57
THE SENATE                           S.C.R. NO.            
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 2000                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                    SENATE  CONCURRENT
                        RESOLUTION

  REQUESTING THE AUDITOR TO REVIEW AND ASSESS THE DEPARTMENT OF
    EDUCATION'S DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS FOR
    PUBLIC SCHOOLS STATEWIDE.


 1        WHEREAS, children of Hawaii deserve a quality public
 2   school education; and
 3   
 4        WHEREAS, in order to attain higher achievement and greater
 5   accountability the Department of Education embarked on
 6   standards-based reform for Hawaii public schools by developing
 7   content and performance-based standards for the content areas
 8   of career and life skills; educational technology; fine arts;
 9   health; language arts; mathematics; physical education;
10   science; social studies; and world languages; and
11   
12        WHEREAS, a national study on the development of
13   educational standards by states, indicating that Hawaii's
14   overall grade was D-minus and ranked 44 in its English,
15   History, Geography, Science, and Math standards, was alarming
16   and too serious to be ignored; and
17   
18        WHEREAS, in light of this national report and to ensure
19   that the Department of Education's public education reform
20   standards are on track, it is necessary to review the
21   department's progress in developing a comprehensive assessment
22   program; now, therefore,
23   
24        BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twentieth Legislature
25   of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2000, the House of
26   Representatives concurring, that the Auditor is requested to
27   review and assess the Department of Education's development of
28   educational standards for public schools statewide to ensure
29   that Hawaii's standards for competency in the basic educational
30   skills are on par with the standards of other states; and
31   
32        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Auditor is requested to
33   report findings and recommendations to the Legislature twenty
34   days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2001; and
35   
36        BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this

 
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                                  S.C.R. NO.            57
                                                        
                                                        


 1   Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Auditor and the
 2   Superintendent of Education.
 3 
 4 
 5 
 6                         OFFERED BY:  ____________________________