WHEREAS, implementation of Act 51, Session Laws of Hawaii 2004, has resulted in the alteration of many different parts of our educational system; and

WHEREAS, the State's educational agencies, parents, students, advocates, stakeholders, the Legislature, and the Executive branch must understand how the educational system is faring before we can collectively implement changes that both bolster the positive and address the negative aspects of the system; and

WHEREAS, implementation of Act 51 has, in part, influenced schools to re-prioritize and alter the focus and availability of curricula, which has included the reduction or elimination of programs in music, art, and other forms of student enrichment; and

WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the State to be proactive and lay the foundation for future requirements to evaluate as much as possible the impact on schools and student performance that may be attributed to Act 51; and

WHEREAS, it is sound educational and business practice to establish and maintain a well-designed, integrated data warehouse that stores and secures student, school, staffing, and fiscal information at the school, complex, complex area, and state levels; and

WHEREAS, it has been decades since significant upgrades have been instituted to address the limits of the department’s mainframe and VAX data processing capacity, while nationally, federal and other state agencies have been investing in improvements to the collection and management of education data to better support standards, instruction, assessment, and accountability; and

WHEREAS, it is sound educational policy to monitor school programs and track student performance over time to determine whether Hawaii students are progressing or maintaining prior levels of academic excellence; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, that the Department of Education is requested to determine a working set of benchmark indicators to evaluate pre-Act 51 and post-Act 51 student achievement over time, including a data collection, resource utilization, and management plan; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this set of indicators shall be determined appropriately by system, complex, school, grade level, and other appropriate classification; and

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

Report Title:

Act 51; Benchmark Indicators