Shaping Alaska's Future Theme II: Productive Partnerships With

Alaska's Schools

Issue and Effect Statements

The Issue statements below address compelling concerns raised by Alaskans through more than 80 listening

sessions. The Effect statements associated with each Issue statement express what UA intends to achieve as a

high-performing education institution.

ISSUE A: High expectations for the continuing impact of the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the new K-12

Alaska Academic Standards notwithstanding, today half of UA first-time freshmen do not place into college-level

courses and require one or more university developmental classes at student, university and state expense.

Effect: High school graduation requirements and UA freshmen placement requirements are aligned across

Alaska and postsecondary preparation pathways are clearly identified and communicated.

ISSUE B: The professional preparation that leads to retention of Alaska-educated teachers, especially those in rural

Alaska, begins with UA’s education programs and continues into UA Statewide’s Alaska teacher placement process

and the Alaska Statewide Mentor Program. The legislature has made it clear that UA is neither recruiting enough

education students nor graduating enough teachers who are willing to accept positions in rural Alaska and remain

teaching there long enough to positively impact student learning. Teachers moving to rural Alaska from outside the

state do so without an adequate understanding of Alaska Native cultures, languages and rural living conditions.

Although UA cannot unilaterally improve teacher retention rates in rural Alaska, it can wield significant influence.

Effect: The teacher retention rate in rural Alaska equals that in urban Alaska and is significantly improved

by educating more Alaskan teachers.

ISSUE C: The quality of life and the economic potential of Alaska depend on an educated population. Currently,

Alaska has one of the lowest rates of high school graduates continuing directly into postsecondary education. At the

same time, increasing numbers of jobs in the state require postsecondary education.

Effect: The college-going rate in Alaska, the proportion attending college in-state and the proportion

entering postsecondary education immediately after graduating from high school are similar to other

western states.

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November, 2015

SHAPING ALASKA’S FUTURE:

THEME 2 “Productive Partnerships with Alaska’s Schools” REPORT

“Solid partnerships with Alaska school districts will prepare students for transition to higher education.”

The University of Alaska Anchorage traces its origins to a partnership with the Anchorage School

District to offer community college level courses in the evenings. Throughout its 60 year history,

UAA has continued to partner with school districts throughout the state. Ninety percent of UAA’s

student population is from Alaska. Many incoming students had their first introduction to UAA

while attending one of many programs, such as Kids2College or summer academies, hosted by

various colleges.

In UAA’s 2017 Strategic Plan, such partnerships are identified in Priority C: “Expand Educational

Opportunity and Increase Student Success.” The first item identified for achieving this priority is to:

Work with school districts to increase the UAA share of Alaska’s college-bound students and to

improve student transition to higher education, with special attention to Alaska Natives, other

underrepresented populations, and first-generation college students.

This report provides a collection of UAA highlights for the three issues identified in Theme 2 of

Shaping Alaska’s Future.

ISSUE A: High expectations for the continuing impact of the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the

new K-12 Alaska Academic Standards notwithstanding, today half of UA first-time freshmen do not place into college-level courses and require one or more university developmental classes at student, university and state expense.

Effect: High school graduation requirements and UA freshmen placement requirements are aligned across Alaska and postsecondary preparation pathways are clearly identified and communicated.

UAA has formed many partnerships with school districts and independent organizations to offer a variety of programs to assist middle and high school students prepare for college. Below are some examples.

KENAI PENINSULA COLLEGE’S JUMPSTART program, funded annually by the Kenai Peninsula Borough, allows junior and senior high school students from the borough to enroll in up to six credits per semester, up to 30 dual enrollment credits while still in high school. In AY15, 400 students were enrolled in the program and also received testing and advising to determine their academic preparation.

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The ALASKA NATIVE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING PROGRAM (ANSEP) is designed to prepare and support Alaska Native students from middle school through graduate school to succeed in engineering and science degrees. The Urban Institute, a nonprofit, research organization, conducted a participant-outcomes evaluation of ANSEP between September 2013 and December 2014, collecting data from interviews and focus groups with participants, staff, partners, and stakeholders in the University of Alaska, the K-12 educational system, and organizations in the STEM industry. The full report is available at http://www.ansep.net/documents/ANSEP_Brief_07December_ReaderSpreads_v3.pdf

Below is a summary of college preparation programs offered by ANSEP and the success rates reported by the Urban Institute:

o The Middle School Academy: 77% of participants went on to successfully complete Algebra 1. This partnership with the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp offers fifth through eighth graders a two-week UAA campus experience promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education and careers with hands-on activities from building a computer to testing structures on an earthquake simulation table. Students who successfully complete this program are eligible to attend the 5-day STEM Career Exploration program at no charge.

