Legislature(2007 - 2008)BUTROVICH 205
01/26/2007 08:00 AM Senate SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
| Audio | Topic |
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| Overview: School and District Accountablity under No Child Left Behind | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION
January 26, 2007
8:01 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Gary Stevens, Chair
Senator Charlie Huggins, Vice-Chair
Senator Gary Wilken
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Donny Olson
Senator Bettye Davis
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Senator Joe Thomas
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
Overview: School & District Accountability Under No Child Left
Behind
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No action to consider
WITNESS REGISTER
Les Morse, Director,
Division of Assessment & Accountability
Department of Education &
Early Development
th
801 W 10 St.
Juneau, AK 99801-1894
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented overview
Senator Joe Thomas
Alaska State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
POSITION STATEMENT: Commented on overview issues
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR GARY STEVENS called the meeting to order at 8:01:12 AM.
Present at the call to order were Senators Wilken, Huggins, and
Chair Stevens.
^OVERVIEW: SCHOOL AND DISTRICT ACCOUNTABLITY UNDER NO CHILD LEFT
BEHIND
CHAIR STEVENS announced that the first order of business would
be an overview presentation from Les Morris, Director, Division
of Assessment and Accountability, Department of Education and
Early Development (DEED).
MR. MORSE explained that he would be talking about AYP (Adequate
Yearly Progress) and attendance rates, and poor performance
consequences for schools and districts and their implementation.
8:03:29 AM
MR. MORSE explained that he would also be showing AYP results
from 2003, which is the first year the DEED tracked AYP progress
for every school in the state rather than just Title I schools,
and then end by addressing a pending application with the United
States Department of Education regarding individual student
growth in the state's AYP calculations.
CHAIR STEVENS invited Senator Thomas to join the committee at
the table. Senator Thomas accepted.
8:04:03 AM
MR. MORSE explained that AYP is calculated for every school and
district in the state, and the state itself. A certain
participation rate in the evaluation is required from every
school and its sub-groups. The DEED makes sure that 95 percent
of students take the test on test days. They also emphasize
meeting academic targets regarding the percentage of proficiency
in language arts and mathematics in each school. Federal law
requires reading evaluation as well. The target is called the
AMO (Annual Measurable Objective).
8:05:39 AM
MR. MORSE continued to explain that the DEED also evaluates
graduation rates and attendance rates. He then referenced a
PowerPoint presentation to explain proficiency rates for
previous years in mathematics and language arts. The FYP results
are required by federal law to increase, in six increments, to
100 percent FYP by the school year 2013-2014.
8:06:35 AM
MR. MORSE explained that in the beginning years the program was
designed to build more capacity in schools and increase
proficiency rates to 100 percent. In evaluating yearly progress,
the DEED looks at overall school progress, district progress,
ethnic sub-groups within the school, economically disadvantaged
students, limited English proficiency students, and special
education students.
8:07:24 AM
MR. MORSE explained that there are other indicators of progress
as well, such as school graduation and attendance rates. They
are calculated in a particular way.
8:07:54 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked until what age students are allowed to
remain in school.
8:08:14 AM
MR. MORSE replied that the maximum age is 19, unless the student
is a special education student.
8:08:24 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked for clarification of the definition of
"drop-out".
8:08:39 AM
MR. MORSE clarified that a continuing education student is one
who returns and graduates after dropping out, whereas a dropout
does not. The number of students in ninth grade who finish
school four years later compromise the graduates, and if a
student drops out more than once the drop-out is only counted
against the school one time. The numbers of continuing students,
those not graduating on time, do count against the school.
However, if they go on to graduate in their fifth year, it
becomes a credit to the school.
8:10:41 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked what happens if the student graduates later.
8:10:48 AM
MR. MORSE replied that the school will be credited.
8:10:52 AM
SENATOR THOMAS asked whether Mr. Morse tracked the number, and
not the name of the students, and if new enrollers would be
considered to be taking the place of drop-outs, number-wise.
8:11:15 AM
MR. MORSE replied that the drop-outs are always counted and all
students are tracked through unique identifiers if they transfer
to different schools. New students are tracked as well.
8:12:11 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS remarked that Anchorage has a relatively
migratory student population, and asked which school gets the
credit or penalty for graduating students or dropouts.
MR. MORSE replied that the last school attended is the school
that receives the penalty or credit.
8:13:04 AM
MR. MORSE clarified that statewide there is a 60 percent
graduation rate, but that does not mean that 40 percent of
students are drop-outs. Also included in that 40 percent are
continuing students who do not graduate on time and special
education students in school through their twenty-first year.
The DEED produces a yearly dropout rate that looks at the number
of students dropping out from grades 7 through 12. In the last
few years the dropout rate has averaged six percent. At times
people take the graduation and dropout rates at face value, but
they are complicated calculations.
