Legislature(2001 - 2002)
02/26/2001 01:35 PM Senate HES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE
February 26, 2001
1:35 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
Quality Schools/Quality Students Update
High School Graduation Qualifying Exam Proposal
PREVIOUS ACTION
High School Graduation Qualifying Exam - See HESS minutes dated
1/27/01, 1/31/01, 2/12/01, 2/14/01, 2/21/01 and 2/24/01.
WITNESS REGISTER
Mr. Carl Rose
Association of Alaska School Boards
316 W 11th St.
Juneau, AK 99801
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed the QS2 Initiative.
Paul Thibodeau
Association of Alaska School Boards
PO Box 695
Craig, AK 99921
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed the QS2 Initiative.
Norm Wooten
Kodiak Island School District Board Member
PO Box 3016
Kodiak, AK 99615
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
Sheri Wikan
Petersburg School Board Member
PO Box 929
Petersburg, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
Hans Bernard
Student Advisor to the Anchorage School Board
18816 Roads End Circle
Eagle River, AK 99577
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
Debbie Ossiander
Anchorage School Board
PO Box 196650
Anchorage, AK 99519
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
John Davis, Superintendent
Bering Strait School District
Unalakleet, AK 99684
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to eliminate the exit exam.
Janelle Privett, Chair
Wrangell School Board
PO Box 775
Wrangell, AK 99929
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
Deb Germano, Chair
Kenai Peninsula Board of Education
PO Box 1511
Homer, AK 99603
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
Deb Edwardson
North Slope Borough School Board Member
PO Box 704
Barrow, AK
POSITION STATEMENT: Prefers to delay the exit exam.
ACTION NARRATIVE
TAPE 01-15, SIDE A
Number 001
CHAIRWOMAN LYDA GREEN called the Senate Health, Education & Social
Services Committee meeting to order at 1:35 p.m. Present were
Senators Ward, Wilken and Chairwoman Green. Chairwoman Green
announced that the committee will first hear a Quality
Schools/Quality Students (QS2) update by Mr. Carl Rose and Mr. Paul
Thibodeau.
MR. PAUL THIBODEAU, President of the Association of Alaska School
Boards (AASB), informed committee members that he is also
representing the Craig School District. He said he will be
discussing how communities can achieve quality schools and quality
students.
QS2 offers training assistance in the areas of leadership, programs
and staff, community, parents and resources. It is community based
and addresses the resources that communities have that can be built
on. QS2 helps schools to mirror their communities and includes the
ASB advocacy agenda, which includes assets, community engagement,
strategic planning, assistance in staff development and curriculum
alignment with the standards. It also includes the AASB's agenda
regarding school board development and school board standards.
MR. THIBODEAU pointed out that the Craig School District began a
strategic planning process in 1990. The district needed the
community to be involved. The district was also fighting funding
limitations. The Craig School District can attest to how
successful the QS2 approach can be. The district's curriculum is
aligned with the standards and is ready for the High School
Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE), and it has been the vehicle
that has helped the district grow, in spite of changes in
administrations and changes in the community. He informed
committee members that Mr. Rose will discuss the details of QS2.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked Mr. Thibodeau how large the Craig School
District is.
MR. THIBODEAU said the Craig School District is a K-12 single site
district, with 520 students.
MR. CARL ROSE, Executive Director of the Association of Alaska
School Boards (AASB), said as districts begin to address how
changes will be made to increase student achievement and how to
implement standards, many are having difficulties. To develop a
process to help three schools this year and six schools next year,
AASB looked for a community based effort to try to improve student
achievement. He referred to a study entitled, "Looking Back," and
informed the committee that the statistics it contains are still
valid. According to that study, in 1950 about 65 percent of the
jobs available were for unskilled labor while jobs available for
skilled labor amounted to 15 percent. As of 2000, available jobs
for skilled labor has increased to 65 percent while available jobs
for unskilled labor is at 20 percent. Businesses surveyed value
teamwork and cooperation, values and responsibility, communication
skills, and competency in employees.
