Legislature(2021 - 2022)BUTROVICH 205
01/29/2021 09:00 AM Senate EDUCATION
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| Presentation: Department of Education and Early Development Introduction and Update by Commissioner Johnson | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE EDUCATION STANDING COMMITTEE
January 29, 2021
9:02 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Roger Holland, Chair
Senator Gary Stevens, Vice Chair
Senator Shelley Hughes
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Tom Begich
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT
INTRODUCTION AND UPDATE BY COMMISSIONER JOHNSON
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record.
WITNESS REGISTER
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Ph.D., Commissioner
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented an introduction and update on
DEED.
ERIN HARDIN, Legislative Liaison
Department of Education and Early Development (DEED)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Described DEED online information resources.
ACTION NARRATIVE
9:02:31 AM
CHAIR ROGER HOLLAND called the Senate Education Standing
Committee meeting to order at 9:02 a.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Stevens, Begich, Hughes, Micciche, and Chair
Holland.
^Presentation: Department of Education and Early Development
Introduction and Update by Commissioner Johnson
Presentation: Department of Education and Early Development
Introduction and Update by Commissioner Johnson
9:03:17 AM
CHAIR HOLLAND announced the presentation Department of Education
and Early Development Introduction and Update by Commissioner
Johnson. He shared that he plans to dive deeper into these
educational issues in future hearings.
9:03:49 AM
MICHAEL JOHNSON, Ph.D., Commissioner, Department of Education
and Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, said that Erin
Hardin, DEED legislative liaison, would present with him. He
noted that it is an odd year and he misses the normal routines
of the session. He observed that if he were presenting in
person, he could notice nonverbal cues that indicated
legislators had questions. He planned to pause at the end of
each slide to wait for any questions.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that he would give a high-level
overview of the presentation agenda: Introduction and Overview
of DEED; COVID-19 Update: School Guidance and Support; Overview
of Alaska Student Performance; and Questions for Discussion.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON read Article VII, Section 1 of the Alaska
constitution:
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 read the State Board of Education mission
statement, an excellent education for every student every day,
and vision statement, 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.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON shared that he particularly appreciated the
Board's vision statement and their wisdom to directly connect
with the legislature by putting the vision statement in statute.
DEED's purpose is, in its daily work, to provide information,
resources, and leadership to support an excellent education for
every student every day. The presentation will give examples of
how DEED is doing this.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that the Alaska legislature has made
it clear that Alaska's schools are to be governed and operated
by locally-elected school boards. The school boards establish
policy and educational programs for students enrolled in their
schools. The legislature has given DEED general supervision over
public schools with an emphasis on distributing funds
appropriated by the legislature and federal government. DEED's
authority is appropriately limited to that which is given to it
by the Alaska legislature.
9:10:48 AM
SENATOR BEGICH noted that he would like a future discussion
about the ability of the department to supervise a school
district that is deeply underperforming. He asked if the
commissioner would be willing to provide what the department can
do in terms of intervention.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded absolutely. The more precise that
everyone can be in terms of statute and legislative intent about
what general supervision means is better for everyone and will
result in more effective educational programs throughout the
state.
SENATOR BEGICH explained that he wants to figure out what the
partnership responsibility of the legislature is. For example,
with the Rural Education Attendance Areas (REAA), the
legislature has delegated authority to advisory school boards
that are elected, but in some instances, there have been
difficulties in achieving educational outcomes in REAAs. He
wants to hear from the State Board and commissioner what the
legislative responsibilities are. He hasn't not been involved in
a discussion about that since he has been at the legislature.
9:12:40 AM
SENATOR STEVENS added that the governor presented his state of
state address the previous night. The governor spoke about
establishing a task force or committee to really look into
reading. There are about 40 districts that are not where they
should be with reading programs. The bigger ones are, but
smaller districts need help. Senator Stevens is anxious to flesh
out how the department will give general supervision through
that committee and wants to hear from the commissioner about how
that committee will work.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that he welcomes conversations with
Senator Stevens at any time. The commissioner said he is excited
about the potential. The emphasis on reading began last year
with the Alaska Reads Act that the Education Committee worked
very hard on last session. This furthers demonstrates the
governor's commitment to that work going forward.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON reviewed DEED's core services and
functions: distribute public school funding; provide fiscal
accountability, compliance, and oversight; develop, implement;
and maintain school effectiveness programs; and maintain active
partnerships for Pre-K through age 20 and lifelong learning.
