SB 32-COLLEGE CREDIT FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS  9:03:13 AM CHAIR HOLLAND announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 32 "An Act establishing the Alaska middle college program for public school students; and relating to the powers of the University of Alaska." He asked Tim Lamkin to introduce the bill. 9:03:44 AM TIM LAMKIN, Staff, Senator Gary Stevens, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, stated that SB 32 is informally referred to as the middle colleges bill. It was active last spring, but the pandemic halted its progress. He reported the data shows that middle college/dual credit programs significantly improve student success in both high school graduation rates and in entering some manner of postsecondary education. There are different models described with different vernacular. In some models students physically go to a campus. In some the college goes to the high school and then there are virtual campuses and various hybrids and combinations. The bill tries to capture the hybrid/combination model. The bill is not intended to micromanage. It says there shall be an agreement between the university and school districts that is consistent with individual district needs, interests, and capabilities. The bill wants to set up a framework and an understanding and agreement between the university and districts about what will fit. MR. LAMKIN advised that the sponsor negotiated some changes last year in the Finance Committee so it is not one size fits all, but that it is more readily available. He noted that some districts are already successfully offering this. 9:06:13 AM MR. LAMKIN presented the sectional: Sec. 1: AS 14.07.168 Regarding an annual report submitted to the Legislature by the state Board of Education and Early Development, amended to include in that report a current summary of middle college activity and outcomes in the state. Sec. 2: AS 14.30 is amended to add a new Article 15, relating to the Alaska Middle College Program. AS 14.30.780 (a) Establishes a Middle College program for eligible students in high school to enroll in courses at the University of Alaska, and to earn credit toward a college degree as well as credit toward high school graduation. (b) UA shall enter into an agreement with each school district to participate in the AMC, giving access to any eligible student to participate in the program. (c) Eligibility: Establishes baseline student eligibility requirements to include being enrolled in a public school, be in high school (grades 9-12), to not have already received a high school diploma, and demonstrate to the satisfaction of both the school district and the UA as being academically competent to complete college level coursework. (d) Awareness: Requires school districts to establish and maintain awareness of AMC course offerings and eligibility requirements to students and parents, including the academic and social responsibilities of participating in the AMC. (e) Financing: UA and school districts shall include in their respective MOU a manner of sharing costs associated with providing the AMC program locally, including tuition waivers, scholarships, and other means of reducing program costs and finding efficiencies. (f) Course Quality: specifies that courses offered by the AMC must meet quality and content standards, including quality instruction, and regular course and instructor review. (g) Credit Cap: Under the AMC program, students may not enroll in more than 15 credit hours per semester, nor earn more than a total of 60 credits. (h) ADM: Holds harmless a school district's Average Daily Membership (ADM) calculation. Students participating in the AMC program are to still be counted toward the respective school district's ADM. (i) Transcripts: Allows the UA and school districts to exchange student transcript information for purposes of determining program eligibility or for graduation requirements. (j) Definitions: Provides definitions for use of the term "program" in this section as being the AMC program, and for "school district" as consistent with other uses of that term in statute, as defined on AS 14.30.350. Sec. 3:AS 14.40.040, relating to general powers and duties of the UA, is a conforming amendment to: (c) UA must implement the AMC and regularly review the AMC course content and quality of instruction to meet national standards for dual credit, enter into MOUs with school districts consistent with the AMC, and award student credit for course completion of AMC courses, which will be fully transferable within the UA system. 9:09:43 AM SENATOR BEGICH recalled that the committee had a long discussion about the cost of the bill when it was heard last. He referred to that in Section 2(e), financing. Part of the concern last year was the cost to districts and the potential cost to individual students so that would not become a barrier to students. Oklahoma's is free and Michigan devotes millions of dollars to this. He asked Mr. Lamkin to remind the committee of last year's discussion about how to ensure equitable access regardless of student income status and also not to adversely affect school districts. MR. LAMKIN replied that every district will be different. There are memorandums of understanding (MOUs) out there. They are not in the committee packet because they are dated at this point. School districts are online that can go into those details. 9:11:23 AM SENATOR MICCICHE noted that students who start in ninth grade may be capable of accumulating more than 60 credits. He described that as a limitation since students would not be limited if they paid for the coursework on their own. MR. LAMKIN answered that there was a lot of thought about that and some interest in removing the cap, but it was based on research he conducted in prior years. As a counterbalance, it is possible, but not likely, that a student graduating from high school could have a baccalaureate for free. Whether that is desirable is a matter of policy. 9:12:39 AM SENATOR STEVENS arrived. SENATOR MICCICHE said he was thinking that the funding would be capped at 60 credits. That is reasonable, but the credits could go above that without a cost to the district. If a young person is capable, it seems that they should be allowed to go further. He acknowledged that it is a small subset of those who would participate in the program, but they do exist. MR. LAMKIN responded that is a very interesting observation. Nothing precludes students from taking additional courses above and beyond, but this puts parameters on the middle college program. 