HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	201
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, AND COMMITTEE ON WEIGHTS TO COLLABORATE AND ALLOCATE OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS' FUNDS TO THE WEIGHTED STUDENT FORMULA TO BENEFIT NATIVE HAWAIIAN STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

 

 

 

     WHEREAS, according to an April 2017 report by the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Research Division (OHA Report), Native Hawaiians scoring disproportionately lower than non-Hawaiians on standardized tests was documented as early as 1983; and

 

     WHEREAS, Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA), administered at the end of each school year to Department of Education and public charter school students in grades 3 to 8 and 11, indicate that a smaller percentage of Native Hawaiian students than non-Hawaiian students are proficient in both mathematics and English language arts/literacy, and SBA test results for School Year 2015 indicate:

 

     (1)  28.4 percent of Native Hawaiian students tested proficient in math compared to 46.8 percent of non-Hawaiian students, a difference of 18.4 percentage points; and

 

     (2)  34.8 percent of Native Hawaiian students tested proficient in reading compared to 54.3 percent of non-Hawaiian students, a difference of 19.5 percentage points; and

 

     WHEREAS, the OHA Report states that studies suggest that teacher impact is the most significant school factor contributing to a student's success; however, the Hawaii State Teachers Association indicates that Native Hawaiian public school students are more likely to have inexperienced, unqualified, and out-of-field teachers; and

 

     WHEREAS, in School Year 2015, Native Hawaiian students represented 26 percent of the total public school system K-12 student population; however, only 9.9 percent of classroom teachers were Native Hawaiian; and

 

     WHEREAS, a May 2007 Public Education Brief by Kamehameha Schools Research & Evaluation Division recommended that "providing resources and services through literacy enhancement programs, tutorial assistance, and mentoring and tutoring programs, can begin to offset the economic disadvantages that many Hawaiian children face"; and

 

     WHEREAS, appropriating and allocating greater resources to Hawaii's public schools will enhance student learning and the educational outcomes of Native Hawaiian students; and

 

     WHEREAS, under the Weighted Student Formula, additional money is given to educate students with identified characteristics that impact student learning and achievement, such as student characteristics for Gifted & Talented, Economically Disadvantaged, Limited English Proficiency, and Transiency; however, the Weighted Student Formula does not include a student characteristic for Native Hawaiian students; and

 

     WHEREAS, having a Weighted Student Formula student characteristic for Native Hawaiian students will provide additional necessary supports and resources for the education of Native Hawaiian students; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has focused its efforts on significantly raising the number of Native Hawaiian students who at least meet achievement standards in middle school as well as high school, and increasing the number of Native Hawaiian students who graduate from post-secondary institutions by 12 percent; and

     WHEREAS, to meet these goals, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs has allocated funds toward college tuition scholarships and Native Hawaiian charter schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, the allocation of Office of Hawaiian Affairs funds to support Native Hawaiian students in public schools through the Weighted Student Formula will improve student achievement and outcomes for Native Hawaiian students and strengthen the services and programs provided to these students at the schools they attend; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Department of Education, and Committee on Weights are urged to collaborate and allocate Office of Hawaiian Affairs' funds to the Weighted Student Formula to benefit Native Hawaiian students in public schools; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent, the Chairperson of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, and the Chairperson of the Committee on Weights.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Weighted Student Formula; Native Hawaiian Student Characteristic