o The Acceleration Academy: 79% of all participants who took a precollege or college level math course completed it with a grade of C or higher and 85% who took college level science course work met the same criteria. The Acceleration Academy offers two five week residential sessions in the summer, taught by university faculty for college credit, and students can receive high school credit by application. Jump Start allows successful Acceleration Academy students to continue to take college math and science courses from the University of Alaska. Students must attend weekly study sessions, and ANSEP covers tuition, fees, and books.

o Summer Bridge program: 68% of participants from 2010 to 2013 who took a math course received college credit. The annual five week program prepares graduating high school seniors academically and professionally for college and careers. Students enroll in a college math course at UAA and work a paid summer internship in the engineering or science field with one of the ANSEP Strategic Partners.

TRiO EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH (ETS) program, one of several TRiO programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education, offers several Summer Academies for qualifying students in underrepresented populations.

o College Prep Academy for 11th and 12th grade students provides assistance with college preparation tasks such as researching majors, starting a scholarship portfolio and studying for the SAT and ACT tests.

o High School Success Skills Academy for incoming 9th and 10th grade students to help them gain skills to succeed in high school.

o Middle School Academic Academy for incoming 6th to 8th grade students to keep their math and English skills sharp.

The first test results using the newly adopted Alaska standards for English language arts and mathematics, “Alaska Measures of Progress,” confirmed what professors and administrators at UAA have long understood: that the majority of students in Alaska are not mastering these subjects in high school. While it is hoped that these new standards will improve college-ready levels of incoming students,

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UAA must continue to offer programs to help underprepared students succeed. In 2015, UAA introduced the Math Emporium, a new adaptive learning model that takes math out of the traditional classroom and into a high-tech learning environment. It uses ALEKS, a web-based assessment tool, to gauge student’s math knowledge and identify gaps, and builds individualized plan of study with weekly targets to help students master concepts. Students are continuously evaluated and work at their own pace.

ISSUE B: The professional preparation that leads to retention of Alaska-educated teachers, especially those in rural Alaska, begins with UA’s education programs and continues into UA Statewide’s Alaska teacher placement process and the Alaska Statewide Mentor Program. The legislature has made it clear that UA is neither recruiting enough education students nor graduating enough teachers who are willing to accept positions in rural Alaska and remain teaching there long enough to positively impact student learning. Teachers moving to rural Alaska from outside the state do so without an adequate understanding of Alaska Native cultures, languages and rural living conditions. Although UA cannot unilaterally improve teacher retention rates in rural Alaska, it can wield significant influence.

Effect: The teacher retention rate in rural Alaska equals that in urban Alaska and is significantly improved by educating more Alaskan teachers.

Teacher Education is one of ten high demand job areas recognized by the University of Alaska as defined by the State of Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Programs related to teacher education have consistently produced the third highest number of awards at UAA over the last ten years. In AY15, UAA conferred 197 awards in this area. UAA’s College of Education has developed partnerships with school districts to support incoming students and build pathways to grow teachers in Alaska as well as programs to improve teacher support and retention.

PROGRAMS SUPPORTING INCOMING STUDENTS:

o Anchorage School District: COE works with ASD and the community to support incoming freshman in the Early Childhood programs (AAS and BA) and the Elementary Education program (BA). Students who successfully complete a year in the Early Childhood Development program at the King Career Center can earn 6 credits toward the UAA degrees. Students who enter the Early Childhood program and have earned their Child Development Associate credential from “thread” or other state approved agency can also earn the same 6 credits towards the Early Childhood/Elementary Education degrees (credits apply to A100 Fundamentals of Early Childhood and A106 Arts and Creativity for Young Children).

o Community Campus Area School Districts: Administration and faculty from COE work with campus education faculty, directors, and the three superintendents in Mat-Su, Kenai, and Kodiak to support the local schools, build a pathway for incoming freshman, and develop solid partnerships for faculty and teachers.

o Lake and Peninsula School District and Bristol Bay School District partnerships support pathways for incoming freshman at UAA and for growing teachers.

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Faculty travel to the schools (two site visits this past year for a week) to work with high school students on STEM activities – and to recruit these students to go further at the university.

An online tutoring course offered in the Elementary Education, Early Childhood, Secondary Education, and the Special Education programs where COE pairs a college student with a P-12 student for online tutoring to support higher achievement.

