RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (Public Law 107-110), signed by President Bush on January 8, 2002, is the most sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since its enactment in 1965, according to the U.S. Department of Education; and

WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind Act redefines the federal role in K-12 education and is intended to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers; and

WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind Act is based on four basic principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work; and

WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind Act requires states to implement statewide accountability systems covering all public schools and students; and

WHEREAS, these systems must be based on challenging state standards in reading and mathematics, annual large-scale testing for all students in grades 3-8, and annual statewide progress objectives to ensure that all groups of students reach proficiency within 12 years; and

WHEREAS, under the No Child Left Behind Act, each state is required to formulate its own large-scale achievement tests to measure what children need to know and learn in the subjects of reading and math; and

WHEREAS, large-scale tests can serve as one measure of student achievement and may serve as a diagnostic tool to identify areas of needed improvement, but large-scale tests should not be used in a punitive manner; and

WHEREAS, too much dependence upon large-scale achievement tests may compel teachers to develop curriculum that results in "teaching to the test", resulting in classroom instruction that emphasizes scoring high on the test rather than on learning and thinking; and

WHEREAS, within Hawaii public schools there are several research-based curriculum, such as Core Knowledge, Success for All, and America's Choice, which offer curriculum and teacher training programs that can be aligned to state standards and implemented throughout a school, school complex, or school district; and

WHEREAS, these research-based models offer curriculum models that result in proven student achievement within the classrooms and schools in which they were implemented; and

WHEREAS, these models also offer the opportunity to gauge student achievement through classroom assessments that are linked to the curriculum; and

WHEREAS, classroom assessments that are linked to the curriculum and the state standards allow teachers to more accurately determine student proficiency levels; and

WHEREAS, classroom assessments can also serve as a diagnostic tool for teachers to identify those areas of the curriculum that they need to emphasize with an individual student or class of students; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to use research-based curriculum and standards-based classroom assessments, in addition to the required large-scale assessments, to meet the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education consider the adoption of research-based curriculum models that are linked to our state standards to ensure that our teachers receive adequate training in the use of research-based curriculum and standards-based assessments that will prevent the unintended consequence of teaching to the large-scale assessments required in the No Child Left Behind Act; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report, no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2004 Regular Session, identifying the research-based curriculum models such as Core Knowledge, Success for All, America's Choice, or others that have been implemented and in which schools in our State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education also include in this report a comparison of the large-scale achievement test results of schools that have implemented research-based curriculum with schools that have not adopted such curriculum; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, and the Governor.

Report Title:

No Child Left Behind Act; Research-Based Curriculum; Assessments