May 7, 2001
Honorable Paul LeMahieu
Superintendent of Education
Hawaii Department of Education
1390 Miller Street, #307
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Dear Superintendent LeMahieu:
The purpose of this letter is to respond to Hawaii's plan for meeting the final assessment requirements under Title I as detailed in your letter to the Department dated February 23, 2001 and in your letter of April 25, 2001. I understand that the recent teachers' strike has made it impossible for you to implement the Hawaii Assessment Program this April and to meet the timeline proposed in your first submission.
You have provided evidence that Hawaii has made substantial progress towards completing its assessment system. A plan has been developed with specified dates for completion of a comprehensive system of standards and assessments. Formal completion of performance standards is scheduled for June 2001. Completion of evidence of inclusion of all students, technical quality, and the process of reports for individuals, schools, and districts is contingent on implementation of Hawaii's Assessment Program in the spring of 2002. If Hawaii is unable to meet any of these dates, you will need to notify us immediately.
Please send the required information to the Department as it is developed in accordance with the dates in your amended timeline. We will submit these materials to a panel of peers for review. When all Title I requirements have been met, the Department will grant Hawaii full approval of its assessment system.
I am granting your request to waive the statutory deadline for having a final State assessment system in place in 2000-01 and granting an extension until the end of the 2002-03 school year.
Failure of the State to complete activities as scheduled may make it necessary for this office to consider the other courses of action available to the Department. Potential actions include requiring Hawaii to enter into a compliance agreement in order to remain eligible to receive Title I funds or initiating proceedings to withhold Title I funds from the State.
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We will work with you and your staff to support and monitor the implementation of your timeline waiver. If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Sincerely,
Thomas M. Corwin
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary
Cc: Elaine Takenaka
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