STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1539

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 147

       S.D. 2

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 147, S.D. 1, entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE BOARD OF EDUCATION, AS PART OF ITS DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE HAWAIIAN STUDIES PROGRAM, TO CREATE A COALITION TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF DEVELOPING ASSESSMENTS IN THE HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE FOR HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE IMMERSION STUDENTS TO MORE ACCURATELY MEASURE THEIR ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to request the Board of Education to establish a coalition to address the issue of developing Hawaiian language assessments for Hawaiian language immersion students and to submit a report to the Legislature.

     This measure also urges the United States Department of Education to approve a waiver from selected No Child Left Behind requirements to allow for the most appropriate assessments and academic content standards for the Hawaii language immersion program.

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Education and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

     Your Committee finds that the translated versions of the Hawaii State Assessment for Hawaiian language immersion students contain numerous cultural and translation biases, translation inaccuracies, and inconsistent terms.  Your Committee believes that establishing a coalition to address the issues relating to the translated assessments and to submit a report to the Legislature will establish a path to developing appropriate assessments written in the Hawaiian language, which will permit a more accurate assessment of immersion students' achievements and abilities.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Replacing the representative from ‘Aha Pūnana Leo with a representative from ‘Aha Kauleo as a member of the coalition; and

(2)  Clarifying that it is the State making the request for a federal waiver from certain requirements of No Child Left Behind.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 147, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 147, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair