HB 19-LIMITED TEACHER CERTIFICATES; LANGUAGES  9:15:43 AM CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 19(EDC) "An Act relating to instruction in a language other than English; and establishing limited language immersion teacher certificates." He acknowledged that Sondra Meredith from the Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) was available online to answer questions. 9:16:10 AM REPRESENTATIVE JONATHAN KREISS-TOMKINS, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, introduced HB 19 by speaking to the sponsor statement that read as follows: [Original punctuation provided.] Language immersion education is an increasingly popular educational model that also produces impressive academic outcomes. In an immersion program, some of the academic subject matter is delivered in a language other than English. HB 19 provides needed flexibility to school districts operating language immersion programs. HB 19 gives the State Board of Education and Early Development the tools necessary to tackle one of the biggest challenges facing Alaska's immersion programs: finding fully certified teachers also fluent in an Alaska Native or foreign language. Under HB 19, the state board could provide school districts case-by- case flexibility to hire language immersion teachers they know are qualified to lead a classroom but who for reasons such as limited English proficiency, advanced age, or familial responsibilities are unable at the time to get a full teacher certification. To do so, the state board would have to create a new certificate along the lines of the existing "Type M" or "Type I" limited certificates. Alaska already has a variety of successful and popular immersion programs, including Wasilla's Fronteras Spanish Immersion Program, Anchorage's Rilke Schule German School of Arts and Sciences, and Anchorage School District's highly regarded World Languages and Immersion Program. Immersion is also central to Alaska Native language revitalization efforts. In Israel, New Zealand, and Hawaii, immersion education was at the core of indigenous language revival. At Ayaprun Elitnaurvik in Bethel, instruction is done in Yup'ik, and interest in Alaska Native language immersion education is growing elsewhere in the state. HB 19 will help Alaska's language immersion programs continue to provide high-quality dual-language education. 9:18:39 AM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS stated that the process for a school's immersion program to obtain a language instructor entails a vote of approval by the school board before requesting a limited language immersion teacher certificate from the State Board of Education and Early Development. Language immersion programs are increasing in popularity in the Anchorage area and produce students fluent in world languages with impressive academic performance by seventh grade. Past testimony from Jennifer Schmidt-Hutchins, a school administrator for Fronteras Spanish Immersion Charter School in the Mat-Su Borough School District, expounded on the difficulties of operating an immersion language program in Alaska. HB 19 was crafted to provide a solution to practitioners' problems. 9:20:54 AM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS stated the sectional analysis for HB 19 includes the following: Section 1 has a title change that gives the department the elective authority to issue a limited language immersion teacher certificate. Subsection(b) sets the criteria for an applicant to be certified. An applicant must meet the minimum requisite instructional skills and subject matter expertise to assure the public that the person is competent as a teacher. REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS noted that the State Board of Education and Early Development was given the regulation-making authority to govern and administer the certificates. It is important to provide the agency with that discretion from a legislative perspective instead of writing it into statute. Subsection(c) provides that the department may issue a limited language immersion teacher certificate but that a district's school board must be an accenting party to the certificate. Local support from the school board and superintendent is a vital aspect of the process as it establishes accountability. Subsection(d) gives authorization for promulgating regulations to the State Board of Education and Early Development. Subsection(e) establishes the initial validity of the immersion teacher certificate as one year with a renewal process that will be regulated and administered by the agency. 9:24:32 AM SENATOR BEGICH referred to subsection(b), page 1, lines 13-15, and asked how competence and teaching skills are demonstrated by applicants. REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS deferred the question to DEED but commented that it is helpful to hear situations that immersion language programs encounter. He recalled a situation where Fronteras Charter School was unable to hire a Columbian certified teacher for its immersion program. 9:27:37 AM SENATOR BEGICH asked if one-year limited immersion certified teachers are required to be mandatory reporters. He also asked if they would be required to join a school district's professional organization. SENATOR STEVENS asked what a limited certificate means. He stated it takes many years to become an accredited teacher and wants to be certain that a limited certificate is not a back door to certification. SENATOR HUGHES asked if there is data to show how well immersion students perform compared to non-immersion students when instructed in their non-native language She also asked for the typical age range for immersion learning. 