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Minutes for SB63 - Committee on Education
Short Title
Expanding the provision of the ACT college entrance exam and workkeys assessments to students enrolled in nonpublic schools.
Minutes Content for Tue, Feb 2, 2021
Chairperson Baumgardner opened the hearing on SB63 - Expanding the provision of the ACT college entrance exam and workkeys assessments to students enrolled in nonpublic schools.
Tamera Lawrence, Assistant Revisor, Office of the Revisor of Statutes, provided an overview of the bill. (Attachment 1)
John M. Clark, Senior Director, State Government Relations, State and Federal Programs, ACT, provided comment on the bill saying if it passes, it would expand the opportunity for nonpublic schools to provide their students three ACT assessment programs that collectively comprise a college and career readiness framework to promote post-high school success: the PreACT at grade 9, and the ACT and ACT Workkeys at grade 11 or 12.
The PreACT currently provides all public school students equitable practice for the ACT, career planning tools and a baseline for measuring academic growth and a predicted ACT score. The ACT provides a consistent and objective measure of college readiness that is recognized and valued by Kansas students, educators and postsecondary institutions.
ACT Workkeys provides students who attain certain scores with one of four levels of the ACT National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). Research shows that individuals who earn a NCRC earn higher salaries while reducing turnover and increasing productivity for employers by helping to ensure the requisite foundational skills among applicants.
By providing all students with the opportunity to earn a NCRC, ACT benefits the Kansas economy. Site Selection Magazine utilizes the number and percent improvement in ACT NCRCs earned by working-age adults as one of six criteria that global corporate location decision-makers should consider when looking for a state in which to expand or relocate.
By extending these opportunities to all accredited schools in the state, every student will have the opportunity to benefit from these programs. No additional allocation is required to extend these opportunities to students in nonpublic Kansas schools. (Attachment 2)
Heather Morgan, Executive Director, Kansas Association of Community College Trustees (KACCT), supports the ability of all Kansas students no matter who they receive their education from, to have the ability to take the ACT and ACT Workkeys assessment without cost to the student.
The ACT and ACT Workkeys assessments are valuable tools for both students and Kansas Community Colleges as student scores help with scholarship applications or job placement. When entering college, the first challenge is placing students into courses that will be challenging but also allow the student to be successful. ACT scores can help with that determination. Research has shown that the use of multiple measures assessment is one of the best ways to improve student success and ensure students continue to persevere and complete the certification or degree. (Attachment 3)
Proponent written testimony was submitted by Chuck Weber, Executive Director, Kansas Catholic Conference. (Attachment 4)
Neutral written testimony was submitted by Deena Horst and Ben Jones, Legislative Liaisons, Kansas State Board of Education (Attachment 5)
Opponent written testimony was submitted by Jennifer Laporte, Chair, CHECK, and Jeff Gorman, President, Kansas Home Educators (Attachment 6)
Lona Gorman, Board Member, Kansas Home Educators (Attachment 7)
Seeing no further Conferees, the Chair closed the hearing on SB63.
