same
priority as physical health in Alaska's K-12 education
system. The Board of Education will be responsible
for creating clear, age-appropriate guidelines to
integrate mental health instruction effectively into
classrooms.
To maintain oversight and accountability, HB 105
requires the Board of Education to submit a report to
the Legislature within two years of the law's
enactment. This report will outline the established
mental health education guidelines and detail the
process used in their development, ensuring lawmakers
stay informed on its progress and implementation.
The bill also allows for a two-year transition period,
providing sufficient time for careful planning,
stakeholder input, and curriculum preparation before
mental health instruction is fully implemented in
schools.
HB 105 is a proactive measure designed to equip
Alaska's students with the knowledge and resources
they need to understand and manage their mental well-
being. By fostering collaboration among education and
health professionals, this legislation lays the
foundation for a healthier, more resilient generation.
I encourage my colleagues to support this critical
initiative.
8:09:14 AM
DAVID JIANG, Staff, Representative Alyse Galvin, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Alyse Galvin, prime
sponsor, read the sectional analysis and gave a PowerPoint
presentation to HB 105. He began by reading the sectional
analysis for HB 105 [included in the committee packet] which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
HB 105: Mental Health Education
Sectional Analysis Version A
Section 1- Adds a new section to 14.03.016(a)
Legislative Intent: It is the intent of the
legislature that the board of Education and Early
Development develop guidelines for instruction in
mental health in consultation with the Department of
Health, the Department of Family and community
Services, regional tribal health organizations, and
representatives of national and state mental health
organizations.
Section 2- Adds a new subsection to 14.03.016(a)- A
parent's right to direct the education of the parent's
child.
(7) Provides for notification of parents or guardians
no less than two weeks before a class or program may
provide mental health instruction a child.
Section 3- Amends AS 14.30.360(a) Health education
curriculum; physical activity guidelines. Amended to
add mental health to the K-12 Health education
curriculum, putting mental and physical health equal
weight.
Section 4- Amends AS 14.30.360(b)- Health education
curriculum; physical activity guidelines. Amended to
include board establishment of guidelines for
developmentally appropriate instruction in mental
health. In developing these developmentally
appropriate guidelines the state board shall consult
with the Department of Health (DoH), the Department of
Family and Community Services (DFCS), regional tribal
health organizations, and national and state mental
health organizations.
Section 5- Adds a new section to AS 14.30.360(b),
Report to the Legislature: Two years after the
effective date of this Act, the state Board of
Education and Early Development shall submit a report
to the Senate and House and notify the legislature
that the report is available. The report must
(1) include a copy of the guidelines for
developmentally appropriate instruction in mental
health developed by the Board as required under
AS 14.30.360(b), as amended by sec. 4 of this
Act; and
(2) describe the process the Board used to
develop the guidelines. Section 6- Adds a new
section to AS 14.30.360(b) Transition: The state
Board of Education and Early Development shall
develop the mental health guidelines required by
AS 14.30.360(b), as amended by sec. 4 of this
Act, within two years after the effective date of
this Act
8:12:37 AM
MR. JIANG began the PowerPoint presentation for HB 105 on slide
1, which described the legislative intent of HB 105 and moved to
slide 2, which displayed a graph that highlighted the higher-
than-average suicide rates among Alaska's youth. He continued
to slide 3, which displayed a map of the United States that
highlighted specific states which have already adopted any type
of mental health education curriculum. He moved to slide 4,
which explained how HB 105 would allow school districts to
implement programs unique to their own district under the
guidelines established by the proposed legislation. He
concluded the presentation on slide 5, which emphasized HB 105's
goals to synthesize mental health and well-being in Alaska's
youth as well as reduce the shame surrounding mental health
conversations.
8:19:27 AM
JASON LESSARD, Former Board Member, Alaskan Psychiatric
Institute, gave invited testimony on HB 105. He emphasized that
"mental health is health" and the fact that 75 percent of all
lifetime-persisting mental health conditions begin by age 24.
He said that early intervention is key with regards to mental
healthcare and explained that the aim of HB 105 is to help
schools and school districts have more direction in both the
destigmatizing of conversations surrounding mental health and
the delivery of mental health care. He emphasized that HB 105
would not mandate any of its proposed policies and said that HB
105 would only create a series of guidelines for school
districts to follow.