PARTNERSHIPS SUPPORTING RETENTION OF ALASKA-EDUCATED TEACHERS:

o The Chevak Teacher Preparation Partnership is a collaborative model designed to serve the needs of rural Alaska and Alaska Native students. One aspect of the partnership is “growing” teachers in Chevak by working with paraprofessionals and the school to support their classes and field experiences. Many of the students have earned an Associate of Arts degree and are continuing toward their bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education. Recently COE met with the Kashunamiut School Board, overseeing Chevak, about taking steps to expand and enhance the program. In addition, several other rural school districts have contacted COE about starting a similar cohort model in their villages.

o A year-long professional development (PACE) course is offered to new teachers in rural villages. The course meets regularly and provides useful information for teachers to acclimate to the Alaskan context – particularly in villages. It also provides the required Alaska Studies and Multicultural course content needed for licensure renewal.

o Student teaching placements in Lake and Peninsula School District village schools. Interns do their student teaching experiences (one semester) with the district supporting housing, travel, and food expenses. Village placements offer valuable onsite experiences in rural Alaska that can improve future teacher retention. COE is expanding these intern placements in other villages in Alaska as resources are available to support positive placements (both financial and people/community).

o Cross District Collaborative and Summer Academies offered in partnership with the Anchorage and Mat-Su school districts. These professional development opportunities enhance the teaching in schools by providing innovative learning sessions and time to work with colleagues. They are conveniently offered during the summer or right before school session begins.

EDUCATION AND POLICY RESEARCH SUPPORTING ALASKA TEACHERS:

o Center for Alaska Education Policy Research (CAEPR): The Alaska Department of Administration contracted with CAEPR to develop a proposal for a salary and benefits schedule for school districts that includes base compensation schedules for teachers and principals, geographic cost differentials, and information on different benefits that districts offer to employees. CAEPR was also tasked with exploring the purpose and value of tenure, alternatives to the current structure in Alaska, and how it affects the teacher labor market. This project, outlined in House Bill 278, is expected to be completed by December 2015.

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CAEPR has been part of a team, led by USC Professor Lawrence Picus, conducting a study to assess whether Anchorage School District (and Alaska School Districts) finances are sufficient to provide adequate resources to ensure that all students have an opportunity to meet their state proficiency standards and be prepared for college and careers. The report will be released in early December 2015.

o The Center for Research and Alaska Native Education (CRANE) received seed funding in spring 2013 from UAA and opened in the College of Education with a mission to support, guide and share research on Alaska Native educational policy and practice that promotes improved Alaska Native education. Since spring 2013, CRANE has piloted several research project, including three CRANE students who published their research in refereed journals. In September 2015 requested formal recognition from the Board of Regents.

ISSUE C: The quality of life and the economic potential of Alaska depend on an educated population. Currently, Alaska has one of the lowest rates of high school graduates continuing directly into postsecondary education. At the same time, increasing numbers of jobs in the state require postsecondary education.

Effect: The college-going rate in Alaska, the proportion attending college in-state and the proportion entering postsecondary education immediately after graduating from high school are similar to other western states.

Recognizing that 90 percent of first-time freshmen graduate from Alaska high schools, UAA provides

numerous opportunities for young Alaskans to come to its campuses to learn more about college life and explore potential academic and career paths. Partnerships with school districts are allowing students to earn college credit while still in high school, and many of these students continue at UAA upon graduation from high school. UAA also places a high priority on in-state recruiting, though budget reductions impacting staff levels and travel budgets are creating challenges.

KIDS COME TO COLLEGE:

o Primary and middle school students. All campuses provide opportunities for prospective students from 5th grade through high school to tour the campuses and learn about programs. Campuses participate in the Alaska Commission on Post-Secondary Education’s “Kids2College” program for students in 5th and 6th grade. Prince William Sound’s Copper Basin Campus partnered with Ahtna, Inc. to teach Kids2College in Glennallen Middle School. The Kenai Peninsula College Financial Aid Team sponsors a campus-based tour for more than 200 interested ninth grade students from Soldotna Prep school.

o High school students. Kenai Peninsula College’s “Taste of College” invites high school juniors and seniors to the Kenai River Campus for two days. They stay in the residence hall, attend classes, and receive financial aid and enrollment counseling.

ACADEMIES EXPLORE ACADEMIC AND CAREER PATHS:

o The Della Keats Health Sciences Summer Program is offered through the University of Alaska WWAMI School of Medical Education. The six-week program offered on the UAA

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campus each summer is designed to encourage Alaskan high school students’ interest in the medical professions by allowing them to explore health-care careers and to obtain an introduction to college life. Students may elect to receive either high school or college credit. Current high school juniors and seniors in Alaska who meet one or more of the following criteria are eligible to apply for the program:

Come from an ethnic minority background Live in rural Alaska (off the road system) Be a first-generation American Be the first in his/her family to go to college Speak English as a second language, and/or Be economically disadvantaged

o The BP Summer Academies are currently managed by Dr. Scott Hamel of the Civil Engineering department. BP has donated approximately $90k each of the past 4 years to host a series of weeklong STEM themed summer day camps for middle and high schoolers. In 2014 260 students attended camps covering Robotics, Structures, Android Programming, 3-D Modeling, and Renewable Energy. This effort has involved at least six UAA Engineering faculty and a staff of about five undergraduate students.