9:14:02 AM SENATOR HUGHES said she wants to hear from superintendents, but her understanding is that it is a savings to at least some of the school districts for students to take coursework through the middle college program. Paying tuition can be a net savings for school districts. In the sponsor statement, districts are required to participate and the university must set up MOUs. In the case of small districts that have no students interested, she asked how the districts could participate and if it would be a matter of simply filling out paperwork with the university and notifying parents. MR. LAMKIN responded that the framework of the bill is not intended to micromanage. The bill says there shall be an agreement, which could be that there is no program. SENATOR HUGHES referenced page 3, lines 25-26 that talks about national standards. She asked if those were specific to middle college and what organization puts them out. MR. LAMKIN answered that was language that was negotiated with the university with respect to accreditation. The university wants to make sure courses it is associated with are aligned with national standards. The university will speak to that. SENATOR HUGHES said that she looks forward to hearing from them. CHAIR HOLLAND noted the bill says students pursue a college degree or certificate. He asked if that could be a professional or career/vocational certificate. MR. LAMKIN replied yes. It is to provide flexibility. It is not just degree-seeking. It could be carpentry, welding, etc. CHAIR HOLLAND called on invited testimony. 9:17:38 AM PAUL LAYER, Ph.D., Vice President, Academics, Students and Research, University of Alaska (UA), Fairbanks, Alaska, said that dual enrollment provides great opportunity for students to earn college credit and meet high school requirements. These types of programs have been around a while. The university has many partnerships with districts now. There are many different approaches in existing programs now that have been successful that students are benefitting from. The first middle college was with Mat-Su. That has over 130 students. The Anchorage School District program has over 280 students and is increasing every year. This year the University of Alaska (UA) created a new program this year with the Fairbanks district, which was capped at 40 but has a waitlist of over 100. The university is looking at expanding that. In addition to those on-campus programs, UA has created the virtual college called Alaska Advantage with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. This provides college-level classes to students across the state. Students do not have be at a location with a university campus. That has allowed the program to expand to over 30 districts as well as home school programs. 9:20:21 AM DR. LAYER said that because UA is an open-enrollment system, students can take university courses if they meet the prerequisites, but these programs through the districts make it affordable for students and students get dual credit. As Mr. Lamkin mentioned, there are a lot of models. There are lots of students and districts with different situations. The university has developed models tailored to each district, whether in person, virtual, or a hybrid. The university does not want to limit itself to any particular model. Flexibility has made the programs grow. There are cohort-based programs to prepare students to become teachers and also in areas of health. The programs can focus on specific areas like engineering. DR. LAYER said the university calls these programs dual credit, and they have been a boon to the university. Statistics show that many high school graduates who have taken advantage of Alaska middle college come to UA. That is a plus for UA. It keeps students here and engaged with the university. 9:22:57 AM SENATOR GARY STEVENS, speaking as sponsor of SB 32, said he appreciates Dr. Layer's efforts, and noted that he made an important point. This bill is a win-win for the state of Alaska. It offers tremendous advantages to high school students, and it is very important for UA, which has had serious budget cuts. Statistically, students who start taking classes at UA in high school continue with the university to get their degrees. The legislature is for K-12 and the University of Alaska. This advantageous for the state's children and UA. SENATOR HUGHES said this is a good thing. She was concerned to hear about the Fairbanks waitlist. She is glad to hear the university is working to expand that. Dr. Layer said students could go on campus or attend virtually. She asked if students are on a waitlist, can they go to virtual middle college or does a district need to agree to pay for that. She asked if there is a remedy for the waitlist. DR. LAYER deferred to superintendents about agreements and how to deal with students who want to participate middle college when there is no room. The virtual college is a partnership with individual school districts, and they provide logistical support, such as mentoring, proctoring, and supervision. 9:26:19 AM DR. LAYER clarified that regarding standards, the purpose of the program and courses is that students are taking the exact same class as university students. These are not special classes for students in high school, and they appear on academic transcripts as university classes. They meet the standards the university must have for institutional accreditation. Instructional staff are held to high standards to deliver courses, including high school staff eligible to teach that course. Students must bear responsibility when taking a course that meets university standards. Sometimes there is the idea that it is a different course for high school students. It is not. It is university level. 