HB 197-LITERACY PROGRAM  9:01:54 AM CHAIR GATTIS announced that the first order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 197, "An Act requiring the establishment of a reading program in school districts for grades kindergarten through three; providing for student retention in grade three; and providing for a report on the reading program and on student retention." 9:02:24 AM REPRESENTATIVE LEDOUX, speaking as the sponsor of HB 197, paraphrased from a prepared statement, which read as follows [original punctuation provided]: This legislation seeks first to establish a reading program in school districts for grades K through 3. According to a study by the Annie E Casey Foundation, literacy in third grade affects the chances that a student will graduate from high school. It is imperative that we take action to make sure that Alaska's children can read at grade level or above by third grade. This bill requires regular assessments to identify students who are not at grade level and to remediate the deficiency as quickly as possible. Additionally, this bill provides early notification to parents and information on how they can assist their child. HB 197 also provides for retention in 3rd grade if a student does not meet the required minimum reading standards. This would eliminate social promotion and make it literacy based promotion. 9:03:45 AM LISA VAUGHT, Staff, Representative Gabrielle LeDoux, Alaska State Legislature, presented HB 197 on behalf of the sponsor, Representative LeDoux, paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read, as follows [original punctuation provided]: This legislation seeks to require the establishment of a reading program in school districts for grades Kindergarten through 3 and for student retention in grade 3 if a student doesn't meet the required minimum reading standards set forth by the state. Based on an analysis of reading scores and graduation rates over 10 years, students who could not read by the end of third grade were four times more likely to drop out of high school, of those that dropped out 88% were struggling readers in 3rd grade. The societal impacts and costs of low graduation rates are profound. Research shows a strong correlation between dropping out of high school and lower lifetime income, higher use of public assistance and higher incarceration rates. Estimates on the total lifetime cost to society for each new cohort of dropouts accumulate into hundreds of billions of dollars. Reading is key to closing the achievement gap. The analysis found that differences in reading achievement explains differences in graduation rates between students of different races and ethnicities. Poor African-American and Hispanic students who are struggling readers are about 8 times more likely to drop out of high school than proficient readers. Conversely, proficient third grade readers of all races graduate at similar rates. 89% of economically disadvantaged students in the study, who achieved proficient reading skills by 3rd grade, graduated. Alaska, according to National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) data rates near the bottom in 4th grade reading scores. In 2011 only 25% of 4th-graders in Alaska were "proficient" or above in reading by national standards. Children who fail to learn to read by third grade can recover and catch up later but it is a very painful and resource intensive process. It is clear that we need reform in Alaska's education system. If we continue with more of the status quo we will continue with the same results. HB 197 seeks to put in place a literacy program in school districts around the state. This program requires regular reading assessments of students beginning in Kindergarten. Participation in statewide assessments, elimination of social promotions, and provides for retention of students in 3rd grade who are not reading proficiently. Many Alaska school districts currently engage in the practice of social promotion. This means that children, regardless of academic abilities are passed from grade to grade simply to keep them with their peers. However, each year, many of them have failed to learn basic literacy skills in the developmentally critical grades. Rather than addressing these problems, a social promotion simply moves these students to the next grade level. This is especially destructive for children in the early grades. Learning to read does not get easier with age. As a result, illiterate 3rd graders move on to become illiterate 4th graders, and then 5th and 6th and 7th graders. Third grade is the year that students transition from "learning to read" to "reading to learn." Imagine a 5th grader, reading on a 2nd grade level, sitting in a science class. These students will not grasp the vocabulary and scientific concepts described in the textbooks because they cannot read - literally. Grade level material keeps increasing year after year, but these students cannot keep up because they cannot read. These students have been described as disruptive, restless and bored. They often do not finish school, let alone go on to college. We must take steps to change this outcome. Several states have implemented literacy-based promotion. One of those states is Florida. I would like to point you to the document provided this morning called Florida's Education Revolution. Florida uses the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) to measure student progress. There are 5 achievement levels and level 1 equates to "functional illiteracy". On page 4 there is a graph showing the percentage of students retained the first year the policy was implemented. You will notice that there was a steady decline in number of students retained and a steady decline in achievement level 1. Florida's reading scores have drastically improved since the literacy-based promotion was implemented. It was combined with regular assessments, good reading instruction and intervention in grades K-2, monitoring programs and a parental involvement component. Holding back a child is not an easy decision but the alternative is to move them ahead and hope for the best and then watch them struggle. We can do better for our children than that. We do not help our children by passing them on without the skills to become successful adults. I have heard it said on numerous occasions that our children are our future. We pour money into education so we can train the leaders of tomorrow. Let's make sure that we give them the tools to be successful. Let's make sure they can read. Let's close the achievement gap and give as many students as possible the chance to succeed. HB 197 seeks to do that. I urge your support of HB 197. 