o Culinary and Baking Boot Camps are week-long summer day camps held on the UAA campus for pre-teens to 17 year-old students. They learn cooking and baking at beginning and intermediate levels, along with lessons on kitchen safety, reading recipes, and cooking techniques.

o EXCELL Alaska is a partnership between Kenai Peninsula College and the Kuspuk School District that offers two opportunities for 12th grade students to visit the Kenai River Campus. In February 2015, 14 students came for 5 and 10-day visits and 34 students attended summer programs. They stay in the residence hall and take courses in EMS, PRT, welding and construction.

o Clark Middle School Leadership Academy. The College of Education, College of Business and Public Policy and College of Health faculty are working with students, teachers and administrators at Clark Middle School to cultivate a Leadership academy on site. The program is designed to develop and nurture a leadership mindset that will encourage young leaders to attend and succeed in college. The College of Business and Public Policy launched the Clark Middle School Leadership Fellows Junior program last year as a counterpart to the college’s Leadership Fellows program. The inaugural class of 17 students—mentored by CBPP faculty, UAA staff, and the CBPP Leadership Fellows—attended six two-hour leadership-building classes, completed a community engagement project and documented their reflections in an ePortfolio. This year more than 80 students are taking part in the expanded academies.

EARNING COLLEGE CREDIT “DUAL CREDIT” IN HIGH SCHOOL: o Campuses and colleges have made arrangements for students to take courses that satisfy both

high school and college credit, including:

Kenai Peninsula College’s “JumpStart” program mentioned earlier.

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Cordova, Copper River, and Valdez School Districts and Prince William Sound College have made “Dual Credit” arrangements to provide courses that satisfy both high school and college credit.

UAA implemented an enrollment program for Anchorage School District high school students that: a) allows students to take approved college courses while they remain enrolled in their home high schools; b) designates specific college courses as "high school student friendly"; c) provides orientation and transition.

o Alaska Middle College School is Alaska’s first public high school in which students are simultaneously enrolled in both high school and college courses. In this partnership with the Mat-Su Borough School District, students enrolled can earn their Associate of Arts degree from UAA as well as their high school diploma. The borough covers the cost of tuition, textbooks and transportation. All courses are taught at the Chugiak-Eagle River Campus. UAA faculty teach college level courses and Mat-Su School District teachers teach courses required for high school graduation. Students may also enroll in Mat-Su’s online learning curriculum.

IN-STATE RECRUITING:

UAA Application Days were expanded in the fall 2014 to 23 Alaska high schools and produced 530 applications, a 22 percent increase from the previous year. It is too early to know the results of this program for fall 2015.

Registration Days is an extension of Application Days piloted in spring 2015. UAA recruiters visit area high schools each spring to register students for UAA on site.

Preview Days are held each spring and fall for high school juniors and seniors and have recently been expanded to include an evening event.

High School Counselor Appreciation Dinner is a new effort held in conjunction with the Alaska School Counselor Association Conference this fall. This is a unique and cost efficient opportunity for UAA to share information about UAA with counsellors from around the state. Sixty counselors have RSVP’d for this inaugural event. 

Mount Edgecumbe High School partnership is a sustained annual outreach in which representatives from UAA’s student affairs visit Sitka to assist seniors in completing applications for admission, selecting classes, registering and answering any questions they may have as they prepare for college.  

OTHER PARTNERSHIPS:

ePortfolios. The College of Education, with help from UAA ePortfolio (Digication) staff, partnered with Polaris K-12 and Clark Middle School to introduce and utilize Digication to collect student work to provide evidence of growth and meeting standards. Polaris K-12 adopted it in all K-12. Clark Middle School is also incorporating the portfolio system as a way to collect artifacts and evidence that highlight achievements.

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University of Alaska Fairbanks 

Report on Productive Partnerships with Alaska’s Schools Effect A: High school graduation requirements and UA freshmen placement requirements are aligned across Alaska and postsecondary preparation pathways are clearly identified and communicated. UAF continues to work with UAA and UAS to achieve the UA-wide goal to develop and adopt common general education and developmental/preparatory learning outcomes and requirements. Faculty committees have developed common learning outcomes, course descriptions, numbers and titles, and common placement tools and scores for math and English.

Mathematics and developmental mathematics have completed this work and English is preparing to implement their aligned curriculum next year.

The UAF Faculty Senate passed a motion in November 2015 to establish a category-based approach to general education, like that used at UAA and UAS, to replace the current core curriculum. This will facilitate alignment of all general education requirements.