DEED supports programs districts choose.
9:17:26 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON displayed DEED's organizational chart and
said the department is blessed with skilled and talented
employees who can help assist the work of the Education
Committee with expertise, experience, and information throughout
session. DEED has about 185 staff and distributes about $8.3
million in grants per staff member that goes to districts. DEED
is overseen by the State Board of Education, which makes it
unique among departments. The board hires the commissioner of
the department. The governor appoints the board members who are
subject to confirmation by the legislature. DEED has five
divisions (Innovation and Educational Excellence; Finance and
Support Services; Administrative Services; Libraries, Archives,
and Museums; and Mt. Edgecumbe High School) and houses three
boards and commissions (Alaska State Council on the Arts,
Professional Teaching Practices Commission, and Alaska
Commission on Postsecondary Education). The Commission on
Postsecondary Education is housed at DEED for administrative and
budgetary purposes, but DEED has no oversight over it.
SENATOR BEGICH stated that four appointments to the board were
presented to the legislature a few days ago. He asked if those
were the same four from last year.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that the one new name is Mr.
Erickson.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON presented slide 9, DEED's strategic
priorities, Alaska's Education Challenge. He hoped this would be
the one slide that everyone prints to leave on their desks
throughout the session. The Alaska Education Challenge is an
opportunity for all of them to focus their energies for maximum
impact for Alaska students. Over the last four years, parents,
students, educators, policy makers, tribal leaders, partner
organizations, and local school boards stepped forward to answer
Alaska's call for action to create a shared vision for improving
the public education system. The result is the five shared
priorities of the Alaska Education Challenge to improve outcomes
for students. The governor shared some ideas about these
priorities last night [in his state of the state speech] and the
committee did great work last year around these priorities:
1. Support all students to read at grade level by the
end of third grade
2. Increase career, technical, and culturally relevant
education to meet student and workforce needs
3. Close the achievement gap by ensuring equitable
educational rigor and resources
4. Prepare, attract, and retain effective education
professionals
5. Improve the safety and well-being of students
through school partnerships with families,
communities, and tribes
9:22:27 AM
ERIN HARDIN, Legislative Liaison, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, presented the
legislative resources on the two predominant education topics
that come up during the session, school finance and facilities
and early learning programs. DEED's website has a tremendous
amount of information on school finance. For example, districts'
audited fund reports can be reviewed. One of the most heavily
read reports last year was the FY2021 Student Count Period and
Hold Harmless Provision White Paper. There are web pages on each
early learning program and grant that receives state funding.
There is a recent Head Start FY2021 State Equitable Funding
Formula White Paper. She noted that the department has a long-
standing, experienced fiscal team which is available to provide
the committee with any specific funding presentation request.
MS. HARDIN presented slide 11 on constituent resources. She
observed that the vast majority of calls to the DEED front desk
are about teacher certification requirements. DEED has a
dedicated team to assist with certification and has many
informational resources online. Those resources include access
to free, online mandatory training through DEED's eLearning
catalog. In the fall of 2019, the department launched an online
data portal for families called the Compass, which provides
important information to families about schools so that they can
make the best decisions for their child's educational
experience. The school-level data is easily accessible and
understood. Visitors can view school profile and student
performance data over multiple years, compare schools, and
explore education options with their local school districts and
across the state. Last year Compass expanded to include per
pupil spending information.
9:27:22 AM
SENATOR HUGHES asked if DEED could tell if the traffic on
Compass comes from the public or teachers and whether the
department knows whether families have picked some schools over
others because of Compass data.