MR. ROSE informed the committee that the Business Education Compact
started with the School to Work effort and moved through Career
Pathways and is now a 501(C)(3) organization that is trying to
ingrain the concept of experiential or applied learning. This
group wants to take a look at the idea of relevance with the belief
that if what is being taught is relevant, people will be attracted
to it. The next page of the document deals with creating systemic
change. The academic standards that are in place are a critical
portion and are one measurement; second are the high school
qualifying exit exam and the benchmark exams. The next issue
becomes a business education compact. The outcome of applied
learning looks something like an authentic assessment or portfolio;
it shows what people know. AASB is providing QS2 right now to
incorporate these areas. The most critical piece that AASB will
play is the Alaska Initiative Community Engagement. AASB received
a grant this year from Senator Stevens for $2 million to use the
assets model as its base. That model contains 40 assets. The
measurement will be the survey offered to parents, students and
adults to determine how many assets are available in their schools.
It describes the amount of opportunity available in the community
to help students succeed.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the Business Education Compact is a non-
profit organization.
MR. ROSE said it is.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if it is independent of AASB.
MR. ROSE said it is. He showed a diagram of the QS2 plan, which
acts as an umbrella for the community's values. Four elements of
education are required: leadership; program and staff; community,
parents and youth; and resource investment. The community has the
opportunity to take a look at what the future holds for their
future and what values they want their children to learn. The
committee that represents the community should reflect that
community. He described the model that will be used and pointed
out that 15 school districts will be using it. AASB is trying to
build capacity across the state.
SENATOR WILKEN asked what the $700,000 is for in year 1.
MR. ROSE said he will review a document that will break that down
shortly. He pointed out the Business Education Compact is working
to get the employability standards ingrained so AASB can work
across the curriculum.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the Alaska Human Resource Investment
Council (AHRIC) came up with these standards.
MR. ROSE said they did. He then described the four quadrants of
the QS2 initiative: leadership; programs and staff; community and
parents; and resources. The leadership quadrant covers school
board development issues, in-district workshops, and professional
development for administrators. The programs and staff quadrant
will address the alignment of content standards, curriculum,
instruction and assessment. The community and parent engagement
quadrant is part of the Alaska Community Engagement effort. He
reviewed the QS2 budget and pointed out the numbers have been
revised. The program and staff training will be one of the largest
expenses. The AASB has used some of its own seed money, has raised
grant money and plans to raise more. The cost in the third year
will be almost $3 million. Two districts have already done their
strategic plans and one has its inventory done. Hopefully, by the
end of spring, the AASB will have an idea of what kind of programs
will be needed to carry out the vision of the districts' strategic
plans.
AASB hopes this money will be available through the foundation
formula in the next ten years, but right now, AASB can't wait.
There is regional and local interest. With the change to a
standards-based diploma system, AASB believes the more capacity it
builds, the more it learns and the more it can help.
Number 1249
SENATOR WILKEN asked if the AASB will have worked with nine school
districts at the end of the three-year period.
MR. ROSE said that is correct.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the community assessments could be
radically different from each other.
MR. ROSE said he didn't think they will differ radically because
the focus is on reading, writing and mathematics. The degree to
which those subjects can be spread across the curriculum will be
the key.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the first three reports are likely to be
used as models for other districts.
MR. ROSE said the community will describe what it values and how it
wants to move forward. Once the community decides where it wants
to go, a program structure will have to be designed. He felt that
most districts will tie their curricula to the exit exam and
technology. He pointed out that a current problem is that
leadership is in isolation so the idea is to get the community to
work with the leadership and staff. If a community sees a vision
and falls upon hard times, the community can speak through a
strategic plan rather than fall victim. It is a powerful way for a
community to be involved.
Number 1475
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked Mr. Rose to describe the status of the
development of standards.
MR. ROSE said everyone is trying to transfer from content
standards, what students should know, to performance standards,
what students should be able to do.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN asked if the Career Pathways and employability
standards work toward the performance standards.
MR. ROSE said they do. AASB is applying standards to areas of
relevance across the curriculum. It is a powerful tool because
students understand why they are dealing with the curriculum.
Number 1564
DRAFT PROPOSAL ON THE EXIT EXAM
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN informed participants that the information on the
handout she provided contains ideas about the exit exam but they
are nothing more than ideas at this time. She asked those who
testify to describe the perfect solution.