UAF continues to collaborate with Effie Kokrine Charter School on an Early College program. UAF is also meeting with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District concerning Early College. Early College can help both high school students and high school teachers gain direct experience with college level classes and thus the level of preparation required for them. These efforts are described in more detail under Effect C. Effect B: The teacher retention rate in rural Alaska equals that in urban Alaska and is significantly improved by educating more Alaskan teachers. UAF is committed to the UA-wide “Revitalization of Teacher Education in Alaska” Plan, which includes the goals of increasing the number of graduates from UA’s teacher preparation programs and reducing teacher turnover in rural schools. Since in the present circumstances no new State funding is anticipated for implementation, work is focusing on increasing and improving efforts to prepare and retain teachers in rural communities. Several programs formerly housed in the UA Statewide K-12 Office are being administered through UAF while Steve Atwater serves as interim School of Education dean:

Future Educators of Alaska, through a new federal grant, Perkins (also Federal) and

TVEP support is recruiting more rural high school students to consider teaching. FEA's new approach is more rigorous than in the past, with a capstone event during the senior year of high school, during which students have a practicum-type experience in their region's hub community.

The Alaska Statewide Mentor Project continues to improve teacher retention by providing mentors for new teachers in rural schools. While some of the funding for this program is appropriated by the legislature (and so is at risk), the K-12 Office has secured grants to employ 18 additional mentors.

Alaska Teacher Placement (ATP) has expanded its recruiting efforts by making presentations at teacher preparation programs. ATP representatives visited 15 campuses during 2014-15.

UAF continues a partnership with the Lower Kuskokwim School District to provide the necessary coursework for their paraprofessional staff to achieve degree completion and teacher certification. About 55 Lower Kuskokwim School District paraprofessionals are working toward earning a teaching certificate. LKSD is providing financial assistance in partial support of this effort. The UAF School of Education (SoE) continues to use many approaches for increasing the number of teachers for rural Alaska. These include:

• Distance delivery of the undergraduate degree programs in elementary and secondary education, the post-baccalaureate certification programs in elementary and secondary education, and the post-baccalaureate certification program and the master’s degree in special education. The delivery methods are designed to accommodate the limited internet access in remote rural communities.

• The placement of student teaching interns in rural Alaskan school districts when possible.

• A week-long rural practicum for student teaching interns, which however is jeopardized by continuing reductions in State funding of UAF.

• The delivery of professional development courses to rural school districts.

• Advising of SoE students about employment opportunities in rural Alaska and high demand education careers.

• Securing federal and philanthropic foundation funding to study factors affecting teacher retention in the Arctic, the integration of Indigenous knowledge into the teaching of mathematics, and the integration of Alaska Native arts into curricula.

• Increased outreach to superintendents and principals for recommendations on how to better meet the educational challenges of rural Alaska.

Effect C: The college-going rate in Alaska, the proportion attending college in-state and the proportion entering postsecondary education immediately after graduating from high school are similar to other western states. Dual enrollment has long been an important part of UAF’s efforts to encourage Alaska’s youth to attend college. In particular:

UAF has many tech prep agreements with rural and Fairbanks area school districts to offer career and technical education courses in high schools.

UAF has an Early College partnership of ten years’ standing with the Effie Kokrine Charter School in Fairbanks. This offers students some college courses on-site at EKCS, which in some cases are taught by qualified high school teachers and in other cases by UAF faculty. In addition EKCS students attend some classes on the nearby UAF Fairbanks Campus. An EKCS student recently graduated from high school with sixty college credits.

UAF is meeting with Fairbanks North Star Borough School District (FNSBSD) administrators to see if we can offer better concurrent opportunities for students. Currently a large majority of FNSBSD student concurrent enrollment is through UAF, but access is much easier for some students (e.g., West Valley students) than others. FNSBSD is particularly interested in expanding student access to eLearning courses.

UAF has dozens of K-12 outreach programs and activities intended to spark student interest in college, provide them with enrichment experiences, or provide them with specific information on how to apply to college and apply for financial aid. These programs are too numerous to describe here. This report includes most of the largest programs, particularly those that have demonstrated impacts on college attendance. Most have been in place for years, while some are new. UAF is continuing to review its K-12 outreach programs, to identify which are most cost effective in encouraging college attendance, particularly at UA, and improving students’ success when enrolled. This review is necessary to decide which programs we will preserve as UA revenue decreases. Recruiting of High School Students UAF continues to improve our approaches to recruiting. Efforts include:

Ongoing communication with high school counselors on UAF programs, financial aid opportunities, and other information needed by high school students considering college. UAF sends a representative to the Alaska High School Counselor Conference to connect with rural high school counselors.

