SENATE BILL NO. 111 "An Act repealing the secondary student competency examination and related requirements; and providing for an effective date." 9:07:03 AM Co-Chair Meyer continued public testimony for SB 111. RACHEL ETCHER, PETERSBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT (via teleconference), testified in favor of the legislation. She stated that much of her school's staff time was spent preparing for the six days of testing required for the secondary student competency examination. She stated that the competency tests disrupted teaching routines and limited teaching time. She stressed that collecting, accounting for, and shipping the tests consumed valuable staff time. She felt that greater student needs could be served during the time-consuming test days. She stated that a number of students had not been able to display their abilities and potential with the tests, due to anxiety related to the high stakes of the exam. RICK DORMER, PRINCIPAL, PETERSBURG SCHOOL DISTRICT (via teleconference), spoke in favor of eliminating the secondary student competency examination and the related requirements. He stated that the test was not an adequate representation of students' skills. He explained that two of the district's students failed the test by one point, which prevented them from earning a diploma. He informed the committee that some students were dropping out of high school as early as 15 and 16 years old because of the required exam. 9:10:54 AM GENE STONE, MAT-SU, ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT MAT-SU SCHOOL DISTRICT (via teleconference), spoke in support of the legislation. He stated that students suffered disproportionate consequences for failing the high school qualifying exam. His school district supported alternative assessment such as the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), the American College Test (ACT), Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) or WorkKeys exams that could provide institutions and employers with a clear picture of a student's readiness for work, military, college or vocational training. 9:12:48 AM STEVE ATWATER, SUPERINTENDENT KENAI PENINSULA, SOLDOTNA (via teleconference), spoke in favor of the legislation. He strongly believed that the exam had outlived its intended purpose. He pointed out that the exam's intention was to provide a quality control for the school districts in Alaska. He believed that the Kenai district had the required quality control, making the exam unnecessary. He added that greater than 95 percent of his district's students passed the test, but the distraction and burden of the test were unnecessary. Co-Chair Meyer asked if Mr. Atwater knew of other available methods to accurately measure a student's education. He understood that the governor supported the use of SAT, ACT or WorkKeys as tools for evaluation. Mr. Atwater agreed with the governor's proposal of using the SAT and ACT tests to determine competency. He also believed that the school districts possessed an adequate amount of quality control. He wished to see an end of course exam administered by each district. 9:14:50 AM Vice-chair Fairclough asked about the historical graduation rates following implementation of the qualifying exam. She noted a reported increase in graduation rates following the implementation of the qualifying exam. She highlighted that the state saw a graduation rate of 62.9 percent increase to 71.7 percent in 2013. Mr. Atwater replied that the initial impact of the exam was positive, and the increase in graduation rates was attributable to the accountability brought forth by No Child Left Behind. 9:17:31 AM AT EASE 9:19:18 AM RECONVENED MIKE COONS, SELF, PALMER (via teleconference) testified in favor of the legislation. He called attention to the change found on the last page of the bill, lines 25-29. He stated that the change impacted young adults. He hoped that the exam could transition out of use with minimal impact on the students. He stated that a poor transition was limiting for Alaska's students. He spoke against HB 278, section 2, which also impacted the legislation. 9:23:23 AM Co-Chair Meyer CLOSED public testimony. Co-Chair Meyer stated that the governor's education omnibus bill contained similar intent. He intended to bring the bill back to committee when the omnibus bill was heard. 9:24:21 AM Senator Dunleavy pointed out that the bill addressed issues other than the high school qualifying exam. He noted items regarding parental inputs, and system reporting included in the bill. He opined that the bill resulted from SB 36, legislation that was proposed more than one decade ago. He advocated for agency testimony prior to merging SB 111 with the governor's omnibus legislation. He recommended retaining those tools proven to assist education evaluations. 9:25:25 AM Co-Chair Meyer discussed the fiscal note, which provided a credit. TIM LAMKIN, STAFF, SENATOR GARY STEVENS, spoke to the concern about transition language. He clarified that the 2017 phase-out provided an opportunity for students who failed the exam to take it again. The language was consistent with the governor's bill. 9:27:01 AM Vice-chair Fairclough asked if the state had a support contract to implement the legislation on an annual basis. Mr. Lamkin replied that he was not acquainted with the details of the contract. SB 111 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further consideration. 9:27:38 AM AT EASE