Bill Text: HI SCR200 | 2015 | Regular Session | Introduced


Bill Title: Department of Education; Standardized Testing

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-04-01 - The committee on EDU deferred the measure. [SCR200 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2015-SCR200-Introduced.html

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

200

TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2015

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

requesting the department of education to appropriately align standardized tests to state curriculum standards and utilize test data to inform educational decision making for optimal student outcomes.

 

 


     WHEREAS, educators care about student learning and use available data, including appropriate test scores, to inform lesson planning and differentiate instruction; and

 

     WHEREAS, standardized testing is necessary and appropriate for purposes such as individualized education program development and advanced placement examinations for college credit; and

 

     WHEREAS, excessive and inappropriate use of standardized testing in public schools is counterproductive because students spend more time taking tests and less time learning; and

 

     WHEREAS, students with disabilities are provided with testing accommodations as specified in their individual education programs or section 504 accommodation plans; and

 

     WHEREAS, testing accommodations are made for English language learners, including accommodations for time extensions, separate test locations, translated test editions, use of bilingual dictionaries and glossaries, oral translations for certain languages, and written responses in native languages; and

 

     WHEREAS, waivers from taking standardized tests are granted when good cause is shown; and

 

     WHEREAS, students and parents have a right to be informed about the purpose and protocol of any standardized test that the student is expected to take, as well as all rights related to test administration, participation, and accompanying reports that identify areas of strength and improvement; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2015, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education is requested to align standardized tests to state curriculum standards; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to accept teacher feedback on the composition and administration of standardized tests and to act upon that feedback as appropriate; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to incorporate professional development regarding the interpretation of standardized test data for all Department of Education administrators and teachers; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to encourage school administrators and teachers to use test data to inform school policy, instruction, and educational decision making for optimal student outcomes; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to commission independent audits of standardized testing materials and protocols used in the public elementary and secondary schools on a regular basis to review and evaluate the integrity of standardized tests by an independent contractor, unaffiliated with any standardized testing company or agency, with expertise in educational testing; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to seek federal funds to provide specialized instructional support, targeted programs, and other services designed to address the educational needs of students that are identified by standardized testing data as failing to make sufficient progress in growth or achievement; and

 


     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Department of Education; Standardized Testing

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