Call to Order and Roll Call
The 1st meeting of the Interim Joint Committee on Education was held on Monday, June 8, 2015, at 1:00 PM, in Room 154 of the Capitol Annex. Senator Mike Wilson, Co-Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary called the roll.
Present were:
Members: Senator Mike Wilson, Co-Chair; Representative Derrick Graham, Co-Chair; Senators Danny Carroll, David P. Givens, Jimmy Higdon, Alice Forgy Kerr, Gerald A. Neal, Reginald Thomas, Stephen West, and Max Wise; Representatives Linda Belcher, George Brown Jr., Regina Bunch, John Carney, Hubert Collins, Leslie Combs, Jim DeCesare, Jeffery Donohue, Kelly Flood, Jim Glenn, Cluster Howard, James Kay, Donna Mayfield, Reginald Meeks, Charles Miller, Rick G. Nelson, Jody Richards, Tom Riner, Bart Rowland, Sal Santoro, Jim Stewart III, Wilson Stone, David Watkins, and Jill York.
Legislative Guest: Representative James Tipton.
Guests: Erin Klarer, Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority (KHEAA); Clyde Caudill, Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA); Wayne Young, KASA.
LRC Staff: Jo Carole Ellis, Joshua Collins, Janet Stevens, Amy Tolliver, and Daniel Clark.
Presentation: The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics
Wayne Andrews, President, Morehead State University (MSU), thanked the committee and leadership for the support during the 2015 General Assembly in helping create The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics.
Carol Christian, Director, The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, said the Craft Academy is a two year dual-credit residential high school for academically exceptional Kentucky students. The Craft Academy had 114 statewide applicants, with 60 students being selected. Those 60 students will be enrolled in August of 2015, with 60 additional students being admitted in the fall of 2016. The students will be housed in the newly renovated Grote-Thompson Hall on the MSU campus.
Dr. Christian said students who want to attend the Craft Academy must meet the application criteria. They must be Kentucky residents, current sophomores, have passed Algebra I and II and Geometry, and have a minimum ACT score of 22 in Math and Reading and a minimum ACT score of 18 in English. The Craft Academy initiated a selection and review board to develop criteria and approve scoring rubrics in the selection process. Students who apply are scored based on their letters of recommendation, ACT data, responses to four open response questions, and a 30-minute interview with a panel of judges.
Senator Higdon said he is proud of the Craft Academy and MSU and expressed his excitement for each institution.
In response to Representative Collins’s question regarding objectives for students who graduate from the Craft Academy, Dr. Christian said changing focus is part of the learning and growing process for students. The Craft Academy provides mentors and coaches to help each student figure out their interest and what best fits their needs after high school.
In response to Representative Stone’s question regarding the hiring of new faculty and college hours received at the Craft Academy, Dr. Andrews said all Craft Academy students will do their coursework with MSU faculty, and students will receive a minimum of 60 college hours.
In response to Representative Graham’s questions regarding the recruitment of students from eastern Kentucky, Dr. Andrews said faculty of the Craft Academy meet with superintendents and guidance counselors in different school districts across the state, particularly the school districts in eastern Kentucky.
In response to Representative Meeks’s questions regarding the Craft Academy students having automatic admission into MSU and their definition of diversity, Dr. Andrews said students do not have automatic admission into MSU, but students should not have an issue being admitted. Dr. Christian said many school districts have diversity officers and the definition can be different for each school district. For the first year, the Craft Academy selected three are African-American, one is Hispanic, and one is Asian.
Representative Belcher thanked the Craft Academy and said she was pleased with the balance of male and female students.
Representative Carney congratulated the Craft Academy and said the biggest challenge is keeping the graduates in Kentucky or bringing them back home.
Presentation: The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky
Lynette Breedlove, Director, The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky, said the Gatton Academy’s mission is to offer a residential program for bright, highly motivated high school juniors and seniors who have demonstrated an interest in pursuing advanced careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Gatton Academy’s primary goal is economic development for Kentucky by advanced education opportunities for Kentucky’s young mathematicians and scientists.
