STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1116

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 224

       H.D. 3

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 224, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IMMERSION PROGRAM,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Education Hawaiian Language Immersion Program to develop annual assessments in the Hawaiian language.

 

     More specifically, this measure requires the Hawaiian Immersion Language Program to develop language arts, mathematics, and science annual assessments, for students in grades three through six, who are enrolled in the program.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education, Aha Opio No Ke Kula Kaiapuni O Anuenue, and ten individuals.

 

     Your Committee received written comments on this measure from one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that the Hawaiian language is a critical component of the heritage of the State of Hawaii and that the State has an interest in perpetuating the learning of the Hawaiian language.  Currently, students in the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program take mandatory assessments that are translated from English to Hawaiian.  Because of the nature of translated documents, these assessments have grammatical errors and inconsistent terminology, making it difficult to determine whether the results of these assessments are accurate depictions of the students' actual knowledge.  Your Committee finds that it is in the interest of the State to develop specialized assessments for the students in the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program in order to accurately gauge the students' academic progress and determine whether the students are meeting academic standards.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Redesignating the proposed statutory language as a new section in chapter 302A, part II, subpart A, rather than creating a new chapter;

 

(2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on the measure; and

 

(3)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 224, H.D. 3, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 224, H.D. 3, S.D. 2.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

 

 

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair