STAND. COM. REP. NO.  136

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 224

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred H.B. No. 224 entitled:

 

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

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to more accurately assess student achievement in the Hawaiian Language Immersion Program by requiring the Department of Education to develop annual assessments in the Hawaiian language for specified subject areas and grade levels.

 

     The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Association of Hawaiian Civic Clubs, Aha Kauleo Kaiapuni Hawaii Hawaiian Language Immersion Advisory Council, and numerous concerned individuals supported this measure.  Kamehameha Schools supported the intent of this measure.  The Department of Education and Hawaii State Teachers Association supported this measure with amendments.

 

     Your Committee observes that this measure directs the Department of Education to consult and work collaboratively with numerous stakeholders in the development of the required Hawaiian language assessments, which may prove to be unwieldy.  With all due deference, your Committee respectfully suggests that the Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, and Hawaiian Affairs may be a more appropriate body to make determinations on this issue.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Requiring that the assessments be administered annually beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, rather than the 2015-2016 school year;

 

     (2)  Requiring the Department of Education to work with the Hawaiian language community and the selected testing contractor to develop the specified ancillary assessment materials and tools, and requiring the materials and tools to be comparable to those developed for Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium assessments aligned with the Common Core State Standards;

 

     (3)  Eliminating provisions requiring the Department of Education to establish procedures for the development of the required assessments, and instead requiring the Department to develop the specified assessments;

 

     (4)  Inserting an unspecified appropriation to the Department of Education to develop curriculum materials and for professional development;

 

     (5)  Inserting an unspecified appropriation to the Department of Education for the development of the required assessments; and

 

     (6)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     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. 224, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 224, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ocean, Marine Resources, & Hawaiian Affairs.

 

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

 

 

 

 

____________________________

ROY M. TAKUMI, Chair