Dr. Breedlove said the Gatton Academy has a very successful structure and has been named by Newsweek as the best high school in the country for the past three years. The Gatton Academy is a statewide academy and has had students from 114 different counties in Kentucky. The Gatton Academy keeps strong partnerships with the students’ home high schools and all benefits remain with the home high schools. The Gatton Academy will provide assistance to those high schools and report each student in Infinite Campus.
Dr. Breedlove said students attend Western Kentucky University (WKU) classes with regularly-enrolled students, receive a high school diploma, and earn a minimum of 60 hours of college credit. The Gatton Academy had 11 students commended for the 2014 National Merit Scholarship Program, and all 11 were finalists and scholarship winners. Research is a large component of the curriculum for students at the Gatton Academy. For the class of 2015, 92 percent of the students participated in research, and 78 percent of the class of 2016 participated.
Dr. Breedlove said that, in addition to research, it is important for students to have global experience while preparing for careers after high school and college. The Gatton Academy offers multiple study-abroad opportunities for students to Costa Rica, England, Greece, Italy, and China. For the class of 2015, 92 percent of students studied abroad, and 85 percent of the class of 2016 studied abroad. The Gatton Academy offers critical language courses for students wanting language-specific scholarships.
Dr. Breedlove said many Gatton Academy students have looked at out-of-state postsecondary opportunities because of scholarship opportunities. The class of 2015 was offered a total of $15.6 million in scholarships and grants. Gatton Academy faculty is looking at different ways to enhance the recruitment efforts of graduates to try and keep a larger proportion of students in Kentucky.
Dr. Breedlove said the Gatton Academy has started expanding and renovating this month and expects that process to be completed by July 2016. Once the expansion and renovation is complete, the Gatton Academy will house 160 students in 2016 and 200 students by August 2017.
Chairman Wilson acknowledged Representative Richards for his hard work getting highway signs for Bowling Green, Kentucky recognizing the Gatton Academy and its accomplishments.
Representative Graham said he is concerned with the number of exceptional students Kentucky is losing to out-of-state institutions.
In response to Representative Graham’s question regarding the recruiting efforts of the Gatton Academy in western Kentucky, Dr. Breedlove said Gatton Academy faculty does recruit in the western Kentucky area along with the rest of the state. Faculty will have meetings in schools during school hours and then meet with parents during the evenings to try and initiate students’ interest. Also, faculty will meet with school board members and superintendents.
Representative Graham thanked Representative Richards for his leadership in establishing the Gatton Academy.
Representative Richards praised MSU and WKU for their cost-effective model of using present college faculty to teach the students of the Craft and Gatton Academies and spoke of his and Chairman Wilson’s experiences interviewing some of the Gatton Academy’s students.
Representative Richards said it is a challenge to keep the brightest students in Kentucky for higher education and hopes that those students come back after receiving their degrees to help build the state’s economy.
Senator Kerr praised the Gatton Academy for its hard work and said many of Kentucky’s students can accomplish anything.
Representative Carney thanked Dr. Breedlove and the Gatton Academy staff for everything that they do.
Representative Carney said there is an ongoing issue with school textbooks and the home school district at the Gatton Academy. Many Gatton Academy students have to pay for their own college textbooks.
In response to Senator Wise’s question regarding the percentage of college credit hours that transfer to undergraduate programs, Dr. Breedlove said a lot depends on the university the student chose and what would be studied. If a student chose to go to an in-state college, the majority of those college hours would transfer.
Presentation: Dual Credit
Terry Holliday, Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Education (KDE), said dual credit increases the percentage of students participating in postsecondary education, especially among low-income and traditionally underserved populations. Dual credit is associated with increases in college retention and completion rates and decreases the time and cost in completing a postsecondary credential. Also, dual credit increases the number of educational pathways made available to students.
Dr. Holliday spoke about the statewide policy on dual credit and said the policy addresses four primary issues: 1) Increase access to dual credit courses across the state; 2) promote quality and rigor in the courses offered regardless of the postsecondary institution providing the course; 3) ensure transferability of dual credit among postsecondary institutions; and 4) safeguard that dual credit remains affordable to all eligible Kentucky students and is cost effective to educational partners.
