STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1711

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 31

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2007

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 31 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO REVIEW THE USE OF THE PREDICTIVE ASSESSMENT OF READING PROGRAM TO TEACH READING TO STUDENTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Department of Education to conduct a review and analysis of the Predictive Assessment of Reading Program to determine the feasibility of using it as a potential literacy benefit for public schools.

     Testimony in opposition of this measure was submitted by the Department of Education.

     Your Committee finds that ASSETS School has successfully utilized the Predictive Assessment of Reading Program, a standardized assessment for identifying students in risk categories, providing remedial instruction, and predicting the level of literacy skills children in grades kindergarten through third will achieve by eighth grade.  The Department of Education currently struggles with addressing the literacy problem of public school students, a statistic that falls far behind the national figures.

     Your Committee received testimony from the Department of Education indicating that it currently utilizes the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Learning Skills Assessment, designed to monitor the acquisition of basic early literacy skills.  Therefore, the Department of Education believes the Predictive Assessment of Reading Program bears great similarity to its current method for assessment and considers its usage to be duplicative.  However, your Committee believes that given the success of ASSETS School, the Predictive Assessment of Reading Program should at least be evaluated and that the Department should consider its usage based on such evaluation and comparison to its current methodology.

     Accordingly, your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Clarifying the details of the Predictive Assessment of Reading Program, including on whom it may be used, the duration of the assessment, the ease of obtaining results, and the form and information provided by the results; and

     (2)  Clarifying that the Department of Education is requested to review and analyze the Predictive Assessment of Reading to determine its feasibility and consider its usage as a literacy benefit for public school students.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 31, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 31, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Education,

____________________________

NORMAN SAKAMOTO, Chair