SB481

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that article X, section 4, of the Hawaii State Constitution requires both English and Hawaiian language paths within public schools. The department of education's Hawaiian language medium education program, Ka Papa Kaiapuni, offers students an education in the medium of the Hawaiian language. The comprehensive program combines Hawaiian language, history, culture, values, and teaching methodologies to prepare students for college, professional life, and community engagement within a multicultural society.

Act 210, Session Laws of Hawaii 2021, requires the department of education to implement a statewide kindergarten entry assessment evaluating five domains of early childhood education: language and literacy development, cognition and general knowledge, approaches to learning, physical well-being and motor development, and social and emotional development. Act 210 also requires that the department of education conduct the assessment in English or ‘Ōlelo Hawai‘i.

The legislature further finds that while the department of education procured for the statewide kindergarten entry assessment a quality research-based framework developed by Johns Hopkins University, the framework's ability to appropriately evaluate Ka Papa Kaiapuni students is limited and a comparable tool in Ōlelo Hawai‘i does not exist. Due to a lack of educational resources in Ōlelo Hawai‘i, the development of a linguistically and culturally appropriate kindergarten entry assessment for Ka Papa Kaiapuni students is necessary.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to require the board of education to develop a kindergarten entry assessment in Ōlelo Hawai‘i for Ka Papa Kaiapuni that aligns with the English language kindergarten entry assessment and reflects Hawaiian language education to be administered by the department of education and require the state public charter school commission to adopt the assessment.

SECTION 2. Chapter 302A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part IV, subpart C, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§302A- Standardized assessment for students entering kindergarten; Hawaiian language medium education program. (a) The board of education shall adopt a Hawaiian language medium education kindergarten entry assessment, and the department of education shall administer the assessment beginning with the 2026-2027 school year.

(b) The Hawaiian language medium education kindergarten entry assessment shall:

(1) Be administered within the first ninety days of each child's admission into kindergarten with the Hawaiian language medium education program; provided that the child has not received a kindergarten entry assessment pursuant to this section or section 302A-1165 within the past one hundred eighty days;

(2) Be conducted in Hawaiian;

(3) Cover all essential domains of school readiness as appropriate for Hawaiian language medium education, including:

(A) Language and literacy development;

(B) Cognition and general knowledge;

(D) Physical well-being and motor development; and

(E) Social and emotional development;

(4) Be used in conformance with the recommendations of the National Research Council reports on early childhood; and

(5) Be valid and reliable for its intended purpose.

(1) Close the school readiness gap at kindergarten entry;

(2) Inform instruction in the early elementary school grades; and

(3) Inform parents of their children's status and to involve parents in decisions regarding their children's education.

(d) The department shall share the information gathered pursuant to this section with the department of human services, executive office on early learning, and state public charter school commission to the extent not otherwise prohibited by administrative rule or law."

SECTION 3. Section 302A-1165, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) The kindergarten entry assessment shall:

(1) Be administered within the first [~~thirty~~] ninety days of each child's admission into kindergarten[;]; provided that the child has not received a kindergarten entry assessment pursuant to this section or section 302A- within the past one hundred eighty days;

(2) Be a [~~uniform,~~] statewide assessment[~~; provided that the assessment shall be~~] conducted in English [~~or Hawaiian;~~]; provided that the Hawaiian language medium education program shall have its own standardized kindergarten entry assessment as described in section 302A- ;

(3) Cover all essential domains of school readiness, including:

(A) Language and literacy development;

(B) Cognition and general knowledge;

(D) Physical well-being and motor development; and

(E) Social and emotional development;

(4) Be used in conformance with the recommendations of the National Research Council reports on early childhood; and

(5) Be valid and reliable for its intended purpose."

SECTION 4. Section 302D-37, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending its title and subsections (a) through (b) to read as follows:

"§302D-37 Standardized [~~assessment~~] assessments for students entering kindergarten. (a) The commission shall adopt the kindergarten entry [~~assessment~~] assessments adopted by the board pursuant to [~~section~~] sections 302A-1165(a) and 302A- (a) to assess all charter school students entering kindergarten [~~within the first thirty days of admission into kindergarten~~].

(b) The commission may waive the requirements of the [~~uniform~~] kindergarten entry [~~assessment~~] assessments on a case-by-case basis."

SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2023.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	481
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII