THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

30

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the Department of Education to REVIEW publications designed to inform parents and guardians about what their children are learning in language arts/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies from kindergarten through grade SIX, AND IDENTIFY PARTNERS TO obtain and distribute a series of such publications.

 

WHEREAS, to create a world-class education system and ensure each child's success now and well into the future, a state must develop rigorous and demanding curriculum standards that specify what students should know and be able to do; and

WHEREAS, a state's curriculum standards should be based on the content standards produced by such learned groups as the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, National Council of Teachers of English, International Reading Association, National Research Council, and National Council for Teachers of Social Studies; and

WHEREAS, standards are important because they set high levels of learning and performance for all students, serve as a basis for assessment across the curriculum, and focus on what is important in each curriculum area; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii is committed to providing its children with the best education possible, and one of the ways that the State can accomplish this objective is with an effective, high quality curriculum; and

WHEREAS, the State has developed rigorous curriculum standards aligned with national guidelines and the standards of the finest school systems throughout the nation, yet, it is the understanding and support of parents that will help make the State's schools and Hawaii's students successful; and

WHEREAS, parents need and want to know what educational standards have been established in the four major subject areas of language arts/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Defense Education Activity has developed a series of publications designed to inform parents and guardians about what their children are learning in these four major curriculum areas from pre-kindergarten through grade six, and these publications provide parents and guardians with samples of what students are learning and what they should know and be able to do when they complete each grade; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to review the Department of Defense series of publications, and those from other jurisdictions, that are designed to inform parents and guardians about what their children are learning in language arts/reading, mathematics, science, and social studies from kindergarten through grade six; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to partner with the Department of Defense and others who can assist with obtaining and distributing such publications to the families of Hawaii public school students; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the Legislature at least twenty days prior to the convening of the 2004 regular session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, and the military representative to the Board of Education.

Report Title:

DOE; Develop and Distribute Publications for Parents