STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2973

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    H.B. No. 2971

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 2971, H.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATION,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to require the Department of Education to adopt specified recommendations of the Online Learning Task Force, established pursuant to Act 275, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007.

 

     Testimony in support of the measure was submitted by the Department of Education and one individual.

 

     Your Committee finds that, pursuant to Act 275, Session Laws of Hawaii, the Online Learning Task Force was established and prepared a report to the Legislature that includes a plan for the Department of Education to expand online learning opportunities for Hawaii students.  Pursuant to the report, the Online Learning Task Force made several recommendations, including, among other things, establishing a task force to review the State's education policies, requirements, and oversight functions for congruency with the needs and potential of online learning, developing a mentoring and training program for online teachers, establishing an online training program to increase the number of highly qualified teachers, standardizing the procedure for granting credits for online coursework, emphasizing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics online courses, and establishing an online resource center for support and training. 

 

     This measure mandates the adoption of the Online Learning Task Force's recommendations for establishing the infrastructure for online learning in primary, secondary, and postsecondary public institutions throughout the State.  Your Committee determines that adoption of these recommendations will help to support online learning, which is a rapidly growing field of education that is designed to meet the increasing demands of students, teachers, and parents.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring assessment of the digital literacy of teachers, students, and other personnel to ensure maximum success of online learning programs;

 

     (2)  Clarifying that schools operating as cyber academies, such as Myron B. Thompson Academy or other similar schools, continue their operations; and

 

     (3)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2008.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2971, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2971, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

 

 

 

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair