CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 55

                            Honolulu, Hawaii
                                            , 2000

                            RE:   S.B. No. 2837
                                  S.D. 1
                                  H.D. 2
                                  C.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the
Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives
in S.B. No. 2837, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, entitled:  

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY," 

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to
recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final
passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of the measure is to implement a comprehensive
system of educational accountability to:

     (1)  Expand the Department of Education's accountability
          system to specifically include student accountability;
          professional accountability for schools, teachers,
          principals, and other employees; and public accounting
          for other significant partners to the education
          process;

     (2)  Require the establishment of a full and balanced set of
          appropriate consequences for observed performance,

 
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          including rewards and recognition for those schools
          that meet or exceed their goals, assistance to those
          that fall short, and sanctions for those that continue
          to fail to meet their goals;

     (3)  Require the establishment of a statewide student
          assessment program that provides annual data on
          student, school, and system performance at selected
          benchmark grade levels in terms of student performance
          relative to statewide content and performance
          standards;

     (4)  Mandate the development of an accountability system
          that requires teachers and administrators to engage in
          continuous professional growth and development to
          ensure their currency with respect to disciplinary
          content, leadership skill, knowledge, or pedagogical
          skill, as appropriate to their position;

     (5)  Mandate the establishment of an explicit link between
          professional evaluation results and individual
          accountability for professional development by
          requiring these evaluation results to be used to
          prescribe appropriate consequences;

     (6)  Require the Department of Education to submit summaries
          of each school's standards implementation design to the
          Legislature and the Governor prior to each Regular
          Session;

     (7)  Provide that the implementation of the accountability
          system is not subject to negotiation under chapter 89,
          Hawaii Revised Statutes (HRS); and

     (8)  Establish within the DOE an interagency educational
          accountability working group.

     Upon further consideration, your Committee amended the
measure to:

     (1)  Specify that the accountability system shall include
          public accounting for other significant partners to the
          education process, including parents, community
          members, business, higher education, media, and
          political leadership;

     (2)  Require the development of a collaborative process with
          stakeholders, including representatives of appropriate
          bargaining units, parents, administration, and

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          students, to define the roles, responsibilities, and
          obligations of each;

     (3)  Require the system to involve not only statewide
          student assessment as selected benchmark grade levels
          but also annual assessment for each grade for core
          subject matters, as conducted by each school;

     (4)  Require that results of the professional evaluation be
          used by the DOE to prescribe professional development
          focus and content, as appropriate;

     (5)  Remove language regarding appropriate consequences;

     (6)  Amend section 302A-1004(d), HRS, to:

          (A)  State that the superintendent is responsible for
               the development and accountability of the
               educational accountability system;

          (B)  Require the accountability system to include
               consequences and be designed through a
               collaborative process;

          (C)  Specify parties required to be involved in the
               design of the system; and

          (D)  Limit negotiations under chapter 89, HRS, to the
               impact on personnel arising from the
               superintendent's implementation of the system; and

     (7)  Remove section 3 of the measure, regarding the
          interagency accountability working group.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your
Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your
Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 2837, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and
recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto
as S.B. No. 2837, S.D. 1, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.


 
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                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the managers:

  ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE           ON THE PART OF THE SENATE




_____________________________     _______________________________
Rep. KEN ITO                      Sen. DAVID Y. IGE
Co-Chair                          Co-Chair



_____________________________     _______________________________
Rep. TERRY N. YOSHINAGA           Sen. BOB NAKATA
Co-Chair                          Co-Chair



_____________________________     _______________________________
Rep. DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE           RANDY IWASE
Co-Chair                          Co-Chair

 
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