UAF’s campuses facilitate ‘FAFSA Frenzy’ annually, to assist families to complete federal financial aid forms.

UAF admissions counselors reach out to community and statewide minority group organizations, such as the Alaska Federation of Natives, Latinos Unidos del Norte, and the J.P. Jones Community Center.

UAF Admissions works closely with Rural Student Services (RSS) and community campuses to ensure that UAF reaches high school students in rural Alaska. UAF recruiters or advisors regularly visit rural high schools as available travel funding permits.

Rural Alaska Honors Institute The UAF Rural Alaska Honors Institute (RAHI, http://www.uaf.edu/rahi/ ) was founded at the request of the Alaska Federation of Natives in 1983 and recently celebrated its 33nd anniversary. In addition to receiving funding from UAF, RAHI has many external sponsors, which have included New York Life, Wells Fargo, Boeing, the Rasmuson Foundation, the Future Educators of Alaska, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institutes of Health. Its purpose is to prepare rural and Alaska Native high school students for academic excellence and college

success. Annually RAHI provides 60 rural and Alaska Native students with a six-week college experience. High school juniors and seniors live in the dormitories and take college level courses at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. In addition students learn study skills and time management. Former RAHI participants have earned more than 700 post-secondary certificates and degrees, and more than 250 are enrolled at UA. Upward Bound The federally-funded Upward Bound program has been active at UAF for 50 years, focused on making the college dream a reality for low-income first-generation college students. Upward Bound currently collaborates with students from 10 sites in 8 school districts across Alaska (Bering Strait, Kashunamiut, Kenai Peninsula, Lower Kuskokwim, Southwest Region, St. Mary's, Wrangell, and Yupiit school districts). Ten Upward Bound coordinators work with 160 students throughout the academic year increasing post-secondary academic readiness, stimulating career awareness and assisting with college enrollment. Each summer, UB hosts 50 high school students for six weeks on campus, where they focus on math, technology, language arts and science courses. Upward Bound students are four times more likely to enroll in and attend college than their non-Upward Bound peers from similar low-income and first-generation backgrounds in Alaska. On average approximately 90% of Upward Bound high school graduates choose to attend somewhere in the University of Alaska postsecondary education system following high school graduation. Last summer Upward Bound initiated "The Modern Blanket Toss," a three-year educational research program in cooperation with the National Science Foundation's Alaska Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Through the program, 60 Upward Bound students from 5 Alaska communities (Seward, Nikiski, Bethel, Chefornak, Shishmaref) are being trained to operate unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and associated technologies such as 3D printers, which they will use to undertake group projects in their home communities. 4-H 4-H is the youth development program of the Cooperative Extension Service (CES); like other CES efforts in Alaska, it is partly supported by federal formula funds. An eight-year study by Tufts University that includes Alaska data indicated that 4-H youth are twice as likely to plan to go to college compared with participants in other youth programs. 4-H serves as a catalyst for college and emphasizes science, ranging from animal and plant science to engineering. The Alaska 4-H program has a long-standing partnership with K-12 schools. Of the 11,000 Alaska youth who participated in 4-H for the year ending September 2014, one-third participated in 4-H school enrichment programs and nearly one thousand attended after-school programs that use 4-H curricula. Alaska Summer Research Academy The Alaska Summer Research Academy (ASRA) of UAF’s College of Natural Science and Mathematics offers engaging and in-depth experiences in science and engineering throughout the year. During the summer ASRA offers a two-week summer academy. However, ASRA has been forced to reduce its efforts, eliminating the summer residential program, due to funding reductions. It now largely self-supports on fees charged to participants, with donors covering costs for low-income students and sponsoring particular “modules” or subject areas. ASRA also

offers a year-round Saturday program (The Saturday Thing), as well as outreach to schools across Alaska (ASRA to the Schools). Alaska Native Language Center (ANLC) and Linguistics Program Activities ANLC faculty teach Inupiaq classes for Effie Kokrine Charter School in Fairbanks. ANLC also assists with classes in Alaska Native languages for the Yukon-Koyukuk and Lower Kuskokwim school districts. The federally-funded ANE-CALL (Alaska Native Education Computer Assisted Language Learning) Project led by Linguistics faculty member Sabine Siekmann supports outreach on Alaska Native Languages in the Lower Kuskokwim School District, the Lower Yukon School District, the Yupiit School District, the Kodiak Island Borough School District, and the Kenaitze Indian Tribe. Summary of Key Strategies Secure federal or philanthropic funding when possible to support relevant education, research and outreach programs. Provide higher education, including the opportunity to attain teacher certification, to place-committed students in rural Alaska. Increase engagement with Alaska school districts to offer Early College and other concurrent enrollment opportunities to qualified high school students. Continue K-12 outreach programs that demonstrate success in improving college attendance, including those focused on encouraging students to enter teacher preparation programs.