8:15:36 AM
SENATOR WILKEN requested rate explanations on paper, and then
asked how home school is incorporated in the rates.
8:16:07 AM
MR. MORSE replied that home school depends on the arrangement
made. If the home school is not done through a registered
institution, the student is considered a dropout. If the
schooling is done through a registered institution, the student
is considered a transfer student.
8:16:49 AM
SENATOR WILKEN asked for an example.
8:17:01 AM
MR. MORSE explained that there are nine statewide correspondence
schools and their students can be considered transfers. Private
institutions' registration with the DEED is voluntary, thus if
the private school is registered the student will be considered
a transfer. Otherwise the student is considered a drop-out.
8:18:17 AM
SENATOR WILKEN asked if there was a list of approved private
schools.
MR. MORSE replied that yes, there is a registered school list.
Records from that school must be received by the DEED for the
student to be considered a transfer.
8:19:25 AM
MR. MORSE said that the attendance rate in Alaska is calculated
as part of AYP but only for those schools where a graduation
rate is inapplicable (middle, elementary schools). In that case,
the school must meet a target attendance rate. He referenced the
PowerPoint presentation to show example individual school data.
He felt that there should be some adjustment in consequences for
schools with more disabled students.
8:22:57 AM
MR. MORSE said that graduation rates in the state are 60 percent
and the attendance rate is generally in the 90s. The target
rate is at least 85 percent for attendance. Most schools make
this target. The graduation target is 55.58 percent, and
generally the state as a whole meets this target as well.
8:23:40 AM
MR. MORSE explained that there is a series of consequences if
AYP is not met, depending on the number of consecutive years AYP
has not been met. The district is responsible for implementing
consequences for schools. They create school improvement plans
that are reviewed at different levels. Mr. Morse went on to
explain the different levels of consequences, both disciplinary
and financial.
8:24:49 AM
MR. MORSE said that to have the consequences lifted, a school
above level one on the disciplinary action scale must meet AYP
for two consecutive years.
8:25:20 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if there was any difference in a school
being Title I or not.
8:25:46 AM
MR. MORSE replied that financial consequences apply to Title I
schools only. All schools level two or higher must create a
school improvement plan, but Title I dollars must be set aside
under the consequences.
8:27:12 AM
MR. MORSE explained that the state is responsible for ensuring
that the district implements appropriate consequences. Districts
have four consequence levels, and schools must meet AYP for two
consecutive years to be removed from the list of consequences.
8:28:05 AM
MR. MORSE then said that he would be going over some of the AYP
results the districts have received. He listed school results
for the past three years, and pointed out that a change in rules
in 2004 may have partly influenced the results. He then
explained language arts and mathematics scores, divided by sub-
group, and noted that in 2004 19.7 percent of schools missed AYP
due to the performance of all the students combined.
8:30:02 AM
MR. MORSE said that he would be giving an example of how sub-
groups can affect the school performance. In 2004, 13.3 percent
of the schools in the state missed the target for language arts,
mathematics, or both, due to the performance of the Limited
English Proficient (LEP) student population. In 2005, the number
was at 9.7 percent, and in 2006 it was at 8.5 percent.
8:31:07 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if teachers know who the economically
disadvantaged students are.
MR. MORSE responded that state regulations require schools to
identify such students using the criteria for the free and
reduced lunch program. Districts may have different
methodologies.
8:32:41 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if the kids are identified to the
teachers.
8:32:51 AM
MR. MORSE replied that the teachers do not know the specific
students unless it is deemed important to know.
8:33:47 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS remarked that statistically it would be
important for the teacher to know if that was a group whose
performance needed to be improved.
8:34:32 AM
MR. MORSE replied that a reason to know such information might
be if the school offered a scholarship for students who were
economically disadvantaged.
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if the family was allowed to waive
confidentiality.
MR. MORSE replied that the family is informed of all information
released. He believes that the family may share the information
with the school.
8:35:33 AM
CHAIR STEVENS asked for a definition of economically
disadvantaged.
MR. MORSE replied that the criterion is meeting income
eligibility for free or reduced lunch. Every year the family
size and income that fit the definition are updated.
8:36:14 AM
SENATOR WILKEN asked if intensive needs students are included in
just the disabled group or all the ethnic groups.
MR. MORSE replied that they are counted in the disabled group as
well as their corresponding ethnic groups.
8:37:26 AM
MR. MORSE explained a chart with data from 2004-2006 showing how
many schools missed AYP in which categories. The DEED hopes to
see schools addressing needs in particular sub-groups. The
number of schools missing AYP in many subgroups is being
reduced, and this is an important way of measuring schools'
progress.
8:39:00 AM
MR. MORSE announced that he would then be talking about district
AYP. The DEED measures students in individual schools then adds
all together for the district. In 2006, 3 districts were at
level 1, 8 at level 2, 10 districts at level 3, and 11 at level
4.
