Alaska’s education department wants a $750,000 external evaluator to study reading law

JUNEAU — The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development wants to hire an external evaluator on a $750,000 contract to study how a landmark measure is being implemented to improve reading outcomes for students between kindergarten and third grade.

The external evaluator would help write an annual report on reading improvement programs, and study their cost effectiveness — among other responsibilities. The education department’s contract was put out for bid Thursday.

The contract is set to run through June 30, 2026, with the option for two-year renewals through 2034.

In 2022, the Legislature narrowly approved the Alaska Reads Act on the final day of the legislative session. The wide-ranging measure included targeted reading intervention programs and regular testing.

But some legislators representing rural House districts were critical of the measure, saying it didn’t do enough to account for the challenges of rural education.

Legislators appropriated $5.2 million in May to fund reading support after school administrators complained that the law was underfunded. Gov. Mike Dunleavy vetoed that funding in June.

Alaska’s reading results have long languished at the bottom of national testing results. The bipartisan reading bill was intended to ensure all students could read proficiently by age 9.

After its first year in effect, Dunleavy touted data in June that he said showed students were “experiencing significant advances” in reading as a result of the measure he signed into law.

Some educators countered that implementing the law had been bumpy, and that it was too early to say it had been successful. Others expressed concerns about the rigidity of new testing requirements.

Palmer Republican Sen. Shelley Hughes, who strongly supported the Alaska Reads Act, said Friday that hiring an external evaluator made sense because the state had effectively transitioned from one statewide test to another.

“I think it is important to have a baseline,” she said. “Good data is important in order to measure the progress we’re making.”

Sen. Löki Tobin, D-Anchorage, who was a key legislative staff member behind the Alaska Reads Act, said in June that the law’s implementation had been “a bit of a mixed bag.”

Tobin said by text message Friday that she hadn’t reviewed the education department’s proposal for an evaluator, but the bill’s drafters had wanted a third party to analyze its effectiveness. She said that could help “give policymakers unbiased tools in determining next steps on how we support educators.”

Officials at the state education department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on why an external evaluator was needed, or how that position would improve the law.

In testimony to legislators, school administrators broadly said that Dunleavy’s signature reading measure was underfunded.

Legislators failed by one vote in March to override Dunleavy’s veto of a bill that would have permanently increased school funding at historic levels, and provided school districts with $10 million in dedicated reading support.

As a compromise, legislators approved $175 million in extra one-time school funding in the budget in May. Additionally, $5.2 million was appropriated to support reading. School districts would get $180 for each K-3 student. An extra $100 per student would be allocated to Title 1 schools.

Dunleavy then vetoed the $5.2 million for reading support in June.

Like most vetoes, the cut was explained in an online statement as being needed to “preserve general funds for savings and fiscal stability.” The Dunleavy administration added that school districts received “additional funding support” from the $175 million approved by lawmakers.

Tobin said she anticipated additional budget requests next year to fund intensive reading programs, to support the law’s virtual education consortium, and for professional development support.