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ISSUE A: High expectations for the continuing impact of the Alaska Performance Scholarship and the new K-12 Alaska Academic Standards notwithstanding, today half of UA first-time freshmen do not place into college-level courses and require one or more university developmental classes at student, university and state expense. Effect: High school graduation requirements and UA freshmen placement requirements are aligned across Alaska and postsecondary preparation pathways are clearly identified and communicated.

 

 

 

 

SHAPING ALASKA’S FUTURE Theme 2: Productive Partnerships with Alaska’s Schools

The House Build Partnership was established in 2014 as a collaborative effort to provide affordable housing through UAS, the Juneau School District, and the Juneau Land Trust. The current partnership, “House Build” demonstrates existing secondary and postsecondary relationships between UAS and the local school district. UAS CTE has additional partnerships with the Juneau School District in several other career training programs and has a 10 year history of offering tech prep and dual enrollment through this partnership.

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The Math GERs have been aligned across UAS, UAA, and UAF. The English faculty are working together to align the writing classes and it is expected that the approvals by the three Faculty Senates will be completed this year.

15% of Juneau high school graduates are CTE concentrators. 47% of CTE participants are female; 18% are economically disadvantaged. CTE’s concentrator dropout rate is five times lower than the overall student population.

Alaska’s Learning Network (AKLN), managed by UAS, provides online classes, ensuring all Alaska

students have access to Alaska Performance Scholarship (APS) required courses and are college and career ready. Since UAS took over the management of AKLN in 2013: Enrollments in AKLN have increased by more than 60% each year. AP Coursework has been made available to students throughout Alaska. This option

allows students in rural and remote areas to have access to advanced placement coursework and testing options. Enrollment in AP coursework through AKLN was 19 in AY 2014, the first year, and 65 AY 2016 in the second.

Credit Recovery options have been developed and are available to all school districts throughout Alaska.

Credit by Examination options based on best practices are now available to all school districts in Alaska.

Working with Future Educators of Alaska (FEA) Statewide, UAS restructured the Introduction to Education I and Introduction to Education II courses to meet the needs of FEA. AKLN’s Teacher Education Career Pathway that includes academic requirements and the CASE examination will assist in the goal of “growing Alaska’s own” teachers. AKLN and FEA partnered with the Preparing Indigenous Teachers and Administrators for Alaska (PITAAS) to fund Alaska Native students who are taking the Intro to Education courses through AKLN as well as college preparatory math and English classes and the CASE (formerly Praxis I) exam.

UAS works with smaller school districts to improve the teaching of mathematics at the middle school level through the Small School Math Network grant. The grant helps rural teachers become certified to teach middle school math. Their students then have a stronger

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ISSUE B: The professional preparation that leads to retention of Alaska-educated teachers, especially those in rural Alaska, begins with UA’s education programs and continues into UA Statewide’s Alaska teacher placement process and the Alaska Statewide Mentor Program. The legislature has made it clear that UA is neither recruiting enough education students nor graduating enough teachers who are willing to accept positions in rural Alaska and remain teaching there long enough to positively impact student learning. Teachers moving to rural Alaska from outside the state do so without an adequate understanding of Alaska Native cultures, languages and rural living conditions. Although UA cannot unilaterally improve teacher retention rates in rural Alaska, it can wield significant influence. Effect: The teacher retention rate in rural Alaska equals that in urban Alaska and is significantly improved by educating more Alaskan teachers.

background going into high schools.

The UAS Ketchikan and Sitka campuses are part of the UA Drumbeats Consortium, funded by a USDA grant. The Sitka portion of the project is “Getting Rural Alaskans into Science Professions” that integrates science pathways into school classroom activities. The Ketchikan grant is the Southeast Alaska Mariculture: Learning from Ethnography and Science and is developing educational materials and offering a high school class with Tribal Scholars.

According to a 2014 UA recent alumni survey (McDowell Group, 2015), nearly half of the

UAS alumni (45 percent) who participated in internships reported their internships were based in Alaska school districts.

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In Alaska schools, Alaska Native students make up 25% of the student body and less than 5% of the professional educator labor force. In 2000, UAS created the Preparing Indigenous Teachers & Administrators for Alaska Schools (PITAAS) Program to address this shortage. The PITAAS Program provides Alaska Native students support services and scholarships for education degrees and certificates designed to meet its primary goal: more Alaska Native educators in Alaskan schools.

The following graphic demonstrates the success PITAAS has had recruiting, supporting, and preparing Alaska Native students to become effective educators.

