SB 197-GRANT PROGRAM FOR SCHOOLS  8:04:15 AM CO-CHAIR JOE THOMAS announced the consideration of SB 197. 8:04:26 AM CO-CHAIR KEVIN MEYER moved to adopt CS for SB 197, labeled 27- LS1168\D, as the working document. 8:04:39 AM CO-CHAIR THOMAS objected for discussion purposes and asked Mr. Murray to walk through the changes. 8:04:51 AM MURRAY RICHMOND, staff for Senator Joe Thomas, sponsor of SB 197, explained that on page 3, line 12, the CS changes the multiplier for establishing the grant from $4,800 to $1,800 and the draft fiscal note was changed from $15 million for startup costs to $6,000,029 including $92,000 for one full-time position with $6,000 for travel. The grant would be replenished each year assuming the dropout rate would be either stable or decreasing by around $1.2 million per year. 8:07:04 AM MR. RICHMOND said the first exhibit indicated that in 2001 Alaska ranked 9th in the nation for graduation rates (41 states were ahead of us) and moved up to 10th and back down to 6th in 2004; currently Alaska is in 12th place. The National Dropout Prevention Center self-reported reasons for students dropping out (when they can be found) were: 1. didn't like school; 2. failing school; 3. couldn't get along with teachers and couldn't keep up with school work were the next; low attendance, failing grades, repeating grades, low student achievement and lack of student engagement were other major reasons for dropping out. A student often gave more than one reason, so they don't add up to 100 percent. Most studies show behavioral problems in school, as well. 8:09:03 AM MR. RICHMOND said the same exhibit indicated that 12 percent, about 2,000, of the lowest performing schools in urban areas produced nearly half of the nation's dropouts. Alaska is significantly different, because it doesn't have large urban areas. He explained that part of the reason for the grant is to come up with programs that are specific to the Alaska condition. The last exhibit was a California dropout research project highlighting that dropping out is a process that begins fairly early for some students. Having to repeat a grade by the 9th grade is a good indication that a student will drop out. There are two ways to look at the reasons for dropping out; one is to say there are cultural and social reasons why students drop out. Not doing well early in school and being behind consistently are some things that dropouts all have in common. Socio economic factors are major predictors of students dropping out as well. How a student does in third grade is another major predictor of whether he will graduate or not. 8:11:21 AM MR. RICHMOND also provided a matrix of known programs from the Center for the Prevention of Violence used mostly for high school students that found a connection between student violence and dropping out. The programs were ranked by eight different organizations to figure out whether they are working or not, and they had all been proven in one instance or another to stave off the symptoms of dropping out of school. 8:12:47 AM KERRY BOYD, Superintendent, Yukon Koyukuk School District (YKSD), Fairbanks, stated support for SB 197 and explained that the district had been in intervention status and removed from corrective action last year. She said this bill would provide districts with low performing schools a chance to provide students with additional support to help them develop their skills. She related that YKSD has 9 schools with 300 students spread over an area the size of the State of Washington; their correspondence school has 1,000 students. Fortunately, YKSD received a large federal grant five years ago that provided funding for professional development, asset development of students and communities and research-based strategies. This grant was very difficult for them to receive, because the federal government looks at sheer numbers in its assessment, and YKSD is a small district. It is the only one in the State of Alaska to receive that grant, which they will not receive this year. Using it, they were able to increase their teacher retention rate for the last three years, and they combined it with state funding to bring at least two of their schools from level five to making AYP. MS. BOYD said she supported this bill, because the people issuing federal grants don't understand Alaska's geographic isolation and are more likely to fund the large urban districts. SB 197 provides the opportunity to write grants with the necessary components including the research-based practices, sustainability and the necessary accountability specifically to meet local needs. She said they would use this grant for extended school days and summer programs as they used the school improvement funds, which have helped a couple of schools go from level 5 to making AYP consistently. However, once you make AYK the state removes those funds; so the grant in SB 197 would help continue that funding. 8:17:09 AM SENATOR STEVENS said he assumed that a grant like this would try to improve the dropout number and asked if she agreed with the dropout assessment. MS. BOYD answered that in her district students who are behind in the 10th grade feel at a loss, so they tend to drop out. Her district is so small that they call each student to try to encourage them to get back in and she heard all of the reasons mentioned. 8:18:33 AM CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked how the federal government evaluates the progress that has been achieved through use of their grants. MS. BOYD answered that federal representatives do onsite visits to observe the actual implementation of the grants, but they really don't understand Alaska's isolation. In wrapping up the current grant, for example, they wanted to see four sites in the period of a day and a half. They didn't realize it takes three hours to fly to just one. They also require ongoing reporting. Districts have submit fiscal reports, narratives, school report cards, surveys from families and teachers - all focused on accountability for what you say you are doing with such large amounts of money. 8:20:01 AM NORMAN ECK, Superintendent, Northwest Arctic Borough School District, Kotzebue, supported SB 197. He thought Mr. Richmond's data and Ms. Boyd's testimony were both excellent. He said the Northwest Arctic Borough has 1,950 students in 12 schools in 11 villages. None of the villages are accessible by roads and all supplies are flown in. He had been employed in the borough for 14 years; one year as a director, 6.5 years as a principle and he now is in his 7th years as superintendent. Three years ago he was Alaska Superintendent of the Year. MR. ECK said one of the most worrisome issues he deals with as a superintendent is student dropouts. He worries about the students who he knows might become a dropout. For some students school work is too hard; all too often these students have a sense of futility about school and decide to leave. Some leave because they come from dysfunctional homes and have no support network. Some leave school to care for a baby they may have had or they have to care for very young siblings. However, the most common reason is that the student does not see