Report Title:

SAT Preparation Courses

 

Description:

Encourages/authorizes/establishes a SAT preparation course for elective credit in Hawaii public high schools.

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

4

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO EDUCATION.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that reading and verbal scores on the Scholastic Assessment Test indicate that many Hawaii public high school students currently do not have the information processing skills and strategies needed to comprehend a broad range of materials. A Scholastic Assessment Test preparation course would enhance students' verbal and math test taking skills.

In a National Assessment of Educational Progress report, a sampling of eighth grade mathematics students across the State in the spring of 1990 shows the Hawaii score of two hundred fifty-one was ten points below the national norm of two hundred sixty-one. Given the low scores by Hawaii students, they would not have a high acceptance rate when applying for college admission.

The legislature finds that state by state results of the College Board's 2000 Scholastic Assessment Test show Hawaii public high school students had an average verbal score of four hundred sixty-one and math score of four hundred ninety-one, with 4,595 college bound public school students in Hawaii taking the test. The national average verbal score for public school students was five hundred one and the national math score was five hundred ten.

Because Hawaii public school students achieve average verbal and math scores that are lower than the national public school averages, the legislature finds that public high schools should implement Scholastic Assessment Test preparation courses as an elective course. Nineteen Oahu high schools do not offer Scholastic Assessment Test preparation courses as an elective course. The legislature supports the 2000 Hawaii state student conference recommendation that Scholastic Assessment Test preparation courses be offered for credit as an elective course to help students improve their test scores. A Scholastic Assessment Test preparation course would help students learn how to better take tests by giving them an opportunity for review and practice.

It is the purpose of this Act to require Hawaii public high schools to offer a Scholastic Assessment Test preparation course for elective course credit.

SECTION 2. All public schools with grade ten or above shall make available to eligible students a Scholastic Assessment Test preparatory course. The preparatory course shall be designed to offer an opportunity for review and practice for students preparing to the Scholastic Assessment Test. The course may be offered in the manner prescribed by the board of education. The board of education may supplement and develop the content areas of the Scholastic Assessment Test preparatory course with specific curriculum standards, as it deems appropriate.

For the purpose of earning credit at the high school level, completion of the Scholastic Assessment Test preparatory course may be accepted by the board of education for one unit of elective credit.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002 for the development and implementation of a Scholastic Assessment Test preparatory course to be offered as an elective credit course in public high schools.

SECTION 4. The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.

INTRODUCED BY:

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