MR. NORM WOOTEN, Kodiak Island Borough School District board member
and a member of the board of directors of the National School Board
Association, said he recently sat in on a briefing in Washington,
D.C. given by the U.S. Secretary of Education, Rod Page. He was
gratified to find how closely aligned Alaska is with President
Bush's education policy. President Bush's policy includes closing
the achievement gap, particularly among disadvantaged and minority
students, accountability for school systems, high standards, and
assessment to accurately gauge how well schools are educating
students. It also includes consequences for schools that fail to
meet the standards. It emphasizes reading in early grades and
promotes parental choice. Finally, it includes safe schools.
Alaska's content standards, benchmark exams, and the high school
graduation qualifying exam directly support the Bush education
policy. He thanked the legislators for their foresight and vision.
The Kodiak Island Borough School District supports high standards.
The district wants diplomas to represent quality. The district is
spending an incredible amount of staff time and financial resources
to comply with those requirements. The district wants to continue
testing its students, but suggests that the high school graduation
qualifying exam be delayed to give the district time to do four
things. First, the district wants to ensure its curriculum is
adequately aligned, based on the results of the benchmark test.
The district wants to take the data from students coming up through
the system and ensure that the curriculum is designed so that tenth
graders will have had the instruction and skills necessary to pass
the test. Second, the district wants to implement remediation
programs that target the district's weaknesses. Third, the
district wants to reinforce its staff development program. Finally,
the district wants to make sure the exam is valid, specifically by
making sure the cut scores are appropriate within each content
area.
MS. SHERI WIKAN, Petersburg School Board member, said she agrees
with Mr. Wooten's statement. She said that if students are going
to be held accountable, teachers should be held accountable.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN told Ms. Wikan that incoming teachers must take an
exam, existing teachers were grandfathered in.
MR. HANS BENARD, student advisor to the Anchorage School Board,
said the current deadline for implementation of the graduation exam
will shortchange students' learning. An extension is necessary so
that revisions can be made to the test, so that bilingual and
special education issues can be addressed, and to ensure that all
students have an opportunity to learn. It is in the best interest
of all Alaskans to ensure the state is testing what it promised to
test. A time extension will allow this process to be completed in
the most thoughtful and thorough way possible. Not all students
are the same, so it is imperative that time be taken to adjust the
needs of students with learning disabilities and bilingual
education issues. Legal issues are potentially the most critical
to the legislature at this time; another reason the deadline should
be extended.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN said that one thing that will be difficult to
bring about is a total delay of the exam. She asked Mr. Benard if
he could think of any way the exam could be given, people held
accountable and the test could be tested. She pointed out the
tests are not static.
MR. BENARD said at this time an extension for the graduation
requirement could be made but schools could continue to give the
test and give students a designation on their diploma if they
achieved the current cut score.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN noted that is one of the alternate solutions and
some of the issues, such as crafting a test for the learning
disabled, will be given to the State Board of Education and Early
Development to deal with.
MR. BENARD said that giving the exam will also allow school
districts to identify students who need remedial classes.
Number 2204
MS. DEBBIE OSSIANDER, Anchorage School Board Legislative Chair and
board member of the State School Board Association, said she has
come to recognize the positive discussion she has been monitoring
in this committee. She is heartened by the proposal put forth and
by committee members' remarks made in response to testimony
yesterday. Many school districts believe the emphasis on the
standards movement will be very helpful in the long run. It will
put the spotlight on a proportion of the student population at the
lower to middle end that don't see the spotlight. She felt a
broader look at the exams will be helpful and she sees DOEED going
in that direction. She appreciates the current discussion on the
logistics difficulties that districts will face. The discussion
about how to test the special education population needs to
continue and will require a broad based approach. She applauds the
committee for looking at a layered approach that will offer
transitional endorsements. She believes the committee is heading
in the right direction.
SENATOR WILKEN asked whether the Anchorage School Board has taken a
formal position on the exit exam.
TAPE 01-15, SIDE B
MS. OSSIANDER said the Anchorage School Board has tried to bring to
the forefront the particular problems that it is facing, because it
believes a variety of solutions are available. The Board felt it
was not productive to stake out the answer before it had the full
analysis of the problem. The board believes it would have to
address some specific problems if the test were given right now and
that would be very, very difficult. The board is generally in
favor of a delay and has already offered a specific recommendation
for a transition. She noted she spoke on behalf of the Anchorage
School Board on all of her comments.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN said she believes the issue for the committee is
to keep it simple so that districts are not overwhelmed with too
many choices and chores. Some of the items on the back of the
proposal do not have to be included in this legislation, even
though they are very important. For example, language regarding a
transcript requirement is not found in statute. She believes the
transcript will become far more important than the diploma.
MS. OSSIANDER commented that the Anchorage School Board has had,
over a number of years, discussions with the local chamber of
commerce about the value of transcripts. The board believes there
will be a general raising of the bar if a high stakes exam is used.
MR. JOHN DAVIS, Bering Straits School District Superintendent, said
he is heartened and pleased by Senator Green's proposal. He is
concerned that we have started with the premise that American
schools are failing significantly. He asked Senator Green to
challenge that assumption. This country continues to get measured
against countries with political and economic systems that we do
not aspire to, in particular Japan. According to the literature
and the Japanese news, parents are not particularly pleased with
what their children are doing and look to see how they can make
their education system more like ours. He hopes we aspire to our
own aspirations and continue to challenge them to do better. To
that end, he supports the state's efforts to promote standards. He
cautioned, however, that standards and assessments are different
creatures. He does not support the continued use of the high
stakes exam. He thinks it should be dismissed until such time that
we know what we want to do and then establish a means of
measurement. This approach established a measurement standard that
has taken over the discussion to a much greater degree than it
should. Consequently, everyone is in a bind. The year 2002 is
about to arrive and districts are nervous that too many students
may not be successful. The educational system has not changed so
dramatically during the last few years that such a large number of
students should be designated as failures. He suspects today's
children are every bit as smart as adults, and maybe much smarter.
There is material on the assessment that children should know and
his district will continue to use that information to improve its
program. He is concerned that a single standard is being used to
measure these individuals. That is not done in any other arena. He
is concerned that students be able to join and participate in the
community, once they graduate.
Number 2120
MS. JANELLE PRIVETT, Wrangell School Board Chair, stated she
believes Alaskan children can do anything that is put before them.
The Wrangell district has worked hard; it has been involved in the
standards process for a long time. The Wrangell district has
longevity of teachers, which is a great benefit. That allows the
district to develop educational plans that stay. The district has
made a great effort to hire expertise because it is a small
district and does not have the training opportunities that larger
districts have. She believes Wrangell students are prepared to
take the exit exam. She would like to see other districts have the
opportunities that Wrangell has had and she believes that the
pulling together of educational organizations and communities, such
as with the QS2 plan, will bring about excellence in education.
Most of the concerns she has heard as a board member are from
parents of special education children. Until this point, there has
been no discussion about those children. She also expressed
concern that Alaska is proud of its diversity, yet bilingual
speakers are not recognized in this test. She believes if the
bilingual and special education issues are resolved, the state will
have the accountability it is looking for. She supports the 2004
date to provide time to work out the details.
Number 1891
SENATOR LEMAN said that somebody is doing something right in
Wrangell regarding education. He felt she probably undersells the
community's involvement in the students and that families pull
together, which account, in part, for the success. He believes
that having everyone invested has positive outcomes. He asked her
to share that model with other school districts.
MS. PRIVETT said that seniors do a year long project that is
community oriented to pay back the community for the time and money
spent on education. One student taught a full-year sign language
class for a third grade class and the adults in the community.
Students also have to raise $400 for travel but do something that
will benefit the community. They may hold a wrestling camp for
younger children. The goal of the Wrangell School District was to
point out to students the cost and the value of their education.
For a time, students were asking for handouts from the community
but the board did not want them to grow up learning that is how you
pay for things.
SENATOR WILKEN asked Ms. Privett to elaborate on her concern about
the language component of the exam.
MS. PRIVETT explained that she would like to make sure that the
bilingual concerns are addressed. She pointed out that in
Anchorage, 87 languages are spoken, and many dialects are spoken
around the state. She questioned whether the test is sensitive to
the bias it could create if it is not sensitive to those children's
needs.
SENATOR WILKEN asked if she envisions the test being given in a
language other than English.
MS. PRIVETT said she can't answer that question. She does not know
what it would take to give that child the opportunity to have
excellence in education. She believes DOEED has professionals that
could answer that question. She pointed out that many of the
children in Wrangell have never seen a stoplight before so if one
were to appear on a test, the students would be confused.
MS. DEB GERMANO, Chair of the Kenai Peninsula Board of Education,
said she appreciates the work that has been done on the legislation
up to this point, but she is concerned that the legislation be kept
simple. She is concerned about the endorsement piece. The Kenai
District has been working on a certified diploma for a long time.
She feels the local districts can address that issue more easily.
If the school administration has to work on another problem, more
time will be taken away from another issue that must be addressed,
and that is to make sure that students are meeting the performance
standards and able to pass the exit exam. In the Kenai district,
many students are pressured to perform. The school administration
is doing a good job to get that down and holding school
administrators accountable for what is happening. A two year
extension would provide time to look at the math portion of the
test. The Kenai district is aligning curriculum to the performance
standards. Staff development and remediation are big pieces. The
special education issue is a big issue that professionals will have
to deal with.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN commented that what is perplexing is the range of
abilities and the description of "special education." She assumes
that 75 to 80 percent of special education students will take the
exam with some accommodations but the others could be assessed on
whatever their educational goals were. However, that is very
difficult to place in statute.
MS. GERMANO said the other piece of that puzzle is that we don't
want to set every child up to need an IEP. Ms. Germano said the
bottom line is that we need to educate our children and avoid
litigation.
Number 1459
MS. DEBBIE EDWARDSON, North Slope Borough School District School
Board Member, stated support for the delay of the exit exam. The
district would also like to commend the committee for looking
seriously at the issues involved. She feels it is really important
to separate the goal, which is the standards, from the tool, which
is the assessment that everyone agrees has problems. The Class of
2002 is expected to take the exit exam, yet they have not had the
advantage of taking a benchmark exam. She supports a delay for
that reason. The movement toward an exit exam is a major
educational reform, one that has been needed for a long time, but
to do that, the system has to be rebuilt from the bottom. The
North Slope Borough has aligned its curriculum with the standards
but it needs to look at staff development over a 90,000 square mile
area with high teacher turnover.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN said when the original exit exam legislation was
before the legislature, everyone who voted for that legislation
assumed the current curriculum would be the basis for the
development of the test, not something that exceeded the normal
graduation requirements. The legislature was surprised to find the
test had gone over the minimum requirements.
MS. EDWARDSON said in a village school, generalists are teaching
secondary subjects so many students do not learn algebra.
CHAIRWOMAN GREEN said the legislature needs to find out how much of
that is happening around the state.
MS. EDWARDSON said the issue of equity, between a large village
like Barrow and smaller villages, is one that the district has
looked at for a long time. The district tried to offer algebra
through distance delivery.
SENATOR LEMAN said he does not believe that algebra is higher level
math. He does agree that some districts do not teach what is on
the exam and he is concerned that students are not being prepared
to a level that the Alaska community has decided should be met. He
has not seen anything on the exit exam that he would consider to be
higher level math.
Number 1115
SENATOR WARD told Ms. Edwardson that this committee was quite
surprised that the test contained algebraic questions yet the
committee learned that not all districts teach algebra. The
committee asked which districts teach algebra but it cannot get
that information.
MS. EDWARDSON said the North Slope district teaches algebra but
they have had trouble teaching it in some of the village schools.
SENATOR WARD said that is one of the problems the committee is
wrestling with now. He thanked Ms. Edwardson for attending.
There being no further testimony, CHAIRWOMAN GREEN announced the
committee would hear a presentation by the Department of Health and
Social Services on Fish Safety Monitoring, and it will hear SB 96
and SB 112 on Wednesday. She then adjourned the meeting.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|