the relevance of the school work to their life. If there is no disability, the reason the school work is too hard is because the student's reading ability is way below the grade they are in. 8:22:23 AM MR. ECK said as caring, conscientious educators, they must use every tool available to help them. Potential dropout students need hope that they can earn the credits they need to pass the high school graduation qualifying exam. SB 197 can become an important avenue of hope for students. The ability to read and read close to grade level is the single most important thing students need for success in school. He explained that in order to graduate from high school, students must navigate reading materials that are at the 9th through 12th grade levels. The HSG2E is written at the 8th to 9th grade level. The 9th grade standards based assessment (SBA) is written at the 9th grade level and the 10th SBA is written at the 10th grade level. The average adult reads at about the 8th to 10th grade level. Most text books for high schools are written at that grade level, but the specific subject content vocabulary, especially in the sciences, pushes the reading level up three to four more grade levels. MR. ECK said with SB 197 in place, he would apply for funding for a high school dropout prevention reading specialist position. He would use his high school SBA reading test results to determine who the 40 lowest performing students are. This teacher would work with these students' classroom teachers on reading improvement strategies, do pull out sessions with students in small groups and one-on-one tutoring. They would fly students from villages to Kotzebue for intensive reading seminars to bring up their reading abilities. He said they know that intervention is more effectively done at the younger grades, and in the case of these higher grade levels, given the fact that these students have made it to the 9th grade or above shows that they have the determination to be in school, certain remediation techniques can be employed that can help them to raise their reading levels by one, two or three grade levels over a period of months and a year or two. That could be the difference between a student staying in school or dropping out. It could be the difference between passing the HSG2E or failing it and not graduating with a diploma. He added that reading is key to success on the map component of the HSG2E as well as on the writing. 8:24:25 AM He summarized that his district would write a grant for a total of $170,000; it would cover an experienced teacher's salary, benefits and travel to villages and for students to travel to Kotzebue for intensive seminars two to three times a year. He said he hoped that SB 197 becomes law so his students could have this important additional support for student success and excellence. 8:25:37 AM TRACEY MARTIN, Teacher, Meadow Lakes Elementary, Mat-Su Borough School District, Wasilla, said she supported SB 197. She said her students have benefited directly from the reading specialist funded by these grant monies and her own further training to be a better interventionist. They are able to have smaller groups, which helps them use more targeted interventions for more success. MS. MARTIN said they can tell as early as the 2nd grade which students are going to be in danger of dropping out later on; it has a direct correlation to their ability to read along with their attendance. 8:27:06 AM CO-CHAIR THOMAS closed public testimony and removed his objection. 8:27:48 AM CO-CHAIR MEYER asked if Alaska ranked the 12th lowest or 12th highest in dropout rate. 8:28:22 AM MR. RICHMOND answered that means there are 48 states that are doing better than Alaska; but the good news is that we are moving up. Other states are moving up as well and instilling these types of programs. It's easy for some districts that have more problems to get those federal grants. 8:29:19 AM SENATOR STEVENS said Alaska had gone from being 6th in 2004 to 10th in 2008 and e asked how the Department of Education and Early Development knows that any progress took place. He recalled putting substantial amounts of money into education in 2004. MR. RICHMOND responded since 2004 the way to measure dropouts across the nation was standardized. Before that, it was kind of haphazard. For instance, Georgia was at the top of the list for graduation rates, but it was discovered they were taking the number of their high school seniors, not the 9th grade cohort and checking along those lines. Once they had to count all four cohorts, their dropout rate went significantly higher. A long term BSA (base student assessment) was established around that time as districts had the ability to do better budgeting and accounting. 8:30:53 AM SENATOR STEVENS said at some point it would be nice to take the bigger view and ask the department to explain why Alaska improved between 2004 and 2008 and how it can continue that improvement. 8:31:21 AM LES MORSE, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Education and Early Development (DEED), Juneau, Alaska, commented that he could point to a few things, but couldn't definitively answer the "whys." He said the dropout rate hasn't significantly changed, but the calculation for the graduation rate had. In 2002 they began collecting dropout data by individual student using the state individual ID system. This allowed them to track actual students who dropped out and find who re-enrolled somewhere else in the state, a transfer. That might have cleaned up a very small percent. The other thing that has happened since 2004 is that standards by grade level were put in place. This assessment program provides better data and that may have helped illuminate students' academic deficiencies, because the testing program was more specific to what was supposed to be learned at grade levels. 8:33:25 AM SENATOR STEVENS recalled a big infusion of funds in the 2004 timeframe and he thought the results were tied to that, and said it would be nice to have some data collection on that. 8:33:49 AM MR. MORSE said he thought the three-year plan was laid out in 2006. Then over the last couple of years, the federal government put a significant amount of money into education through different stimulus packages. CO-CHAIR THOMAS asked if their tracking program is being expanded to gather better statistics on things that are actually having an impact. MR. MORSE answered they do have very good tracking of individual students in terms of academic achievement, so they look at schools that have more and less gains than other schools and provide that information to districts. The only data collection is done for the money received through the Quality Schools funding, which is in the same chapter. They collect what it is they are using those dollars for. Nothing has been done to tie those two data sets together, but it could be done without much difficulty. 8:36:11 AM CO-CHAIR MEYER moved to report CS for SB 197, version \D, to the next committee of referral with individual recommendations and forthcoming fiscal note. CO-CHAIR THOMAS announced that without objection, CSSB 197(EDC) moved from Senate Education Standing Committee.