9:30:35 AM REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS stated he would defer to Mr. Locke for data on immersion student performance. The age range of students in immersion programs begins in the lower grades with a gradual diminution into middle school. REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS responded that the certificate is limited to one year and the terms of the certificate are set by the Board of Education and Early Development. However, there are some statute limitations. He deferred the topic of mandatory reporting to Ms. Meredith. He stated he would investigate whether limited certificate teachers would be required to join a district's professional organization. He said that immersion language programs must be pragmatic and are hiring long-term substitutes to deliver world languages. HB 19 will change the status quo and assist in getting certified teachers in the classroom. 9:35:29 AM BRANDON LOCKE, Director of World Languages and Immersion Programs, Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska, stated his credentials and said immersion language programs have existed since the 1960s. Anchorage has had immersion programs since the late 1980s, starting with Japanese and being the first state in the county to offer Russian. The National Security Agency at Elmendorf Air Force recently sought out three Russian immersion high school students to work with Russian linguists in a work-study program. This has led to a new partnership between the agency and school district. 9:37:14 AM MR. LOCKE stated Anchorage has 8,000 students enrolled in language study classes. Twenty-six hundred are immersion language students enrolled in one of eight programs. The immersion languages offered are: Japanese, German, French, Spanish (2), Yupik, Chinese, and Russian. He stated that HB 19 would be a saving grace for emergency situations, and superintendent Deena Bishop and the Anchorage School Board endorse it because there is a teacher shortage in Alaska and across the county. 9:39:05 AM MR. LOCKE said that most available immersion teacher positions are at the elementary school level. These positions are being staffed with long-term substitutes who may not have education degrees. He opined that better education results occur using a 50/50 model of instruction where language arts, reading, writing, and math are taught by the classroom teacher and social studies, science, and world language are taught by the immersion teacher. Science and social studies are rich in vocabulary and topics students discuss daily, making them ideal for immersion learning. MR. LOCKE stated that he was asked to provide data on immersion teachers' performance in teaching other subjects several years ago. He compared state science assessment scores of immersion students and non-immersion students from the Anchorage School District and found that scores of immersion students were considerably higher. He noted that students were taught science in a world language but were tested in English. He concluded that dedicated time to teaching science will improve science scores and that students make connections when taught in an immersion language. 9:41:54 AM MR. LOCKE mentioned that immersion teachers are assisted by partner teachers upon their arrival, are vetted, and are often hired after working in another state. It is difficult for Alaska schools to find teachers who are eligible to work in the United States because the federal government requires a state-issued teaching certificate before a candidate can apply for a visa. He explained that asking a foreign teacher to complete a Praxis test not available in their country makes obtaining certification extremely difficult and is an example of how HB 19 will be of assistance. The one-year certificate would allow for training and evaluation. Immersion teachers would be mandated reporters and eligible for participation in teacher organizations. He mentioned that another hardship for immersion teachers is needing to enroll in teaching programs taught in English while they work. The programs require courses and student teaching that do not benefit an immersion teacher. 9:46:00 AM SONDRA MEREDITH, Teacher Certification Administrator, Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, stated Alaska Native Language or Culture, Military Science, and Vocational/Technical are three limited teaching certificates that DEED offers. She foresees immersion certificates having similar qualifications and regulations as other limited certificates, such as letters of recommendation, experience, district evaluations, and portfolios. 9:48:18 AM SENATOR BEGICH asked if immersion certification would make the teacher a mandatory reporter. MS. MEREDITH replied yes, language immersion teachers would be mandatory reporters and would be required to complete the training. REPRESENTATIVE KREISS-TOMKINS stated he appreciated the assistance from Mr. Locke and Ms. Meredith and that he is available to provide any additional information that would be helpful. 9:49:16 AM CHAIR HOLLAND held HB 19 in committee.