Report Title:

DOE; Hawaii Educational Policy Center; Accountability; Report Cards

Description:

Requires the Hawaii educational policy center to conduct an annual assessment of the educational accountability system. (SD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

3012

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

S.D. 1

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. The 2000 legislature sought to bolster the State of Hawaii's public educational accountability system with Act 238, Session Laws of Hawaii 2000. This Act expanded the department of education's accountability system to specifically include student accountability, professional accountability for schools, teachers, principals, and other employees, and public accounting for other significant partners to the education process. The Act also added requirements for student performance benchmarks and professional development for teachers and administrators. Section 302A-1004, Hawaii Revised Statutes, requires the department to provide annual educational status reports and financial reports on the accountability system. The legislature finds, however, that the department has not fully met its obligation to the legislature and the public in providing an adequate assessment of its accountability system.

In other states, the trend in exercising education accountability and oversight has been to transfer that function to an independent entity. This trend embraces the logic that the agency responsible for developing and implementing an accountability system should not be the one to assess its effectiveness. Tennessee, for example, established an office of educational accountability to monitor performance of schools in meeting performance standards and to conduct audits and studies to evaluate education performance and progress. Kentucky, too, established an office of educational accountability to monitor the education system and implementation of the provisions of the Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 and, among other things, monitor and verify the accuracy of reports issued by the Kentucky department of education and Kentucky board of education. Several other states have similar entities. Currently, Hawaii lacks an oversight agency to independently monitor and assess its educational accountability system. The legislature finds that the Hawaii educational policy center can best fulfill this function.

The purpose of this Act is to require the Hawaii educational policy center to conduct an annual assessment of the educational accountability system.

SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"302A-   Hawaii educational policy center reports on education accountability system. (a) The Hawaii educational policy center shall conduct such studies, analyses, or audits as it may determine to be necessary to evaluate the educational accountability system provided in section 302A-1004. The reports shall include, but not be limited to:

(1) Determining whether the educational accountability system complies with the provisions of section 302A-1004;

(2) Verifying the accuracy of annual reports issued by the department in section 302A-1004; and

(3) Making recommendations for improving the educational accountability system.

(b) The department shall provide the Hawaii educational policy center with access to information used to conduct the annual reports under section 302A-1004.

(c) The Hawaii educational policy center shall report its findings annually to the legislature and submit a report twenty days prior to the convening of the legislature."

SECTION 3. New statutory material is underscored.

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