STAND. COM. REP. NO. 978-00

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 2000

                                 RE: S.B. No. 2837
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2000
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.B. No.
2837, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EDUCATIONAL ACCOUNTABILITY,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to implement the educational
accountability law by:

     (1)  Requiring the development of consequences for student,
          school, and system performance;

     (2)  Requiring teachers and administrators to undergo
          continuous professional development;

     (3)  Requiring the Department of Education (DOE) to develop
          a collaborative process with stakeholders and students
          in the development of accountability policies; and

     (4)  Requiring annual statewide student assessment at each
          grade level.

     The Hawaii Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commerce of
Hawaii, Hawaii Association of Realtors, Board of Education,
Hawaii Congress of Parents, Teachers, and Students, Hawaii
School-to-Work Executive Council, and numerous individuals and
students supported this bill.  The Governor supported the bill

 
 
 
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but was opposed to the sunset provision that waives the exemption
from collective bargaining in 2003.  The DOE supported the bill
with reservations regarding the sunset provision and annual
student assessment at each grade level.  The Hawaii State
Teachers Association commented on the bill.  Hawaii Government
Employees Association and an individual opposed this bill.

     Your Committee finds that educational accountability reform
is essential to improving Hawaii's educational system on the
whole.  However, there are concerns regarding specific provisions
in this bill that need to be addressed.  Therefore, upon further
consideration, your Committee has amended this bill by deleting
its contents and inserting the substantive provisions reflected
in  H.B. 1874, H.D. 1, and H.B. 1875, H.D. 1.  These two bills
were reported to the Senate after public hearings earlier this
session.

     As amended, this bill requires the implementation of an
educational accountability system that:

     (1)  Involves students, schools, teachers, and
          administrators, and other significant partners in the
          educational process;

     (2)  Invokes rewards and consequences for observed
          performance; 

     (3)  Assesses students annually at certain benchmark grade
          levels;

     (4)  Requires teachers and administrators to undergo
          continuous professional development;

     (5)  Establishes an explicit link between professional
          evaluation results and individual accountability;

     (6)  Making provisions of this bill exempt from collective
          bargaining; and

     (7)  Establishing an interagency educational accountability
          working group.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No.
2837, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2837, S.D.
1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committees on Labor and Public
Employment and Finance.

 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 978-00
                                 Page 3

 

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Education,



                                   ______________________________
                                   KEN ITO, Chair