Report Title:

DOE; Accountability; Academic Achievement, Safety and Well Being, and Civic Responsibility

Description:

Establishes academic achievement, safety and well being, and civic responsibility as the agreed upon goals for Hawaii's public education accountability. Defines civic responsibility.

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2059

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to educational accountability.

 

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

SECTION 1. As a result of the passage of Act 238, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000, a report was conducted by The Accord Group, LLC. This report synthesized input from a wide variety of stakeholders throughout the State and was designed to ascertain "what the State of Hawaii – from the top of the system to the bottom – must do to hold 189,000 students, 260+ school, and 35,000 full-time and part-time employees 'accountable' and what kinds of 'public accounting' must be done by the Board of Education, District and State Offices of the Board of Education, the Governor, parents, the business community, the Legislature, and other key stakeholders in the overall system."

The collaborative fact-finding process found agreement among the stakeholders on three primary goals that the public educational system should foster among students: academic achievement, safety and well being, and civic responsibility.

In this age when civil liberties, clean elections, and constitutional government are under siege, civic responsibility is more important than ever. The purpose of this Act is to implement the recommendations of The Accord Group report by amending the Hawaii Revised Statutes to establish academic achievement, safety and well being, and civic responsibility as the agreed upon goals for Hawaii's public education accountability system, including a definition of civic responsibility.

SECTION 2. Section 302A-1004, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"§302A-1004 Educational accountability system; annual reports. (a) The department shall implement a comprehensive system of educational accountability to motivate and support the improved performance of students and the education system. This accountability system shall:

(1) Include student accountability; school or collective professional accountability; individual professional accountability for teachers, principals, and other employees; and public accounting for other significant partners to the education process (including, but not limited to, parents, community members, businesses, higher education, media, and political leadership);

(2) Link authority and adequate resources to responsibility;

(3) Define clear roles for all parties and lines of responsibility and mutual obligation and develop a collaborative process with stakeholders, including representatives of appropriate bargaining units, parents, administration, and students;

(4) Involve fair and adequate assessment against agreed upon goals[;], which shall include academic achievement, safety and well being, and civic responsibility, provided that civic responsibility shall mean competent and responsible citizens who:

(A) Are informed and thoughtful, have a grasp and an appreciation of history and the fundamental processes of American democracy, have an understanding and awareness of public and community issues, and have the ability to obtain information, think critically, and enter into dialogue among others with different perspectives;

(B) Participate in their communities through membership in or contributions to organizations working to address an array of cultural, social, political and religious interests and beliefs;

(C) Act politically by having the skills, knowledge, and commitment needed to accomplish public purposes, such as group problem solving, public speaking, petitioning and protesting, and voting; and

(D) Have moral and civic virtues such as concern for the rights and welfare of others, social responsibility, tolerance and respect, and belief in the capacity to make a difference;

(5) Invoke a full and balanced set of appropriate consequences for observed performance, including rewards and recognition for those schools that meet or exceed their goals, assistance to those that fall short, and sanctions for those that given adequate assistance and ample time, continue to fail to meet goals;

(6) Involve:

(A) A statewide student assessment program that provides annual data on student, school, and system performance at selected benchmark grade levels in terms of student performance relative to statewide content and performance standards and embodies high and rigorous expectations for the attainment of all students; and

(B) An annual assessment in core subjects for each grade level, as conducted by each school;

(7) Involve a comprehensive school profile or report card for each school, which shall include, but not be limited to, student performance measures, school attendance, drop-out rates, and parental involvement. These reports shall be made available annually to the board, the governor, the legislature, the parents, and the general public;

(8) Require that teachers and administrators engage in the continuous professional growth and development that ensure their currency with respect to disciplinary content, leadership skill, knowledge, or pedagogical skill, as appropriate to their position. This requirement may be established by the department in terms of credit hours earned or their equivalent in professional development activity certified by the department as appropriate in focus and rigor; and

(9) Establish an explicit link between professional evaluation results and individual accountability through professional development of the knowledge, skill, and professional behavior necessary to the position, by requiring that results of the professional evaluation be used by the department to prescribe professional development focus and content, as appropriate.

Beginning with the 2001-2002 school year, the department shall submit to the legislature, the governor, and the board of education at least twenty days prior to the convening of each regular legislative session a report of the specifics of the design of the comprehensive accountability system, as well as the fiscal requirements and legislative actions necessary to create the accountability system."

SECTION 3. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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