HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
171 |
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE 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, 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, 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 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.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Weighted Student Formula; Native Hawaiian Student Characteristic