MS. HARDIN answered that the department can monitor traffic but
not the type of visit. Compass does have a survey box. That is a
great idea to take to the team to see if there is a way to
capture information on who is visiting the site.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON moved to slide 12, COVID-19 Update: School
Guidance and Support and said he was hoping and praying that
COVID-19 would be a temporary situation for students but that
the opportunity to reimagine public education would not be. "Our
responsibility is to dedicate ourselves to a stronger and better
public school system out of this trial that we've all been
through," he said. "Our teachers, administrators, parents, and
so many others have embraced this opportunity to reimagine our
public schools. Though it has been a difficult season, the view
ahead looks very exciting." During these challenging times, DEED
has remained committed to providing an excellent education to
every student every single day. All COVID responses have been
based on exceptional partnerships with others. The cooperation,
collaboration, and communication that has taken place with
school districts and education partners has been remarkable. He
thanked teachers, school administrators, parents, and education
advocates throughout the state who have been relentless in
facing the challenges of COVID and creating opportunities for
their students. Thanks to the coordination of the Alaska Council
of School Administrators (ACSA), DEED has had weekly meetings
with superintendents, principals, educational stakeholders, and
others throughout the pandemic hosted by ACSA. Those meetings
have included medical staff from the Department of Health and
Social Services (DHSS) including Doctors Zink, McClaughlin, and
Ohlsen. DHSS dedicated medical staff to exclusively assist
school districts throughout the pandemic. DHSS hosted weekly
ECHO sessions to help navigate decision making. Districts have
been appreciative of DHSS and Commissioner Crum's approval of
the hiring of a medical doctor to be on call. The doctor has
spent many hours with school districts to help them through the
pandemic. Thanks to the U.S. Department of Education Region 16
Comprehensive Center run out of SERCC, Alaska's Educational
Resource Center, DEED was able to quickly stand up a number of
resources and webinar series on aklearns.org. It continues to
serve as a clearinghouse of resources for teachers and families.
One specific example of partnership efforts is Beyond the Bell,
a series of afterschool virtual opportunities for teachers for
professional learning around high-demand topics.
9:32:57 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that thanks to NEA-Alaska, DEED
provided access to AK Learns Commons, a statewide shared
warehouse full of K-12 course content, including courses
uploaded and reviewed by Alaska educators, and accessed through
Canvas, a learning management system. DEED has been appreciative
of the partnership with NEA-Alaska to use COVID funds to make
that available to educators. The Alaska Association of School
Boards also hosted virtual meetings for school board members
around legal issues and other topics facing boards during the
pandemic. DEED has worked with philanthropy to get hundreds of
thousands of bottles of hand sanitizers and personal protective
equipment donated to school districts.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said a major focus of the department's
COVID work was the creation of the Smart Start 2020 framework
for reopening schools. The department and its partners realized
last spring that fall would be very challenging logistically for
schools. DEED published the Smart Start 2020 framework last May
to assist districts with the planning process. DEED worked with
DHSS for guidance on that framework. Most school districts began
their planning last May and June. The comprehensive center
helped DEED create a website to connect the public to individual
school districts Smart Start plans. Those various district plans
on opening schools in the fall are on the website.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON presented more information on COVID-19
school guidance and support on slide 13. The Alaska Statewide
Virtual System (AKSVS) was implemented to expand opportunities
for students across Alaska with high-quality, online courses for
K-12 students at no cost. The system also provided training and
professional development in the area of virtual instruction to
over 190 teachers across the state. To date, 36 districts have
requested access to the AKSVS platform and content. In August of
2020, CARES (Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security) Act
funds were used to purchase the licensing necessary to provide
Canvas accounts for ever teacher and student in the state.
Canvas is used by schools to manage digital learning. DEED
provided account access as an additional tool at no cost to
school districts, teachers, and students. This was part of
partnering with NEA-Alaska. DEED is still partnering with NEA to
provide access to AK Learns Commons, an online warehouse full of
K-12 course content for educators to access through Canvas.
Twenty-three districts are using Canvas with nearly 70,000
individual teacher and student users statewide. More districts
are in conversation with DEED about using Canvas. DEED is
working on using additional CARES Act funds to secure the
license for a second and hopefully third year. Teachers are
helping to build this from the classroom up rather than the
other way around. It is a community of educators reimagining the
possibilities.
9:38:13 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said that enrollment shifted because of the
pandemic. The DEED school finance team is working hard to finish
a review of FY21 student enrollment submitted by school
districts. DEED anticipates having the final enrollment numbers
by the end of month, except for intensive needs special
education students. As of December 18, ADM (Average Daily
Membership) showed a decrease of about 13.1 percent and about
that same amount of increase in correspondence student numbers.
