WHEREAS, preschool is becoming the norm in American education, and children who do not attend it start school at a disadvantage; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Preschool Standards are written for four-year olds who are expected to enter Kindergarten in the following year; and

WHEREAS, a child who is developmentally delayed must enter the Department of Education system based on chronological age; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Preschool Standards are not appropriate for a developmentally delayed child; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Education is requested, in coordination with the Family Health Services Division of the Department of Health, to develop age-appropriate standards for preschool age children with special needs, including but not limited to sign language and developmental milestones and goals, and criteria for preschool readiness; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education, in coordination with the Family Health Services Division of the Department of Health, is requested to develop age-appropriate standards to determine when a child is ready for a special education preschool classroom or an appropriate placement, and not simply establish that the least-restrictive environment qualifies as a special education preschool because the child reaches the age of three; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Education is requested to report its standards to the Legislature twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2007; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Director of Health, and the Chief of the Family Health Services Division.

Report Title:

REQUESTING DEVELOPMENT OF AGE-APPROPRIATE STANDARDS FOR PRESCHOOL AGE STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS