Bill would end high school graduation examinations

JUNEAU — One of the first orders of business when the 28th Alaska Legislature resumes session this week is a meeting of the Senate Education Committee, which will begin at 8 a.m., Jan. 22 to consider eliminating the high school graduation qualifying exam.

Senate Education Committee Chairman Gary Stevens, R-Kodiak, said Senate Bill 111 would do away with the state’s current high school graduation qualifying exams, which would be replaced by a new standardized testing system expected to arrive in 2015.

Stevens says in a press release announcing the meeting that the exams should also be culled as they are not producing their intend results of ensuring Alaska high school graduates are ready to do on to higher education or to enter the workforce.

Stevens also has introduced SB 107, which would encourage early reading efforts by establishing a reading program for kindergarten through third-grade students.

The Senate Education Committee also met in Anchorage Jan. 7-8 to explore issues surrounding the Common Core and Alaska Academic Standards and their implementation.