THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2535

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012

S.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO INSTRUCTIONAL TIME.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 

     SECTION 1.  Section 302A-251, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

     "§302A-251  School year; instructional time.  (a)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, beginning with the 2011-2013 school years, all public schools, excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a school year of one hundred eighty days, excluding professional development days and other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89.

     (b)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary:

     (1)  For the 2011-2012 school year, fifty per cent of all public elementary schools in the State, excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a school year that includes nine hundred fifteen student instructional hours; and

     (2)  Beginning with the 2012-2013 school year, all public elementary schools in the State, excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a school year that includes nine hundred fifteen student instructional hours.

     (c)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, for the 2014-2016 school years, all public secondary schools, excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall implement a school year that includes nine hundred ninety student instructional hours.

     (d)  Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, [for the 2016-2018 school years,] beginning no later than the 2014-2015 school year, all public schools, excluding charter schools and multi-track public schools, shall [implement a school year of one hundred eighty days, excluding professional development days and other non-instructional days negotiated pursuant to chapter 89, that shall include one thousand eighty student instructional hours for both elementary and secondary school grades.] maintain standard instructional periods by implementing a bell schedule devised by the department under subsection (e).

     (e)  The department shall develop multiple standard bell schedule options for elementary, middle, and high schools.  A school shall have the discretion to implement one of the available bell schedules for each grade level.  This subsection

shall not apply to charter schools or multi-track public schools."

     [(e)] (f)  The board, in its discretion, may grant a waiver to any individual school subject to the student instructional hours, standard instructional periods, or one hundred eighty day school year requirements in this section.  The board shall adopt policies and procedures to grant a waiver under this subsection.

     [(f)] (g)  For purposes of this section, "student instructional hours" means [student]:

     (1)  Student learning time in elementary schools during which students are engaged in learning activities, including [regularly-scheduled] regularly scheduled instruction [and], project-based learning assignments, technology-assisted learning, learning assessments within the curriculum[, and does not include lunch, recess, or passing time.], and all other activities in which there is a related general learner outcome attached to such time; and

     (2)  Student learning time in secondary schools during which students are engaged in learning activities, including regularly scheduled instruction, project-based learning assignments, technology-assisted learning, and learning assessments within the curriculum; provided that for the purposes of determining the adequacy of instructional time for secondary schools, "student instructional hours" may include:

         (A)  Presentations by persons other than teachers;

         (B)  Directed study;

         (C)  Time spent in homeroom;

         (D)  Student advisory time;

         (E)  Statewide performance assessment; and

         (F)  All other activities in which there is a related general learner outcome attached to such time.

     [(g)] (h)  The department of education, with the board of education and office of the governor, and in consultation with representatives of the affected collective bargaining units, shall submit to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular sessions of 2013, 2014, and 2015, [2016, 2017, and 2018,] a report on its progress and efforts to meet the requirements of subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d)."
     SECTION 2.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken.  New statutory material is underscored.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

 

Report Title:

Instructional Time; Bell Schedules

 

Description:

Requires the Department of Education to develop multiple standard bell schedules for elementary, middle, and high schools, with the exception of charter schools and multi-track public schools.  Amends the public education instructional time law.  (SB2535 HD1)

 

 

 

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