DEED is working with districts to know what happened with
students who may have left the system and will report that to
the committee.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON noted that DEED's administrative services,
finance, and federal programs team has been working overtime to
provide information resources and leadership to school
districts, policy makers, and stakeholders about the two federal
relief packages that contain substantial funding for districts
in response to the pandemic. The state of Alaska's allocation
under the first CARES Act last summer was $38.4 million. Of that
total, $34.5 million went directly to districts by formula in
the law. School districts have until September 30, 2022, to
obligate that funding. As of January 5, 2021, districts have
requested reimbursements of up to $11.1 million. Districts still
have over half of that money to spend. The second act,
Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations
(CRRSA) Act, was signed into law in late December of 2020. Of
the $159.7 million for Alaska, $143.7 million goes directly to
school districts by formula. School districts will have until
September 30, 2023, to obligate that money. The application
process for districts will be available to districts on February
15. DEED has spreadsheets by district online to show spending
for both CARES Acts. The CRRSA Act expanded the list of
allowable activities and addresses learning loss, summer
programs, school facility repairs and improvements, and air
quality improvement. It is very flexible money. DEED will
welcome any opportunity that the committee wants to dive into
school enrollment, associated foundation funding, federal
relief, and other aspects of COVID response.
SENATOR HUGHES asked if DEED is tracking the money used so far
and if DEED will report to the legislature on how the CARES Act
funding is being used by school districts.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that both Acts require some
reporting. DEED gathers data on how the money was used through
the reimbursement process.
SENATOR HUGHES stated that she would like that information at
whatever level the department has. A few years ago, she had
tried to get a more robust virtual system for students. She
regretted that it wasn't in place during the pandemic. Districts
were doing their best to shift to online learning, but she was
helping her granddaughter in first grade and was shocked at how
poor the material was in keeping a child tuned in, such as a
white screen with black text with no color or animation. There
are a lot of good programs for computers available to buy. She
recalled the state had a contract through Florida. She asked the
commissioner if he saw a potential to improve the virtual school
platform across the state so it can continue to be an option,
especially for rural schools, as well as if another strain of
COVID would require school closures again. She asked if there is
room for improvement and for the state to have no need to
contract with Florida.
9:45:33 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that he is optimistic about the
potential, but what happened with virtual learning during the
pandemic is different from what will be imagined going forward.
Virtual learning does not mean no in-person instruction. That is
a result of a pandemic. Virtual learning can happen in the
classroom with a teacher. It is a method of delivery. "Yes, we
will grow and learn. I am very excited about our opportunities.
We have teachers around the state that have been working very
hard to improve those experiences for students and teachers. The
Canvas platform is a place for instruction to happen, but it
also a place for training to happen so that we can equip
educators better to use those kinds of resources," he said.
People around the country are working on improving that student
experience for various virtual opportunities. No one should base
the reimagining of public education on the past year. Enrollment
projections for next year show that some families will continue
either a home-based or hybrid model, all in partnership with
their local school districts. Families still want to be
connected with their local public schools and will want some of
the flexibility for in-person learning. Mat-Su Central, which
was in existence long before the pandemic, is an example of
that.
9:48:21 AM
SENATOR BEGICH asked about the cost of the Canvas statewide
license.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that he did not have exact number
with him. The Canvas license for the virtual learning platform
was around one million dollars, and DEED also contracted with a
teacher in Anchorage to implement that. He would get the figures
for the committee.
