Legislature(2001 - 2002)
02/11/2002 01:32 PM Senate HES
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ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
February 11, 2002
1:32 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Lyda Green, Chair
Senator Loren Leman, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Wilken
Senator Jerry Ward
Senator Bettye Davis
MEMBERS ABSENT
All Members Present
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
SENATE BILL NO. 250
"An Act extending the dates for assignment of performance
designations of public schools and the dates for reports and
monitoring based on those designations; and providing for an
effective date."
HEARD AND HELD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
SB 250 - See HESS minutes dated 1/30/02.
WITNESS REGISTER
Dr. Mark Leal
Department of Education &
Early Development
th
801 W 10 St.
Juneau, AK 99801-1894
POSITION STATEMENT: Answered questions about SB 250.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 02-7, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIRWOMAN LYDA GREEN called the Senate Health, Education &
Social Services Committee meeting to order at 1:32 p.m. Present
were Senators Wilken, Ward and Green. She announced that SB 250
was before the committee and asked if members had any questions
or comments.
SB 250-SCHOOL PERFORMANCE REPORTS
SENATOR WILKEN referred to the school designator report cards
generated by the Department of Education and Early Development
(DOEED) in 1994-1995, 1998-1999 and the most recent reports
posted on its website. He noted the first report contains
excellent information while the second report offers virtually no
useful information and the reports on the website provide no way
to compare information among schools or districts. He asked if
the school designator reports will continue to "slide down to
what amounts to minimalist information" and whether something
should be added to SB 250 to clarify what the legislature expects
from the report card report.
DR. MARK LEAL, DOEED, said he believes the biggest shift that
occurred in the school report cards happened last year when, by
statute, DOEED had to begin reporting at the individual school
level. He agreed that DOEED could do an analysis of districts but
he is not familiar with the rationale behind the legislation that
changed the focus from districts to schools. He stated that
reporting by school raises confidentiality issues, particularly
for very small schools. He believes DOEED has made a
conscientious effort to gather and report the information by
school and meet the statutory requirement.
DR. LEAL referred to a handout he provided to committee members,
a sample Alaska School Report Card (green), and said it reflects
the comments of many parents, teachers and community members that
school designations need to be based on more than test scores.
The categories on the right side of the report show information
in addition to the test scores.
SENATOR WILKEN referred to language on page 1, lines 9-11, of SB
250 and asked Dr. Leal, "Is this what is promised or called out
in the legislation as we see it today?"
DR. LEAL replied:
The information right now is some of the items of
school quality that are on the - that are on the right
- the attendance. I don't have the specific
legislation in front of me but I know that the
department was careful to make sure that all the
required test scores were included on those school
report cards but I don't have the current school report
card in front of me to be able to comment on that.
SENATOR WILKEN asked how to tell from SB 250 what the public will
see on the report card in two years.
DR. LEAL said one can't tell. He added the reason DOEED is
talking about the school report card is that the designators must
be reported on it; that is where the two are tied.
SENATOR WILKEN asked if the information contained on the report
card is listed in statute.
DR. LEAL said that AS 14.03.078 contains a list of the
information about each school that is required.
SENATOR WILKEN asked if that list is referenced on page 1, line
11, of SB 250.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN indicated that committee members need a
comparison of the 1994-1995 law and current statute. She asked
Senator Wilken if he is requesting that DOEED do an overview
report of what is happening in school districts in addition to
individual school reports.
SENATOR WILKEN said that individual school reports are necessary
as is a basis of comparison but there is no way to do a
comparison. He stated:
Maybe we're at a spot at the transition from district
to school to the designators that brings us back to
have some information that's valuable. What I don't
want to do is have an opportunity - this bill, SB 250 -
to go by this committee and then two years from now we
say, we really didn't ask them what we wanted to know.
That's what I was getting at. It seems back in [SB]
133, which we did last year, it's called out on these
two pages.
He asked Chairwoman Green to hold the bill in committee so that
he can report to the committee what the designators will be and
how they will be reported.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN agreed and said it will most likely be scheduled
again on February 20.
1:47 p.m.
SENATOR DAVIS said she thought DOEED was supposed to provide
members information about what the designator committee decided
was to be in the report.
DR. LEAL referred to the handouts and said what the designator
committee envisions is contained on the sample report card. He
explained that the designation would be based on student
achievement, status and growth score, and persistence and drop
out rate. Other items would be reported but not factored in.
SENATOR WILKEN noted the other handouts contain an update on what
the designator committee has done.
DR. LEAL said the first document is a two-page summary of the
background and what the designator committee wanted to include as
part of the school designator; the second document answers
questions that have been raised about the school designator
system; the third is the sample report card, which puts the dual
requirements of designating schools and reporting on schools
together on the school report card.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the school report card will use the
format of the sample.
DR. LEAL said he anticipates the left column will look the same
but more space will be needed for narrative to report the school
quality sections.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the school itself will be receiving a
score in the Grade 3 Benchmark category column.
DR. LEAL said that is correct and explained that a designation
will be calculated based on averaging the status and growth
together.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the results of this year's tests will
be available.
DR. LEAL said they will.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if anything in statute prohibits DOEED
from producing an overview publication or whether that
requirement was deleted from statute.
DR. LEAL said he would research that question.
SENATOR DAVIS asked for a copy of the 1994-1995 publication.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN said she wonders if the requirement for a
district overview publication was dropped from statute
inadvertently.
SENATOR WILKEN said it may have occurred as part of the change
made in SB 36, which created the designators. He said that is
fine as long as legislators know what they can expect two years
out.
There being no further discussion, CHAIRWOMAN GREEN announced
that the committee will take up SB 256 on Wednesday, February 13.
She then adjourned the meeting at 1:53 p.m.
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