Dr. Holliday spoke about funding options for dual credit and said a line-item appropriation could be budgeted to provide students across the Commonwealth with the opportunity to participate in dual credit offerings on high school campuses, postsecondary campuses, and virtually. The appropriation could be a pro-rata allocation based on the number of eligible students participating in the academic year. Another option is to allow part of the SEEK per-pupil guarantee to be expended to support eligible students taking an approved dual credit course for the purpose of covering tuition and fees.
Bob King, President, Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE), said after numerous months of studying what was going on around the Unites States and looking at different dual credit practices, KDE, CPE, and KHEAA was able to come together and provide a statewide policy on dual credit. The policy addresses four primary issues and has support from all of Kentucky’s public four year institutions, some of the private and independent colleges, and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS).
Carl Rollins, Executive Director, KHEAA, said KDE, CPE, and KHEAA came to a tentative agreement on financing for dual credit. The financing agreement needs to be brought before the Dual Credit Task Force before moving forward. Dr. Rollins hopes the financing details can be worked out soon, and the details subsequently reported to the Interim Joint Committee on Education.
In response to Chairman Wilson’s question regarding transferability of credits, Mr. King said dual credit courses fall into two categories. The general education category of dual credit is comprised of fundamental courses found with a liberal arts education which is typically required for graduation from any Kentucky institution. The career and technical education category of dual credit has to be accepted and transferable to any community and technical college that offers courses in a particular career and technical education field.
Representative Miller spoke about his children’s positive experiences with dual credit and said dual credit is a great program for the students of Kentucky.
In response to Senator Givens’s question regarding cost effectiveness and resolutions for maintaining competitive advantages for students, Mr. King said the statewide policy on dual credit has a cap on the tuition that can be charged and cannot exceed 50 percent of the current KCTCS per credit hour rate. Dr. Holliday said if a high school teacher meets the accreditation standards to teach a college level course, that course can be taught at the high school at no tuition cost.
In response to Representative Graham’s question regarding postsecondary institutions accepting dual credit hours, Mr. King said faculty of each department at a postsecondary institution defines the courses they think a student needs to earn a degree from that postsecondary institution. There are instances where dual credit courses will not transfer to a postsecondary institution because the definition of that course does not match.
Representative Graham said he hopes CPE will work carefully with postsecondary institutions to encourage kids to stay in Kentucky to attend college.
In response to Senator Higdon’s question regarding Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) money and online dual credit courses, Dr. Rollins said KEES money is only for undergraduate courses and has to be used within five years of graduating high school unless the student goes into the military. Mr. King said general education courses for dual credit are available online but career and technical education courses are more hands-on.
Review of Administrative Regulations
Kevin Brown, Associate Commissioner and General Counsel, KDE, said 703 KAR 5:200, 703 KAR 5:225, and 703 KAR, 5:240 are regulations that implement the assessment and accountability system pursuant to Senate Bill 1.
Rhonda Sims, Associate Commissioner, Office of Assessment and Accountability, KDE, explained the suggested amendments to administrative regulations 703 KAR 5:200, 703 KAR 5:225, and 703 KAR 5:240. The summaries of the suggested amendments are located in the committee meeting folders in the Legislative Research Commission library.
In response to Senator Givens’s questions regarding the change in definition of Gap and changing Gap scores, Dr. Holliday said the changes were made to dig deeper into each sub-group and to hold schools and districts accountable for every sub-group. An asterisk will be placed by different scores to inform people that a measure has been changed.
Representative Flood thanked KDE for its effort and focus on achieving positive outcomes for each Gap group and thinks the change in the definition of Gap is a step in the right direction for Kentucky schools.
In response to Senator Thomas’s question regarding the changes in the definition and improvement in achievement gaps, Dr. Holliday said KDE will work closely with Fayette County’s Central Office staff to develop a novice reduction plan for the district beginning in August of 2015. KDE hopes that the novice reduction plan for Fayette County will eventually serve as a model for the rest of the state.
Representative Graham said he supports KDE’s changes to the administrative regulations and believes those changes are a step in the right direction for Kentucky schools.
Senator Givens said he has some concerns with the changes in the Gap definition and hopes KDE measures Gap scores accurately and rigorously so Kentucky students can start to close achievement gaps.
With no further business before the committee, the meeting adjourned at 3:05 p.m.