9:28:56 AM DEENA BISHOP, Ph.D., Superintendent, Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska, said Alaska Middle College School, AMCS, began in 2017-18 and is now in its fourth year with over 280 students. AMCS is an opportunity for students and families to use BSA (Base Student Allocation) funding model to support the costs of college and high school education simultaneously. Back in 2012 when she worked for the Mat-Su School District, the main goal for the program was to make students college ready. There was an outcry from the university about students not being college ready. Mat-Su wanted to begin a middle college program and looked at many different sates where there are many different models. Mat-Su chose a place-based model, which is on campus. In the Anchorage School District (ASD), students must show a level of competency on a placement test to show they are ready to take college course. If kids are not ready yet, the ASD works with them so they can pass the entrance exams. Some get in in some areas but need tutoring to pass other entrance exams. 9:31:28 AM DR. BISHOP said that juniors and seniors can get college credit while they complete their high school requirements. The students have the potential to earn an associate of arts degree or can work toward general education requirements. The AMCS data shows kids earn about 48 college credits before they leave. There have been students who earned over 60 credits. ASD allows them to take additional classes at school district cost. One student from East High School graduated with a bachelor's degree in science and mathematics. There are some kids like that and ASD works with them one on one. All credits are transferrable to the UA system and credits have transferred to outside colleges. The UA program is strong for those general education requirements. Seventy-two to 78 percent of students have stayed with the UA system. That is a demonstration of the quality of the university. 9:34:09 AM DR. BISHOP said there are other dual credit programs, but AMCS has the power of place. It includes both UA and ASD staff. Students attend UAA classes with other UAA students. Some feedback from students is that they feel that the best features of AMCS are increased sense of independence and responsibility as well as flexibility with schedules. ASD teachers serve as additional support. The most challenging classes are in math. The parents shared that the best feature is the college environment. Students have the opportunity to get ahead. Around 50 percent of students in AMCS are the first-time college students [in their families]. The support assists with the capital knowledge of how university works. ANSEP (Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program) is part of the middle college program. 9:36:31 AM DR. BISHOP said five national merit scholars have come out of AMCS. The ASD, which is about 60 percent minority students, encourages diversity, but the middle college doesn't have the same balance as the district. It is about 50/50 white and minority students. She is proud of that. The ASD is happy to have the program and the partnership. SENATOR MICCICHE asked if she has noticed any negative impacts with the high school activities, such as social interaction activities. DR. BISHOP responded that students still have that high school landing. They graduate with their local high school and play sports there. There is also an AMCS graduation. Students have passes to attend high school events. The ASD tries to keep that balance in students' lives. It is usually utilized a lot in the junior year but by the senior year, many have moved on except for sports. The ASD guides the students so there are not negative consequences, such as failing college courses and not being able to graduate from high school. 9:39:59 AM SENATOR HUGHES asked about the costs for students as compared to traditional high school. She asked if there is a gathering place on campus for those students to meet. DR. BISHOP responded that with a legislative grant starting in 2013, the initial gathering place was the Eagle River campus with a commons area. There is special place for teachers at King Career Tech, which is adjacent to UAA. Teachers now can support teaching at King Tech. Students can gather and study together. They are in college courses. The cost is affordable. The AMCS is a school with its own funding number. The ASD utilizes the support through the BSA. The ASD is able to support those kids and pay all their fees and pay for books, which is a major expense at the university level. AMCS pays for itself. It is done well with partnerships. Speaking of partnerships, the Lower Yukon opened up its career academy in Anchorage so students can take courses at King Tech. AMCS also had its first Lower Yukon student in the program. School districts can take advantage of campus programs through partnerships. 9:43:30 AM SENATOR HUGHES asked if she believes it would not be a drain on school district finances if the legislature were to lift the 60 credit cap. DR. BISHOP confirmed it would not be a drain. She said not all students take 60 credits, but the district wants to support those who can take more than 60 credits. CHAIR HOLLAND called on Dr. Randy Trani, Superintendent of the Mat-Su School District. 9:46:19 AM At ease CHAIR HOLLAND noted that Dr. Trani could not join because of technical difficulties. SENATOR MICCICHE asked Dr. Trani to submit his testimony in writing. CHAIR HOLLAND commented that he sees everyone's enthusiasm for the program. SENATOR HUGHES said when the program first began, the Mat-Su College was hesitant to host it but it has been a positive experience. It has been wonderful for the students and families appreciate it, including a lot of families who have not previously attended college. It is a good program. SENATOR STEVENS said he has gotten some reactions that this is a dumbing down of university classes. That is simply not the case. These are under university accreditation, and the university would not dare dumb down a class. They are often taught on a university campus or on a high school campus with a teacher with degree in that field. It is a legitimate college credit. It is a great program that works well throughout the country. The university has done a great job and Mat-Su and Anchorage have particularly done a great job as well. It is time to do it. SENATOR MICCICHE said that some students are just ready and prepared to go beyond the high school level. He said he wants to see the program expand. He thanked Senator Stevens for bringing the bill forward. SENATOR HUGHES asked if Alaska would be the first state to have middle college available in all districts. SENATOR STEVENS said he does not believe so. The idea has been around a long time. He introduced the idea four years ago. 9:51:57 AM CHAIR HOLLAND held SB 32 in committee.