8:25:45 AM
JAMES BIELA, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Alaska
Chapter, gave invited testimony on HB 105. He shared that many
students in Alaska are unable to seek health because they do not
understand how to seek or ask for help. He said that HB 105
would help to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and
emphasized that mental health is "central to students
wellbeing." He said that HB 105 would recognize the need for
parental involvement in the delivery of mental health care to
youth and said that education and awareness are vital in
addressing the mental health challenges that face Alaska's
youth.
8:30:36 AM
ANN RINGSTAD, Executive Director, NAMI Alaska, gave invited
testimony on HB 105. She said that one in six youth are
affected by a mental health condition, yet only half of them
receive any care for that condition. She said that 62.9 percent
of Alaskans who were affected by depression in the previous year
have not received care for their condition. She said that there
are often long delays in treatment for youth mental health
conditions, which can lead to a worsening of the condition and
further consequences, whether they be financial, legal, or
lethal. She said that the identification of mental health
conditions earlier in a person's life would equip them with
vital knowledge of their own mental health and allow them to
rise above their condition and triumph over their condition.
8:34:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked Representative Galvin if she had
any data regarding the impacts of mental health curriculum.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN answered that the State of Washington has
a mental health curriculum that is often regarded as the "gold
standard" and explained that data is often varied in its
effects.
MR. JIANG added that he would follow up with more specific data
regarding the outcomes of mental health curriculum.
8:37:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked how broad the proposed policies of HB
105 would be and asked what kind of privacy parameters would
surround any curriculum and mental health care being given. He
asked who would provide the specific mental health instruction
and asked what the proposed mental health curriculum might look
like.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN answered that the parameters of HB 105 do
not include "anyone diagnosing anyone" and said that the
proposed legislation's intent is to elevate the conversation of
mental health in an age appropriate way that would allow
parents, students, and school districts to have more options in
how they choose to address the mental health of youth. She
answered that the curriculums proposed by HB 105 would likely
fall under the teachings of a school district's health class.
8:44:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked if there is any idea of how many
school districts in Alaska that have already implemented mental
health curriculums similar to the one mentioned in HB 105.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN answered that school districts in
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have implemented policies
similar to the ones proposed by HB 105.
MR. JIANG added that there are about 20 school districts in
Alaska that have already implemented mental health curriculums
and emphasized that HB 105 would simply give school districts
guidelines on how to create a mental health curriculum.
8:48:21 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT shared an anecdote of a school counselor in
her home school district that helped to intervene with a child
who was experiencing a mental health crisis and said that it is
"incredibly important to think of mental health and physical
health has the same thing." She asked if HB 105 would set any
specific guidelines of mental health instruction specific to
each level of education.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN replied that the proposed legislation does
not include any language regarding specific instruction
curriculums, rather it includes guiding language that explains
to school districts how they might establish a mental health
curriculum.
8:55:26 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that HB 105 would be held over.
^PRESENTATION(S): Statewide and Standardized Assessment Tools
PRESENTATION(S): Statewide and Standardized Assessment Tools
8:55:55 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the final order of business would
be a presentation titled "Statewide and Standardized Assessment
Tools" by the Department of Education & Early Development
(DEED).
8:56:42 AM
DR. ROY GETCHELL, Superintendent, Haines Borough School
District, gave a presentation titled "Statewide and Standardized
Assessment Tools". He began on slide 2, which highlighted the
history of education assessments and compared how the
measurement of a student's success has changed over the years.
He moved to slide 3, which outlined the four main types of
assessments that are administered in education today.
9:03:08 AM
ANJI GALLANOS, Principal/Superintendent, Kake City Schools, gave
a presentation titled "Statewide and Standardized Assessment
Tools". She picked up the presentation on slide 4, which
further detailed the four main types of assessments that are
administered in education today.
9:05:10 AM
DR. GETCHELL resumed the presentation on slide 5, which
described the Program for International Student Assessment
(PISA) and how its results and implementation differ among the
countries it is administered in. He moved to slide 6, which
displayed an image of the score that one might obtain from a
"bubble test" and continued to slide 7, which highlighted the
Northwest Evaluation Association's Measures of Academic Progress
(MAPS) test and its impacts and implementation throughout
schools in Alaska.
9:08:24 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Dr. Getchell to explain how the previous
commissioner of the DEED helped to reduce the amount of
standardized assessment occurring in Alaska public schools.
DR. GETCHELL answered that it would be "best practice for
learning" to have a minimum number of standardized assessments
during a school year and explained the process and purpose of
standardized testing in public schools.
9:10:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked if there are any specific standards or
testing measures that are referred to when Alaska's testing
scores are compared to the rest of the country.