SENATOR BEGICH shared that he has some concerns about the
enrollment count. He has listened to the department's efforts
around teacher retention efforts the last 10 months. Some of the
discussion and part of the purpose of the constitutional
amendment Senator Costello proposed was to stabilize funding for
school districts so that teacher recruitment could be done more
effectively with the timing of school budgets. He asked how the
state is accommodating the anomaly in school enrollment counts
to ensure a smooth transition between last year and next year so
that school districts are not in the never-ending cycle of being
unable to recruit teachers because districts don't know what
their future looks like. He asked what the department can do to
smooth out enrollment counts, whether there is anything the
department can do or does it require legislative action.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that since families are encouraged
to make the best choices for their students, where they enroll
their kids is somewhat out of DEED's control. However, one
reason that the enrollment shift impacts school districts is
that the state funds correspondence and brick-and-mortar
students differently. Even in the past, before the pandemic,
some students, especially in high school, may have elected to
take an online course, which raised the question of how to
classify that student. He thinks a student is a student. Part of
stabilizing is funding students fully through the formula,
regardless of how they choose to access the public education
systems. Also, school districts are getting substantial
financial relief from the federal government. That may not
address all the needs, but the department is monitoring the
Biden administration proposals for another round of relief that
can hopefully stabilize districts, especially going into next
year.
9:52:49 AM
SENATOR STEVENS commented that he appreciated two of the issues
in the governor's speech last night. Two struck Senator Stevens
as particularly important and difficult for the department. The
first is a reading office in the department, under the
commissioner's control, that would coordinate all districts in
bringing children up to speed on reading. Many have fallen
behind because of being out of school. The second issue is
summer school because so many ghost students have disappeared.
The state will try to catch them up with summer school. Both
those issues will be expensive. He asked if the cost of the two
programs would be covered through the CARES and CRRSA or will
additional funds be needed.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied he is excited about both of those
opportunities. Both CARES acts included money for governors'
offices across the country, so there are those funds, and the
department got a set aside. The department thinks they will have
funds to implement both those programs in a way that will be
helpful to school districts.
SENATOR BEGICH asked whether the governor's reading proposal
includes an early education component.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered details are to be worked out, but
a general statement is that the governor's comments about
reading last night are a continuation of the commitment he made
working on the reading act last year. Hopefully, the plan is to
address everything students need to read proficiently by the end
of third grade.
SENATOR BEGICH shared that something he valued so much last year
working with the governor and DEED was the intensive work of so
many to develop a comprehensive reading program, which included
early education, prepping kids so they can learn, in the
continuum. He encouraged the commissioner to continue to look at
that template, which is based on the best information out there.
Senator Begich noted that he is looking forward to seeing how
that emerges and will be supportive of that, as long as everyone
is looking at the continuum.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that the state is in a great spot
to build upon last year's work and the governor recognizes that
also.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON presented enrollment data on slide 15 and
reminded the committee that each number represents individuals
in a variety of situations. Each student is a gift to the world
and every single one can learn. "These numbers are less about
funding and much more about our responsibility to each and every
one of those individuals," he said.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON moved to slide 16 and noted that the next
few slides were about achievement data, which traditionally have
been part of legislative overviews. It is important information
that should inform policy discussions, as it did with the Alaska
Reads Act, but assessment data is a partial view. Even in places
that are underperforming, good things are still happening in
classrooms around the state.
10:00:11 AM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if the committee could see plots with all
the data presented.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON explained that the National Assessment of
Educational Progress (NAEP) goes back about 20 years, so the
department can share much more data with the committee. They
could meet individually with senators or have a hearing on NAEP
and other data.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked about the dates on the NAEP charts.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON responded that NAEP is the only assessment
given to every state and it is given only every other year. The
last administration was 2019. The 2021 administration was
postponed until next year. No PEAKS (Performance Evaluation for
Alaska's Schools) data is available from last spring because it
was cancelled due to COVID.
10:02:28
SENATOR MICCICHE said he didn't realize that the national
assessment was given every two years.
SENATOR HUGHES pointed out that the chart on slide 17 showed why
she wanted people to realize that reading by nine is so
important. On NAEP fourth grade reading, Alaska is tied with New
Mexico and every other state is ahead of Alaska. "We've got work
to do," she said. She asked if there are any comparisons of
Alaska to other nations.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that he is not aware of any
specific data comparing Alaska to the rest of the world. There
is national data. That is enough data to commit the state to the
work of the Alaska Reads Act and other things to improve
achievement because the country does not perform well compared
to other industrial countries and Alaska is performing near the
bottom of the country. However someone may feel about the
assessment results, everyone can agree that they all want to do
better. People quibble about different assessments and results,
but everyone can at least agree that the state wants to do
better for its students. He will get data from the Program for
International Student Assessment and other sources to the
committee.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON said, "To summarize each of these
[achievement data] slides, we must not be satisfied with what we
see on these slides. We just have to be so dissatisfied that
we'll do whatever it takes to improve those outcomes for our
students," he said. "Alaska students, because of our lifestyle
up here and so many other reasons, should be performing at the
top of our country and there's no reason why they shouldn't be,
and so I look forward to working with this committee and school
districts and others to realize improvement."