Through the Village Teacher Grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, UAS was able to offer graduate scholarships to Alaska Native teachers throughout Alaska. The program graduated 15 Reading Specialists, 8 K-8 Math Specialists and 1 principal.

UAS, Juneau Alaska Music Matters (JAMM), and the Juneau Symphony launched a new collaboration by selecting four scholarship recipients who will help teach local K-12 student

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musicians while pursuing a Master of Arts in Secondary Teaching (MAT) at UAS with certification in K-12 Music. This unique collaboration will result in a master’s degree and teaching certificate for the scholarship recipients while serving the community by providing teaching artists for the JAMM program and quality performers for the Juneau Symphony.

A Cargill Foundation grant Artful Teaching was awarded to the Juneau School District in partnership with the UAS School of Education. The grant funds implementation of a program that will build capacity in teachers and administrators for culturally relevant “artful” teaching practices beginning in AY 2016.

UAS produced and distributed a portfolio booklet of new graduates (teachers and administrators) from the School of Education in February of 2015. The booklet is distributed to superintendents and principals around the state. It includes information about recent UAS education graduates who are seeking employment and gives them an opportunity to market themselves to prospective Alaska school district employers.

Through a generous donation from First National Bank, UAS offers a yearly conference for school counselors. The 2014 conference was on Education, Employment and the Economy and the 2015 conference was on Teaching, Counseling and the Online Learner.

In December of 2014, the UAS School of Education brought together a diverse group of experienced Alaskan educators to review and revise the UAS Secondary Master of Arts in Teaching program. After nine months of research, data analysis and collaboration, the council recommended that UAS offer a variation of the Secondary MAT program, one that would maintain the quality and integrity of the program, while increasing the accessibility and affordability for Alaskans to become secondary teachers.

UAS Sitka Professor Jan Straley, as part of her work for the Drumbeats Consortium, has facilitated teacher-scientist partnerships in local schools. Such work reduces teacher isolation and increases teacher professional development.

According to a 2014 UA alumni survey (McDowell Group, 2015), UAS alumni were more likely to be employed in the field of education (37 percent), compared to UAA and UAF.

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ISSUE C: The quality of life and the economic potential of Alaska depend on an educated population. Currently, Alaska has one of the lowest rates of high school graduates continuing directly into postsecondary education. At the same time, increasing numbers of jobs in the state require postsecondary education. Effect: The college-going rate in Alaska, the proportion attending college in-state and the proportion entering postsecondary education immediately after graduating from high school are similar to other western states.

The UAS Ketchikan Campus partnered with Ketchikan Indian Community’s alternative high school for tribal members, known as the Tribal Scholars Program. This program provided an opportunity for 12 students to participate in a dual enrollment 1 credit Anthropology 280 class focused on traditional uses of intertidal foods and the biology of the beach environment during the spring of 2015 with a second class of 10 students during the fall of 2015. This

course exposes high school students to college in a hands-on, culturally-relevant course. Students expressed interest in taking more UAS courses in the near future.

The Maritime Sector is a major economic driver in Alaska. UAS has strong maritime educational programs. Faculty actively engage high school students in career fairs and campus tours. Programs include:

o UAS Sitka Fisheries Technology. The program has expanded enrollment and

completion rates in certificates and degrees, including a 200% enrollment increase from fall of 2013 to fall of 2015.

o UAS Ketchikan Marine Transportation. With a new Associates in Applied

Science in Marine Transportation, the campus plans to market this degree to high school seniors interested in a high-demand, high-wage maritime career.

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o UAS Ketchikan Maritime and Multi-Skilled Worker. In the first year of the

MMSW program, high school senior Riley Gass chose to stay in Ketchikan and get a U.S. Coast Guard-approved Qualified Member of the Engine Department certification instead of going out of state for education. He is now actively employed with the Alaska Marine Highway System.

o UAS Ketchikan Welding. UAS Ketchikan works directly with Vigor Alaska to

provide training to their current and potential employees. The welding program participated in a high school career day that Vigor Alaska sponsored along with the Alaska Construction Academy. Over 250 high school students from Southern Southeast Alaska attended the event.

UAS Ketchikan sponsors an annual 8th grade career fair focused on vocational and technical educational opportunities at UAS Ketchikan. Over 130 students get hands-on experience trying out the Marine Transportation computer simulator, knot tying, survival suit donning, gold mining, welding and other power technology simulators. The goal of the event is to increase the number of students entering high school to think about the trades and vocational training instead of going to a 4-year college outside of Alaska.

UAS Ketchikan offers GED prep and testing for the Ketchikan community. The campus

graduates between 30-50 GED students every year. Students often return to take college-level courses after graduating with their GED. Several students in the last two years completed the Certified Nurse Aid course after getting their GED.