REPORT TITLE:
Education; School Attendance


DESCRIPTION:
Calls for a study of the starting age for children entering
kindergarten and the first grade.  (HB1088 CD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1088
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 2
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII                                            C.D. 1
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO SCHOOL ATTENDANCE.



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

 1      SECTION 1.  Currently, a child must be five years of age by
 
 2 December 31 of the school year to attend kindergarten in the
 
 3 public school system.  Various proposals have been made with the
 
 4 intent to raise the kindergarten age requirement.  One proposal,
 
 5 contained in H.B. No. 1088, H.D. 2, is to allow the board of
 
 6 education to specifically determine when a child must have
 
 7 reached the age of five years to attend kindergarten.  This
 
 8 proposal would allow the board of education to require children
 
 9 to be five years of age prior to December 31 of the school year
 
10 to attend kindergarten.  Another proposal, contained in H.B. No.
 
11 1088, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, is to require a child to be five years of
 
12 age on the first day of school.
 
13      Proponents of raising the kindergarten age contend that many
 
14 late-born kindergarten students are not mature enough or not
 
15 ready for kindergarten.  They have cited research that has shown
 
16 that children who start school at an earlier age than their peers
 
17 may be at a significant disadvantage.
 
18      On the other hand, opponents of raising the kindergarten age
 
19 contend that children of any age can benefit from educational
 
20 experiences that are developmentally appropriate.
 

 
Page 2                                                     1088
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 2
                                                        S.D. 2
                                                        C.D. 1

 
 1      The purpose of this Act is to gather and organize
 
 2 information to determine whether the kindergarten age should be
 
 3 changed.
 
 4      SECTION 2.  The board of education shall conduct a study
 
 5 examining the minimum age that children should attain to attend
 
 6 kindergarten.  The study shall include reviews of:
 
 7      (1)  Published research reports on issues relevant to the
 
 8           kindergarten age;
 
 9      (2)  The kindergarten age established by other
 
10           jurisdictions;
 
11      (3)  The issue of whether "late-born" children are not
 
12           mature enough or not ready for kindergarten;
 
13      (4)  The logic of how proposals to raise the kindergarten
 
14           age eliminates the problem of children starting school
 
15           at an earlier age than their peers;
 
16      (5)  The issue of whether the kindergarten curriculum and
 
17           instruction should be designed in a developmentally
 
18           appropriate manner for children who now qualify for
 
19           kindergarten;
 
20      (6)  The provisions of H.B. No. 1088, H.D. 2; and
 
21      (7)  The provisions of H.B. No. 1088, H.D. 2, S.D. 2, in
 
22           particular:
 

 
 
 
Page 3                                                     1088
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 2
                                                        S.D. 2
                                                        C.D. 1

 
 1           (A)  The establishment of readiness standards for
 
 2                entering kindergarten and the procedure to assess
 
 3                children by these standards;
 
 4           (B)  The use of department of education funds that
 
 5                become available due to any lag in the number of
 
 6                students entering kindergarten; and
 
 7           (C)  The implementation of programs for children
 
 8                affected by the change in entrance age and deemed
 
 9                not ready for kindergarten.
 
10      In conducting the study, the board of education shall
 
11 consult with public and private agencies that have expertise in
 
12 this area, such as the college of education of the University of
 
13 Hawaii, the Good Beginnings Alliance, and the Hawaii Association
 
14 for the Education of Young Children.
 
15      The board of education shall submit a report on the study to
 
16 the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening
 
17 of the regular session of 2000.  The report shall include the
 
18 information gathered from the agencies with which the board of
 
19 education consulted.
 
20      SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.