THE SENATE

S.R. NO.

99

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE RESOLUTION

 

REQUESTING THE department of education and the university of hawaii to collaboratively DEVELOP AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO ESTABLISH CERTIFICATED PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

WHEREAS, the Legislature adopted into law the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS) to assure that all students will be challenged in their educational program; and

WHEREAS, the adoption of the HCPS also requires the alignment of teacher curriculum to the standards, to assure a basic level of knowledge and skills are taught to all students in the public schools; and

WHEREAS, the first statewide large-scale assessment of student achievement of the HCPS showed that there is wide disparity amongst our public school students in their levels of proficiency in achieving the standards; and

WHEREAS, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L. 107-110) requires that public schools establish annual performance goals to report annual yearly progress of their student's achievement of the standards; and

WHEREAS, public schools that do not meet their annual performance goals are eligible for assistance from sources outside the public school system; and

WHEREAS, in the States of California and Florida, the public school systems have partnered with the public university systems to assist low-performing schools; and

WHEREAS, in these same states, they have developed a system of certification of public schools that is based upon the types of core courses and advanced placement courses that are offered to students; and

WHEREAS, this type of collaborative effort seeks not only to improve student achievement, but also encourage students to pursue higher education, in schools where students seeking college enrollment is low; and

WHEREAS, one of the elements of certificated high schools provides that if a student enrolled in a certificated high schools meets certain eligibility requirements, they are granted automatic admission to a university within the state system; and

WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii would be well-served to pursue this type of partnership and program to improve our public schools; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that the Department of Education and the University of Hawaii are requested to collaboratively develop an implementation plan to establish a certificated public school program based upon those established in other states; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii program should consider the core curriculum, the advanced placement and honors curriculum, the proficiency levels of the entire student body, and the educational experience and teaching background of the school faculty, in establishing curriculum for certificated high schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii submit to the Legislature, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2004 Regular Session, an implementation plan to establish certificated high schools; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education and the President of the University of Hawaii.

Report Title:

Certificated Public Schools; Implementation Plan