Hawaii Public Schools

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Hawaii Public Schools
Hawaii State Department of Education

News

Hawaii State Department of Education Awards $1 Million to Recognize Schools for Exceptional Achievement 'Strive HI' Awards represent one-time grants to 32 schools to reward progress, excellence... HONOLULU - The Hawaii State Department of Education (DOE) today honored 32 schools for extraordinary achievements at the first annual Strive HI Awards ceremony. The awards ranging from $12,500 to $100,000 recognize schools for significant academic progress for two consecutive years and represent a one-time grant to further improvement efforts. (130301)
Hawaii's Public Schools Begin Pilot Test of Next-Generation Student Assessments... aimed at providing a window into whether students are on track to graduate high school, be ready for college and the workplace. As many as 75 DOE schools have been selected to participate in the pilot of the Smarter Balanced assessment system, which will be launched statewide in the 2014-15 school year. The pilot is a national effort slated to involve more than one million students in grades 3-11 in Smarter Balanced member states through late May. (130221)
Hawaii's public schools making across-the-board gains in AP exams... in the number of students taking AP exams, total exams taken, and scores that qualify students for college credit – in line with a national trend. Hawaii is expanding access to AP faster than the national average, more than doubling the number of high school graduates taking AP exams in the last decade – an effort that drew national praise from College Board Senior Vice President Andrea Mainelli during a regional conference last year. (130220)
Hawaii DOE Progress Leads to Partial Removal of Race to the Top "High Risk" Status... "Hawaii is clearly making gains in its reform efforts, as evidenced in the implementation of the Common Core Standards and the progress of its students," said Council of Chief State School Officers Executive Director Chris Minnich. (130211)
USDOE Recognizes State Two-Year Race to the Top Progress "Hawaii has shown promising growth"... in the following areas: Transitioning to College and Career-Ready Standards, Building Better Data Systems, Supporting Great Teachers and School Leaders, Turning Around Low-Performing Schools, and Expanding Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education (130201)
Leilehua High Students Headed to CyberPatriot National Finals Competition... The "Mighty Mules" will be one of 14 finalists in the All Service Division at CyberPatriot V – the premier national high school cyber defense competition scheduled for March 14-15 in Washington, D.C. (130131)
Maui High Leads Strong Showing by Public Schools at Local Science Competitions ... "Our students' growth in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) reflects the outstanding dedication by our teachers in preparing students for college and careers." The Maui High team is comprised of Steven Okada, Riley Camp, Christopher Kim, Bryson Galapon and Gabriel Salazar. Quarterfinalists include four public schools: Pearl City, Waiakea, Waipahu Team I and Waipahu Team II. The wildcard champion was Mililani (130130)
State Continues to Seek Meaningful and Fair Agreement for Teachers and Students, HSTA proposal costs exceed $1 billion... In its proposal, HSTA seeks to: increase teachers' base pay by 48.1 percent over the next four years, delay implementation of the new Educator Effectiveness System, and gain veto power over development of each step of the system. (130125)
DOE Announces New Evaluation and Support System for School Principals... beginning in the 2013-14 school year. "Effective school leadership is critical to student achievement," said DOE Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe. "The Department is committed to ensuring principals, teachers and schools have the support they need to reach their goals." (130124)
'School Quality Survey' seeks parent feedback... Beginning this month, schools will mail or ask students to bring the surveys home. Parents whose children are enrolled in grades 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 11 will be asked to complete the survey and return it in a prepaid envelope by February 28. Survey results provide schools data on everything ranging from parent satisfaction with course offerings, support services and availability to discuss their child's progress to whether students feel safe and are meeting their goals. (130118)

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DOE to drive students toward college, career readiness College and career readiness assessments to begin next spring... It will administer college and career readiness assessments to all middle and high school students statewide in grades 8, 9, 10 and 11 beginning next spring. "We are setting a high bar for achievement and delivering optimal tools and resources to accelerate our students' trajectory toward college and career readiness." (121226)
Union turns down State's major offer for teachers... The state's negotiating team presented a comprehensive settlement offer to the Hawaii State Teachers Association (HSTA) hoping to reach a resolution for public school teachers and students (121210)
DOE Releases Two-Year Race to the Top Performance Report... Five-Point Plan for Student Success and Progress Resulting in Gains. (121128)
.Frito-Lay of Hawaii and Hawaii State Department of Education Name Three Hawaii Blue Ribbon Schools For 2013... Nuuanu Elementary School, Blanche Pope Elementary School in Waimanalo and Waikiki Elementary School were named Hawaii's Blue Ribbon Schools today by Frito-Lay of Hawaii and the Hawaii State Department of Education; and will be considered for the coveted National Blue Ribbon designation along with other schools from across the country. (121108)
Karen Kutsunai named Hawaii's 2013 State Teacher of the Year... She has taught at Kailua Intermediate since 1999. "Karen creates an environment where students shine. They are not afraid of making mistakes, and learn and grow from their experiences. She promotes resiliency in each student and has personal conversations with those whom she knows are struggling". (121026)
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Intermediate Athletics Pilot Program Launched in the DOE's Zones of School Innovation... aimed at increasing learning opportunities for seventh- and eighth-grade students. "Students who are involved in extracurricular activities outside of the normal school day have been found to be more engaged in the classroom." Participants: Nanakuli-Waianae complex and Kau-Keaau-Pahoa complex area. (121022)
BOE approves DOE plan to accredit all schools by 2019... partnering with the non-profit Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), a world-renowned accrediting association, the DOE aims for its remaining 159 elementary schools to be fully accredited by school year 2018-19. The current 96 accredited schools include all DOE high schools, middle schools, K-12 schools, some elementary schools, and two adult community schools. (120918)
Students' reading and math scores rise in all grades... "The remarkable growth in reading and math proficiency for all grade levels is a direct reflection of the hard work of our educators and students," said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "Our plan to create systemic change is working. Increasingly, more students in more schools across the state are on the path toward college and career readiness." (120717)
BOE/DOE strategic plan outlines blueprint for student success... "Our plan sets bold and clear student-centered strategies and targets through 2018," said Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. "It sharpens our collective focus on implementing a rigorous curriculum, and providing educators the tools to identify and address students' needs in real time until graduation." (120703)
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© Hawaii State Department of Education, P.O. Box 2360, Honolulu, HI 96804; Physical address: 1390 Miller St, Honolulu, HI 96813; phone: 808-586-3230; fax: 808-586-3234. All rights reserved. For problems/questions concerning this web site, please email the webmaster. Links to other web sites should not be considered an endorsement. DOE is not responsible for the content of external web sites.