Report Title:

Education; Model Curriculum

Description:

Requires the department of education to establish, provide, and maintain a model curriculum for each grade level, with course content that meets the state performance standards and reflect the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. (SB3059 HD1)

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

3059

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2006

S.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to education.

 

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

SECTION 1. Although the State has established statewide standards and benchmarks, learner outcomes, assessments, promotion requirements, and graduation requirements, the legislature finds that Hawaii's public school system does not have a model curriculum to meet its goals. Because the present curriculum is not standardized, individual teachers, grade levels, schools, complexes, districts, vendors, and school reform and reinvention teams make curriculum decisions.

In "The Link Between High School Reform and College Success for Low-Income and Minority Youth", a publication of the American Youth Policy Forum, the following curriculum-related practices were included in the four key practices most commonly cited for the success of low-income and minority high school students in college:

(1) Access to a rigorous academic common core curriculum for all students; and

(2) Alignment of the curriculum between various levels, such as high school and post-secondary, and between levels within the kindergarten through twelfth grade system.

The purpose of this Act is to establish and maintain a model curriculum for teachers to meet the Hawaii performance standards as required by the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, part II, subpart B, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A-   Model curriculum. (a) The department shall establish a model curriculum, adapted from a research-based model that has proven to be successful, to be adopted by each school complex on a voluntary basis. The curriculum shall:

(1) Be specific in its scope and sequence over a school year for each grade level;

(2) Be consistent in course content;

(3) Be aligned across all grade levels; and

(4) Meet the state performance standards and reflect the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

(b) The model curriculum may be developed in separate parts to target specific needs or populations. The curriculum may adapt national program curricula to meet Hawaii standards and may include the subject areas of:

(1) Information technology education;

(2) Hawaiian education;

(3) Career pathway education; and

(4) Program curricula from America's choice, success for all, core knowledge, direct instruction, or other similar nationally-implemented programs.

(c) The department shall establish and maintain the curriculum and shall provide teachers with support resources, which shall include:

(1) Professional development, which may be in the form of school release days or professional development credits;

(2) Sample lesson plans and assessments for each standard and benchmark outlined in the Hawaii performance standards; and

(3) Classroom-ready materials.

(d) The department shall provide each teacher with standards-based model curriculum assessment tools to assess students multiple times during the school year.

(e) The model curriculum may be implemented during the school year that begins after the board's final approval of the model curriculum; provided that the curriculum shall be ready for implementation no later than the 2008-2009 school year."

SECTION 3. The board of education shall submit annual progress reports to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2007, 2008, and 2009 regular sessions.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007 to establish and maintain a model curriculum pursuant to this Act.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2050.