8:40:19 AM
MR. MORSE said that Alaska has long had a desire to include
student growth in AYP. He explained that it is difficult to
track progress when student graduation to different schools
(elementary to middle, for example) doesn't allow for continual
tracking of growth. What the DEED wants to do is continue
tracking students through different school levels, for example
from fifth to sixth grade. The state currently has an
application with the United States Department of Education
asking to be able to do this, and that it should be reviewed by
April. AYP would still be done the way it currently is, but in
addition the DEED would run a growth check on all schools,
differentiating between student and school performance.
8:42:59 AM
MR. MORSE gave an example of how the system works with the
current models and how it will work if they are allowed to
evaluate individual students. He explained that as the system is
now, even if individual student performances increase or
decrease, it doesn't necessarily mean they will meet or miss
their target for AYP. The proposal before the USDE will enhance
the tracking system.
MR. MORSE explained that ten states will be allowed to pilot a
new growth model for tracking AYP, with slightly more
restrictive rules.
8:45:40 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked Mr. Morse if, in his opinion, the No Child
Left Behind (NCLB) act had made a difference in schools'
performance.
MR. MORSE replied that yes, some gains had been made, but most
importantly now there is a clearer set of expectations for each
grade level. It is easier for teachers and administrators to
meet a certain set of standards.
8:47:38 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if NCLB was grossly underfunded, or
received funding based mostly on grants.
8:48:01 AM
MR. MORSE replied that he was not sure of his qualifications in
answering that question, and didn't know that there was a clear
answer.
8:48:22 AM
SENATOR WILKEN asked for the significance of a number in the
PowerPoint presentation provided by Mr. Morse.
MR. MORSE explained that methodology used to set up the chart
accounted for that particular decimal. The student in the
twentieth percentile is calculated, and the proficiency
percentage in that student's school is considered the starting
point for formulaic calculations.
8:50:13 AM
SENATOR WILKEN asked for the definition of an LEP student.
MR. MORSE replied that an LEP student is a Limited English
Proficient student. There are about 20,000 such students in the
state of Alaska.
8:50:31 AM
SENATOR WILKEN asked how an ethnic class under 10 students in a
particular school would be quantified.
MR. MORSE replied that an ethnic class must be represented by at
least 10 students to be considered as a sub-group, and an
ethnicity represented by fewer than 10 students would only be
considered in the school as a whole.
8:51:29 AM
SENATOR WILKEN remarked that slide 12 from the PowerPoint
presentation seemed to be a powerful chart for plotting
progress. He pointed out the progress in schools meeting AYP
from 2004 - 2006, and asked how many were taken off the
consequences list.
MR. MORSE responded that 86 schools were removed from the list
in that time period, and that every school in the state was
represented on the chart.
SENATOR WILKEN asked if there was any prediction for 2009.
8:52:35 AM
MR. MORSE replied that there was no established goal, but that
he would hope to see the trend continue.
8:52:57 AM
SENATOR WILKEN remarked that the mean AYP had gone up, so it
seemed that things were happening positively, and asked for a
copy of the list from the past year. He then said that he had
received an email from Donna Foxley, the NCLB coordinator for
Alaska, with multiple attachments regarding the program. He
asked Mr. Morse to look them over and recommend the most useful
to Senator Stevens for printing out for the committee. He
remarked that this appeared to be a big year for renewing NCLB,
and asked what role the committee and legislature could play to
help in the renewal process.
8:54:44 AM
MR. MORSE replied that the DEED will want to stress certain
components that are important for changes to the congressional
delegation. A united voice from Alaska would be very helpful.
They would like to see the new growth component written into the
law.
8:55:57 AM
SENATOR WILKEN responded that he thought this committee would be
the one to help in that dialogue, and that he thought this
legislature would be appropriate in speaking to the government
about such changes.
8:56:44 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS thanked the department for the presentation, and
asked for clarification in the numbers of Hispanic and Asian
students. He asked if the rising numbers of achievement among
these ethnic groups in Alaska was an aberration or if this was a
national trend.
8:58:21 AM
MR. MORSE replied that this was not a national comparison, and
he would have to look at other indicators to know exactly what
the trend meant.
8:58:30 AM
SENATOR HUGGINS asked if it would be more advantageous to a
school to take a student off the school roll instead of counting
him or her as a drop-out, and if there were any concerns about
this incentive.
8:59:06 AM
MR. MORSE responded that one of the pitfalls in a law this
complicated is that the data can be skewed, but this data is
carefully analyzed by the DEED to account for all the students.
DEED staff looks to see if schools appear to be losing many
students, and if that rate is more dramatic than the state
average. He has not so far seen any schools attempting to do
such data skewing.
CHAIR STEVENS thanked Mr. Morse for his presentation, and seeing
no further business, adjourned the Special Committee on
Education meeting at 9:00:53 AM.
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