9:09:50 AM COMMISSIONER HANLEY, Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner, Department of Education and Early Development (EED), acknowledged the importance of reading proficiency by third grade. He said the fiscal note for the state is zero; however, it will cost the school districts additional resources to accomplish the tasks and implement strategies. He characterized the intervention strategies in the bill as positive, including that school districts should provide extended times, smaller student/teacher ratios, and summer camps. Despite the positive nature of the strategies, HB 197 still represents an unfunded mandate unless support is provided. While he said he was not speaking against the bill, he cautioned that the zero fiscal note for the bill does not represent the school district's implementation costs. 9:11:29 AM REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON offered that evidently schools are not currently conducting these strategies. COMMISSIONER HANLEY said some schools have reading programs and should already be diagnosing students, but strategies are not necessarily being followed due to the cost of the programs. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON remarked that some school districts don't have the ability to follow-up on services. She asked for clarification on what instituting summer school would mean to the department. COMMISSIONER HANLEY expressed a willingness to be open about discussing this issue. He offered his belief that to offer summer school, every K-3 elementary school would require one additional staff person, one literacy person, to allow for smaller groups, intensive monitoring, and summer programs or to implement other strategies. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON honed in on the summer school aspect since many schools don't have summer school. She asked whether these school districts would need to spend funds to send the students elsewhere or to hold the summer program. COMMISSIONER HANLEY surmised that if a school doesn't have a summer school they would not require the student to go elsewhere, but the bill would require schools to have a summer school. From his experience in elementary schools, he envisioned this would require districts to provide a stipend for a teacher to provide a summer program. 9:13:56 AM REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD suggested that the bill would result in long-term benefits. Since dropouts are more likely to be on public assistance or in the prison system, this program could save money in the long term with better educated, more socially responsible adults. She expressed concern that the legislature has repeatedly asked for more information on current programs in K-3 to better evaluate them, but has not received the information. She asked whether private foundations would be a resource to support literacy in conjunction with schools. COMMISSIONER HANLEY answered that the bill specifically directs school districts, rather than the state to take actions. Thus the department wouldn't implement the strategies indicated in the bill. While partnering with private entities is always a good strategy, he suggested that some long-term resources would still be necessary to implement the strategies in the bill. REPRESENTATIVE REINBOLD asked for outcome analysis of existing programs. COMMISSIONER HANLEY said the school districts put the programs in place and the department's role is to set the standards for students to achieve and allow school districts to determine how to meet the standards. Therefore the EED does not monitor outcomes. He suggested that the school districts could provide information on current programs. CHAIR GATTIS remarked that Representative Reinbold has hit on some key questions, which the committee will be working on during the legislative interim. 9:16:33 AM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND expressed ongoing frustration that a zero fiscal note means the department does not anticipate fiscal impacts; however, the bill can translate into a huge cost to school districts. In any case, this program appears to be very positive and a good direction to move. School districts are calling for reduced pupil/teacher ratios and tutoring, but school districts can't do so due to funding issues. In fact, the Anchorage School District (ASD) is cutting summer schools due to inadequate funding. She concurred with Commissioner Hanley that school districts will need additional funds to implement the strategies in the bill. She briefly discussed some strategies under the bill, including providing an additional staff person per school, or about 500 additional staff. COMMISSIONER HANLEY acknowledged that not all schools are elementary schools, so he estimated the figure might be closer to 400 schools. 9:18:12 AM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER referred to "social promotion" and asked whether a formal policy exists. He further asked for any costs for a student who is not advanced. COMMISSIONER HANLEY said there is not a social promotion policy based on age; however, some practices exist that may place a student in a class based on age. He offered his belief that retention is considered seriously. He related a scenario in which a student is not reading well due to dyslexia, but is proficient in other academic areas, such as math or science. He asked whether it would be considered social promotion to advance the student and offer individual support in reading. In fact, schools make decisions such as this all the time. A primary correlation exists between retention and dropouts. Naturally, as the child ages, self-esteem and peer issues arise and can influence the dropout factors. He referred to some Florida information on retention and promotion with good cause. 9:20:54 AM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for clarification. He asked whether this means a student being held back is likely not to graduate at all. COMMISSIONER HANLEY responded that according to research, yes. REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for the number of students in Alaska who are not promoted each year. He further asked whether this bill would improve the overall graduation level or if the costs would be greater than the benefits. COMMISSIONER HANLEY predicted that intervention strategies would make a difference and have a positive impact. However, he urged caution to proceed carefully when defining good cause, and allow promotion to occur depending on other proficiencies, despite the child lagging behind on literacy skills. 