THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	111
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

requesting the department of education to prepare curricular materials that reflect the hawaii standards to assist a teacher who has to temporarily teach in an area where the teacher is not highly qualified.

     WHEREAS, the children of Hawaii's public schools deserve teachers who are highly qualified so that they can meet the Hawaii standards; and

     WHEREAS, about 2,900, or about twenty-two per cent, of public school teachers in Hawaii are not considered qualified under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, which requires a bachelor's degree, a state license, and proven competency in every subject that they teach; and

     WHEREAS, the number of students taught by highly qualified teachers was seventy-seven per cent at the secondary level and ninety-seven per cent at the elementary level; and

     WHEREAS, findings from research have shown that highly qualified teachers are more effective in enhancing the achievement of students, especially in mathematics; and

     WHEREAS, many teachers, who have credentials in one area, are considered unqualified if they teach courses in a different subject area; and

     WHEREAS, highly qualified teachers are difficult to recruit; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Senate requests the Department of Education and appropriate entities to prepare curricular materials that reflect the Hawaii standards to assist a teacher who has to temporarily teach in an area where the teacher is not highly qualified, so that students will receive the appropriate learning materials; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the development of such curricula should begin with fields where there are the fewest highly qualified teachers; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and the Board of Education shall continue to support programs to assure that all teachers become highly qualified; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2009 on the development of curricular materials necessary to assist teachers who are required to temporarily teach in an area where they are not highly qualified; and

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

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

DOE; Highly Qualified Teachers; Curricular Materials and Assistance