DR. GETCHELL answered that most of the country adopted the
"Common Core" standards of assessment and Alaska uses the
"Alaska" standards of assessment.
9:11:30 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked how many school districts across the United
States use MAPS.
DR. GETCHELL answered that MAPS is by far the most common
assessment tool used in the United States.
9:12:15 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked if the AK STAR test is different
or the same as the MAPS test.
DR. GETCHELL replied that both tests are created by the
Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) and emphasized that the
MAPS and AK STAR tests are different from each other in their
methodology and content.
9:13:50 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT commented that Alaska has paid for and
administered four different statewide tests and said that she
would like to see if the State could determine one specific test
to be administered.
DR. GETCHELL shared his agreement with Co-Chair Himschoot's
remarks.
9:15:44 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE commented the relief that came to
students, educators, and administrators when the MAPS test
became standard across Alaska public schools.
9:16:27 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT commented her appreciation for using
students' growth as an achievement metric.
9:17:18 AM
DR. GETCHELL resumed the presentation on slide 8, which
displayed a graph that compared how growth and achievement could
be used as a metric for the success of a school district.
9:19:46 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT excitedly shared her appreciation for the
graph displayed on slide 8.
9:20:55 AM
DR. GETCHELL resumed the presentation on slide 8 and elaborated
on achievement-growth standards. He continued to slide 9, which
displayed an image of a "Sample Student Report" that a teacher
would receive to visualize a student's growth over time.
9:22:53 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT enthusiastically shared her appreciation for
the Sample Student Report and its effectiveness in assessing a
student's overall wellbeing and achievement.
9:24:26 AM
DR. GALLANOS picked up the presentation on slide 10, which
further elaborated on the positive aspects of the Sample Student
Report. She moved to slide 11, which displayed a map of Juneau
that she used as an analogy for a student's direction and needs.
She continued to slide 12, which highlighted the AK READS Act
Assessment and the positive impacts of both the legislation and
its associated assessment. She moved to slide 13, which further
detailed the assessment tools currently being used by school
districts in Alaska. She continued through slides 14 and 15,
both of which summarized the results of the Dynamic Indicators
of Basic early Literacy Skills (DIBELS 8) test and explained how
the data determined by the test could be an effective tool for
school districts and teachers to understand and make sense of
students and their progress throughout their school career.
9:32:50 AM
DR. GETCHELL thanked the committee for the opportunity to hear
the presentation.
9:33:35 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY asked Dr. Getchell how teachers might use the
data presented by a DIBELS 8 test result.
DR. GETCHELL answered that professional development days are
aligned with DIBELS 8 and MAPS assessment days to evaluate
instructional and developmental decisions among teachers. He
emphasized that there is "a lot of work that happens to put this
[testing] information into action".
9:36:26 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked Dr. Getchell to try and understand
"the importance of how influential an educator could be on a
single day".
DR. GETCHELL replied that test scores highlight a "moment in
time" and said that he appreciated Representative Schwanke's
perspective.
9:42:51 AM
REPRESENTATIVE DIBERT commented that MAPS scores are extremely
effective in being able to "meet a student where they're at"
when they've recently transferred to a new school.
DR. GETCHELL thanked Representative Dibert for sharing her
perspective and emphasized the consistency of MAPS tools across
all states in the country.
9:46:23 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked if there is a "collective report card"
that the Alaska State Legislature could use as a reference when
it is creating education policy.
DR. GETCHELL explained that there is "so much misunderstanding"
with regard to standardized assessments in Alaska and said that
there were many ways to view the efficacy of a test
administered.
9:49:45 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT commented that prior to 2001, there were no
assessment standards in the state of Alaska and after 2001,
there was a period of "over testing" that created a problematic
relationship with education assessments, whereas now there are
very minimal tests, and the public has still maintained a
pessimistic attitude towards education assessments. She asked
if the school district or the state would pay for each education
assessment that is administered.
9:53:42 AM
KELLY MANNING, Deputy Director, Division of Innovation &
Education Excellence, Department of Education & Early
Development, answered questions on the presentation titled
"Statewide and Standardized Assessment Tools". She answered
that the DEED covers the cost of full-year MAPS testing for
grades 3-9 as apart of a contract created by Alaska System of
Academic Readiness (AKSTAR).
9:55:17 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY thanked the invited testifiers and delivered
committee announcements.
9:56:27 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Education Standing Committee meeting was adjourned at 9:56 p.m.