9:22:14 AM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND remarked that the programs such as Best Beginnings, Parents as Teachers, and other Pre-K programs that are diminishing due to funding. She suggested that coming to school ready to learn would avoid some issues. COMMISSIONER HANLEY cautioned that children don't start learning in Kindergarten so any intervention that helps them be a success, socially and academically, can result in a well-rounded healthy child. 9:23:06 AM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER referred to page 3, line 20, to subparagraph (A), which read, "instructional strategies that are research-based and employed daily for at least 90 minutes at the same time each day; ... " He was unsure if this refers to a research-based element. He asked for clarification on the importance of having the instruction provided at the same time each day. MS. VAUGHT answered that it helps a student to have a routine, which could be good for the student. 9:24:08 AM BOB GRIFFIN, Education Research Volunteer, Alaska Policy Forum, referred to the committee handout entitled," The Urgent Need for K-12 Education Reform in Alaska." He stated that the report is one he published, which highlights the urgent need to improve student outcomes in elementary literacy. He directed attention to the bar chart on the last page that shows pretty clearly the need for significant action. The chart on the left, according to NEA-Alaska figures, shows that Alaska leads the nation in per capita state and local spending on K-12 education. The chart on the right shows Alaska is dead last in 4th grade reading for upper and middle income students, as well as for low-income students, based on 2011 EED figures. He offered his belief that elementary education is a key component of K-12 education. In addition, third grade literacy is important in terms of high school graduation. The negative impact of not promoting a student with peers is addressed in the handout published by the Manhattan Institute, No. 68 April 2012, Civic Report, titled "The Benefits of Florida's Test-Based Promotion System." He explained that the study uses regression-distant continuity, which closely examines Florida students, who have been tracked since 2002. The students who were narrowly retained, who scored slightly lower, significantly outperformed the students who were not retained. In any case, there are various studies on the social promotion, but some good neurological science shows that learning to read by age 10 is a pretty important skill. As previously stated, it can be an expensive process to try to teach these skills at a later age. 9:27:28 AM ELIZABETH DOWNING, Vice President, Board of Education, Kenai Peninsula Borough School District (KPBSD), also has served on the legislative committee, as well as on her own behalf. She emphasized the importance of attaining literacy by third grade. She pointed out the remediation plan outlined in the bill may be best practice, but it makes sense to require school districts to have a literacy plan, verified by EED to significantly improve literacy. She stressed her preference to leave it to the school districts to address the mechanics. Granted, this prescriptive bill may provide a guideline, but as a school board member, she prefers not to have the detailed strategies in the bill. One area of concern is the requirement of retention in third grade or to offer a special class. In fact, she asked whether this is addressed by differential instruction in the classroom. The American Academy of Pediatrics and John Hopkins University Center for Public Health both warn against retention. The negative impact of retention is similar to the negative impact of a student not learning to read by third grade, which is often exhibited when the child becomes a teenager. One can imagine a 15-year-old in a class with 12-year-old or 13-year-old students. She related her own personal experience, such that her own son was ill when he took a high-stakes reading test in second grade. Due to his borderline score, he was recommended for a reading pull-out program in third grade. While she understood the reason, she anticipated he would receive additional attention, which she thought would be fine. Instead, during his reading time, he read lower-level books, but he brought home more advanced books his peers were reading. After two months, it was apparent how inappropriate it was for him to be in a pull out. Even though he is now 16 and a straight "A" student, he does not view himself as a reader. He remembers that he had a "problem" when he was in third grade, which has had a negative impact on his self-perception as a learner. Again, she recommended that the bill be amended to require school districts to develop a plan to improve literacy. She cautioned against a prescriptive bill in place that could negatively impact school districts. 9:32:02 AM REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON asked her whether the pull-out program or grade retention would have had more negative impact. MS. DOWNING responded she did not think it would be worse than being retained; however, so many strategies are available as an awareness of the value of literacy by third grade is now recognized. Certainly, the Best Beginnings program, and the Pre-K support could make a significant impact on literacy into K-2. In particular, students in Pre-K programs that were Title I eligible no longer needed special pull-outs in K-2. The state has just begun to provide this program, but it is not doing enough for early intervention; however, she anticipated this bill would have a huge impact on the 4th grade and 8th grade [evaluations] in the next few years. 9:34:17 AM CHAIR GATTIS announced that public testimony would be kept open and the bill would be held. REPRESENTATIVE P. WILSON related she previously served as a school nurse. At that time, it was not unusual to retain a child. She remarked she was struck by the consistent remarks students would volunteer, such as that they were in second grade but were supposed to be in third grade. She concluded to a great extent, students are stigmatized by the effect. She stated support for HB 197. She emphasized districts should have programs and plans in place to support reading, to identify students who need assistance, and provide assistance to avoid having to retain students. The bill may need some changes, but she likes the bill. [HB 197 was held over.]