THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

45

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

  
   

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

ENDORSING THE GOOD BEGINNINGS INTERDEPARTMENTAL COUNCIL'S SCHOOL READINESS TASK FORCE's HAWAII STATE PRESCHOOL CONTENT STANDARDS.

 

WHEREAS, recent brain research has demonstrated that during the first five years of life, it is critical for optimum growth and development that a child be in an early education and care environment that stimulates their curiosity and creativity, is safe and healthy, and nurtures their spirit; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii recognizes the importance of early education on future learning so that children will be ready to succeed in school; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Education and other public and private agencies, in partnership with communities across the State, have implemented the state policy adopted in by the Legislature in House Concurrent Resolution No. 38 of the 1998 Regular Session, entitled "All of Hawaii's Children Will Be Safe, Healthy, and Ready to Succeed"; and

WHEREAS, the School Readiness Performance Partnership brings together the Department of Education and public and private partners committed to support readiness efforts to improve educational outcomes for young children and to measure progress so that young children will be safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in kindergarten; and

WHEREAS, the Interdepartmental Council established by Act 77, Session Laws of Hawaii 1997 (Act 77), convened the School Readiness Task Force to lead the School Readiness Performance Partnership and recommend a school readiness definition, as well as policies and strategies for measuring results and performance indicators for school readiness; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii's definition of school readiness was adopted by the Legislature in Act 13, Session Laws of Hawaii 2002 (Act 13); and

WHEREAS, the School Readiness Task Force has recommended that Hawaii establish comprehensive preschool content standards as a guide for preschool curricula that can be used by all preschool programs in the State, and that correspond to Department of Education K-12 curriculum standards and National Head Start Outcomes; and

WHEREAS, the School Readiness Task Force has endorsed guiding principles for the Hawaii State Preschool Content Standards that include:

(1) Programs should be designed to support the development of the whole child;

(2) Every child has a unique combination of characteristics;

(3) Families are the primary caregivers and educators of their young children;

(4) Young children's feelings and relationships are as important as their thinking;

(5) Children learn best through play, active exploration of their environment, and thoughtfully planned activities;

(6) Children experience the world as a whole;

(7) Assessment should be used to improve children's educational experiences;

(8) Children learn from adult models;

(9) Children learn from one another, as well as from adults; and

(10) Children with special needs and those who do not speak English develop best in inclusive preschool programs; and

WHEREAS, children's developmental characteristics and abilities vary widely in individual children and include: physical health and well-being, social and emotional development, school-related behaviors and skills, approaches to learning, motor development and self-help skills, communication and language developmental skills, and general knowledge and cognitive development; and

WHEREAS, the School Readiness Task Force has endorsed guiding principles for the assessment of young children that include:

(1) Assessment results should be valid, reliable, and fair, recognizing that the younger the child, the more difficult it is to get accurate and reliable data;

(2) Assessments should rely heavily on results of observations, descriptions, and analysis of children's work and performances in "real life" situations;

(3) Assessment strategies should be sensitive to the age, language, and culture of the child;

(4) Assessments should collect information from multiple sources, including but not limited to, interviews and conversations with children, with parents, and with teachers;

(5) Assessments should include all parts of Hawaii's School Readiness Definition (Act 13);

(6) Assessments should be used to support and improve services to families, schools, and communities;

(7) Assessments should help, not harm, children, families, and schools; and

(8) Assessment strategies should be chosen according to purpose and use. The four main purposes of assessment strategies are to:

(A) Inform teaching and support children's development and learning;

(B) Identify children with special learning or developmental needs;

(C) Monitor trends and evaluate impact of programs and services; and

(D) Hold individuals, schools, and agencies accountable; 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 Hawaii State Preschool Content Standards are recognized and endorsed as state policy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii State Preschool Content Standards correspond to the Hawaii State Department of Education K-12 curriculum standards and the National Head Start Outcomes, as requested by the federal government for Hawaii's Child Care and Development Fund plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii State Preschool Content Standards are consistent with the guidelines set forth in "Early Learning Standards: Creating Conditions for Success," a joint position statement by the National Association for the Education of Young Children and the National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the School Readiness Task Force guiding principles for early childhood standards and guiding principles of assessment of young children are established as state policy; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the School Readiness Task Force, the Interdepartmental Council (Act 77), the Good Beginnings Alliance, the University of Hawaii at Manoa Center on the Family, the Hawaii Educational Policy Center, Kamehameha Schools, the Hawaii Business Roundtable, Ho‘owaiwai Na Kamalii, the Hawaii Association for the Education of Young Children, Queen Liliuokalani Children's Center, the Child Care Business Coalition, the Hawaii Performance Partnership Board, and Hawaii Kids Watch.

Report Title:

Hawaii State Preschool Content Standards; Good Beginnings