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON noted that PEAKS, an Alaska-specific
assessment, is required by the federal government in order to
receive tens of millions of dollars of federal funding and is
given in grades three-nine. Again, the state can't be satisfied
with these outcomes. The state must work together to improve. It
is a call to action to improve.
SENATOR BEGICH observed that this is exactly why the legislature
was working with the governor. He, the commissioner, and the
governor have a commitment to ensure all Alaskans have access to
the ability to learn, that is the bottom line. Senator Hughes
and Senator Stevens also have proposed legislation to achieve
that. Everyone is committed to change these scores. They have to
change them. He thanked the commissioner for not shying away
from putting them out there, so they can be addressed by the
committee.
10:07:36 AM
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that transparency and public
education should be inseparable. Although these are not the
results anyone wants, it is not because people--teachers,
educators, parents--have not been working hard. Everyone has to
be dissatisfied with what they see and work together. He
appreciated working with the Senate Education Committee last
year and is looking forward to it this year because it is an
opportunity to come together and to focus their energies on some
shared priorities as represented by the Alaska Education
Challenge and, just as importantly, to show students what it
looks like when people of diverse opinions and views come
together around a shared priority and commit to achieving a
goal.
CHAIR HOLLAND suggested in the interest of time, that the
commissioner move to slide 24, Questions for Discussion:
How can we confront our education challenges
collectively?
How can we resource an excellent education today
without jeopardizing our responsibility to Alaska's
future students?
How can we make funding work better for students?
How can we rebuild from COVID-19 to be more effective
for our students?
How can we provide more transparency as an education
system?
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON observed that discussions about the public
education system need to happen. Students are worth vigorous
deliberations about their educational opportunities. Those
deliberations should also include students.
SENATOR MICCICHE noted that the state has initiated a distance
program because of COVID and that kids are excited about getting
back to school. He asked whether the state has evaluated using
the distance program as low-cost supplemental program for
students who are struggling, such as a remote afterschool
program. He recounted that his fourth grader had been struggling
on reading and that distance education worked for her. She spent
more time independently and is now flipping through Harry Potter
books at a speed he cannot believe. Something happened with
remote education for her that resulted in an incredible amount
of progress. He asked whether the commissioner would consider
that as a different supplemental way to reach kids out of the
classroom.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON answered that some of that work is already
happening across the state. Teachers are being creative and
innovative about using these technologies. Also, so many
companies and organizations have developed resources such as
apps and programs that can be deployed for all sorts of
students. The department is working on summer learning in a box
to help districts and families. When the pandemic began, the
department knew that students who could read would benefit far
more from online learning options that students who couldn't. If
the state wants all students to benefit from the great
innovation and creativity out there, the state has to redouble
its efforts to get kids to read proficiently by the end of third
grade.
SENATOR BEGICH requested information about how COVID has
affected Individualized Education Plans and federally-mandated
services for special education.
SENATOR HUGHES added that she was hoping that DEED is doing an
analysis as far as student learning during the pandemic, such as
what worked and what didn't. This will help the state as it
builds a more robust virtual platform. She is worried about the
achievement gap increasing during the pandemic.
COMMISSIONER JOHNSON replied that he will get that information
to the committee. The DEED sped team has been having weekly
meetings with sped providers throughout the pandemic. DEED
contracted with NWEA, which administers the MAP (Measures of
Academic Progress) assessments, which is used by 96 percent of
students in the state, to help the department understand what
has happened over the last several months.
CHAIR HOLLAND thanked the commissioner for the presentation.
10:15:23 AM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Holland adjourned the Senate Education Standing Committee
meeting at 10:15 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| 1.29.21 (S) EDC Introduction to DEED.pdf |
SEDC 1/29/2021 9:00:00 AM |
DEED Overview |