THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

128

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

  

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR A COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY SYSTEM FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

WHEREAS, Hawaii's future lies in its ability to provide its youth and young adults with a quality education; and

WHEREAS, from September 1998, to February 1999, a Statewide Comprehensive Needs Assessment of the Department of Education, was conducted to determine the extent to which Hawaii's schools are meeting the educational needs of its students; and

WHEREAS, surveys to people inside and outside the Department of Education, individual and focus group interviews, voice polling, and reviews of existing information identified the need to improve standards-based learning, numerous systemic deficiencies, and a need for focused and sustained action; and

WHEREAS, the Strategic Plan for Standards-Based Reform, released in September of 1999, called for assessment and accountability as integral components of a blueprint for improving education; and

WHEREAS, in pursuit of this elusive goal and in response to the public outcry over Hawaii's public schools consistently being ranked among the worst in the nation, the legislature passed Senate Bill No. 1307, enacted as Act 74, Session Laws of Hawaii 1999, wherein the legislature found that the only states which have experienced significant increases in student achievement were those that have implemented comprehensive accountability systems that hold all parties accountable for performance; and

WHEREAS, the purpose of Act 74, as codified in section 302A-1004, Hawaii Revised Statutes, was to require the establishment of a comprehensive accountability system that included programs which provided for student and school assessments. It specifically required the Department of Education to submit a report prior to the 2000 legislative session outlining the design of the accountability system and a timeline for implementation; and

WHEREAS, because no response to this mandate was received, the legislature passed Senate Bill No. 2837 enacted as Act 238, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, which called for the timely implementation of a comprehensive accountability system; and

WHEREAS, in response to this legislation, the then Superintendent formed the Act 238 Collaborative which provided a January 2002 report recommending specific policy changes to the Board of Education and suggesting that all broad policy changes should incorporate requirements of the new federal accountability legislation known as the No Child Left Behind Act or H.R. 1 (PL 107-110); now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-First Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the House of Representatives concurring, that Board of Education and the Department of Education are requested to review the No Child Left Behind Act and all existing reports and recommendations regarding the design and implementation of a comprehensive assessment and accountability system for Hawaii's public school system; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education develop and recommend to the Board of Education a comprehensive plan that incorporates the requirements of Act 238, the recommendations from the Act 238 Collaborative Report, and federal mandates from the No Child Left Behind Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the plan identify specific supports for students, teachers, administrators, and schools in need of improvements and consequences for those who do not improve when appropriate resources and supports are provided; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the plan include annual assessments that measure the system's and students' achievement of state and national standards; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and the Board of Education submit their assessment and accountability plan, to the legislature and to the Governor, no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2003; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Board of Education and the Department of Education.

 

 
 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title:

DOE; Accountability; Comprehensive Plan