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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.C.R. NO. |
230 |
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TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011 |
H.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
URGING THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ACCEPT THE NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED ACT COLLEGE ADMISSION EXAM RESULTS FOR DETERMINING IF A SCHOOL IS MEETING "NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND" COMPLIANCE.
WHEREAS, the ACT College Admission Exam is a national college admission and placement exam in English, math, reading, and science that is administered in all 50 states in the United States including 22 percent of students in schools in the State of Hawaii; and
WHEREAS, the ACT College Admission Exam is recognized as being a curriculum-based examination rather than an aptitude test that directly relates to the content of what high school students should be taught and provides students, their teachers, and career counselors with a comprehensive profile of a student's work; and
WHEREAS, Hawaii has been awarded competitive Race to the Top Federal Grant funds in the amount of $75 million to address poor performing schools and has committed to a goal of ensuring all Hawaii high school graduates are college and career ready by school year 2017-2018; and
WHEREAS, as part of the Race to the Top obligations, the State has committed to adopting the Common Core Curriculum in math, English, and science being developed by the National Governors Association in conjunction with the National Association of Superintendents of Schools; and
WHEREAS, teachers and counselors who administer the Hawaii State Assessment indicate that the costs of administering the tests are high and the test results are not sufficiently timely to provide feedback to teachers to adjust their lesson plans or for students to identify areas where they may need additional study or tutoring; and
WHEREAS, the Hawaii State Assessment requires a significant expenditure of student learning time and teaching time to be used for test preparation; and
WHEREAS, the ACT College Admission Exam is recognized and accepted as a college entrance examination by colleges and universities throughout the United States; the costs of taking the exam are relatively minor; and the results are available promptly for teachers, counselors, and students to use to adjust their instruction, counseling, and learning patterns; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the Senate concurring, that a letter be prepared by the Superintendent of Education to the United States Department of Education and the United States Congress asking that states be allowed to accept ACT as a benchmark for determining compliance by school districts for applicable grade levels with the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to review:
(1) Whether the ACT College Admission Exam will be an appropriate substitution for the Hawaii State Assessment, including determining appropriate grade levels for administration; and
(2) Any costs that may be associated with administering the ACT College Admission Exam at various schools;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Chairperson of the State Board of Education, Superintendent of Education, members of the Hawaii Congressional Delegation, United States Secretary of Education, and Principals of each public high school in the State.
Replace Hawaii State Assessment with ACT Exam.