THE SENATE	S.R. NO.	69
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE RESOLUTION

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION to UNDERTAKE A STUDY TO DETERMINE THE MOST EFFECTIVE MEDIUM BETWEEN "ONE SIZE FITS ALL" AND "TO EACH HIS OWN".

     WHEREAS, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates require that all schools be judged upon their adequate yearly progress (AYP) without considering the different challenges and situations each school may face; and

     WHEREAS, NCLB mandates require that all students be judged with single assessments with single benchmarks, regardless of the challenges of English proficiency and other personal and individualized stresses; and

     WHEREAS, many schools and students start far below the benchmark for AYP or proficiency and make significant progress without reaching the benchmark for AYP or proficiency; and

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board awards Hawaii teacher licenses based on a single set of requirements; and

     WHEREAS, teachers from out-of-state with excellent or better than satisfactory teaching evaluations or teachers recognized with national or state exemplary teaching awards may not be able to teach in Hawaii if they do not meet all criteria required by the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board; and

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Teachers Association, the Department of Education, the Board of Education and the State negotiate teacher salaries that designate pay based on years of service and degrees and credits earned without regard to teaching effectiveness; and

     WHEREAS, teachers of students who yearly outperform similar populations of students are not compensated any differently than teachers of similar years of service and professional degree credentials and whose students yearly underperform; and

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education allows schools wide latitude to select and deliver curriculum; and

     WHEREAS, teachers teaching the same course in the same school can use different textbooks, lessons, and assessments; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2007, that the Department of Education is requested to work with the Hawaii State Teachers Association and the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board to undertake a study to determine the most effective medium between the concepts of "one size fits all" and "to each his own", including proposals for more flexibility where "one size fits all" and more clarification of "to each his own" in order to reach optimal efficiencies that balance, on one hand, economies of scale and standardization of processes and outcomes with, on the other hand, flexibilities, and appropriate and attainable performance assessments; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that topics in the study are requested to include but not be confined to NCLB, AYP, teacher salaries and licensure, curriculum, assessments, and evaluations; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit its report and any findings and recommendations to the Legislature not later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2008 Regular Session; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Board of Education, the Superintendent of Education, the Executive Director of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, and the Chairperson of the Hawaii Teacher Standards Board.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

DOE & HSTA; No Child Left Behind; Study