The governing document for the public education system in Hawai‘i provides a common foundation of expectations and supports for public education, centering on closing the achievement gap to ensure equity and excellence for each student. This joint project of the Department of Education (DOE) and Board of Education (BOE) covers the years 2017-2020. It is an update and extension of the 2012 plan, following a broad community review in 2016.
Equity and Excellence
We believe in the unique strengths and potential of each and every child in our public schools. To fulfill our commitment to each student, Hawaiʻi’s public schools will achieve equity and excellence, so that all students can successfully discover and embark upon their chosen path in life. State offices, Complex Areas, and schools—DOE and charters—will apply their resources to ensure that all students have equal opportunity for a high-quality education. This education, integrated with our uniquely Hawaiian values and sense of place, will equip students for local and global leadership and the ambitious community, career, and college goals of their choice. Our students have high hopes for their future and by working together, all of us—including families, communities, state leaders, businesses, and partner organizations—can support the future of Hawaiʻi’s keiki and our island home.
As the governing document for public education in Hawai‘i, the Strategic Plan is the lens through which other plans, policies and efforts are shaped, including:
The state’s plan for federal funding under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Honolulu Star-Advertiser: DOE revamps state strategic plan [VIEW]
West Hawaii Today: State to release education plan [VIEW]
The Garden Island: Ed board accepts strategic plan [VIEW]
Honolulu Star-Advertiser Name in the News: Tammi Oyadomari-Chun:
Assistant superintendent advances DOE’s plan [VIEW]
Press Release: Student-centered Strategic Plan approved by Board [VIEW]
Goals and Expectations
The plan keeps in place the three main goals of Student Success, Staff Success, and Successful Systems of Support, while updating the strategies and objectives based on community feedback, lessons learned and Bright Spots in our schools (see below for more on the process). To measure progress on the Strategic Plan, the BOE and DOE commit to regular reporting on 14 key statewide success indicators and ensure students achieve the BOE’s Vision of a Hawai‘i Public School Graduate (Policy 102-15). We strive to increase our graduation rate to 90 percent by 2025, which would make our on-time graduation rate one of the highest in the nation. We also strive to ensure that the high school diploma is meaningful and represents career, college, and community readiness as embodied by academic standards and General Learner Outcomes. This also contributes to our state’s “55 by ‘25” goal of more working age adults having a 2- or 4-year college degree to meet the forecasted needs of our economy.
Statewide indicators represent the overall health of public education, focusing on those which have greatest impact on student success, as well as state and federal requirements. They do not comprehensively represent diverse measures of success valued by our state’s nearly 300 schools. Schools can address their unique approach to indicators through their Academic and Financial Plans and charter school contracts.
STUDENT SUCCESS INDICATOR
2016 BASELINE
2020 TARGET
1. Chronic Absenteeism.Percentage of students who are absent for 15 or more days during the school year.
15%
9%
2. School Climate.Percentage of students reporting positive school climate as measured by the Safety Dimension of the School Quality Survey.
73%
79%
3. Inclusion Rate.Percentage of students receiving special education services who are in general education classes for 80 percent or more of the school day.
37%
51%
4. 3rd Grade Literacy.Percentage of 3rd graders demonstrating reading of “At or Near” or “Above” grade-level expectation on Smarter Balanced Assessment.
65%
76%
5. 9th Grade On-Track.Percentage of first-time 9th graders promoted to 10th grade on-time.
90%
94%
6. Academic Achievement.Percentage of students meeting achievement targets on statewide assessments in English Language Arts/Literacy, Mathematics, and Science.
ELA
51%
61%
Math
42%
54%
Science
43%
64%
7. Achievement Gap.Performance differential between high-needs students (e.g., economic disadvantage, special needs, English learners) and their peers.
ELA
32 pts
TBA*
Math
29 pts
TBA*
8. High School Graduation.On-time rate based on federal methodology for Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate of students for earning a diploma within four years.
82%
86%
9. Career & Technical Education Concentrator.Percentage of 12th graders who complete a CTE Program of Study.
38%
50%
10. College-Going Rate.Percentage of high school completers enrolled in postsecondary institutions nationwide—vocational or trade schools, 2- or 4-year colleges—in the fall following graduation.
56%
62%
11. Teacher Positions Filled.Percentage filled as of August 1 each year.
96%
98%
12. Teacher Retention.Percentage of teachers retained after five years.
52%
60%
13. Repair & Maintenance Backlog.Dollar amount in list of unfunded or deferred major R&M projects.
$279M
$239M
14. Family & Community Engagement. Indicator added as an amendment during discussion at the BOE’s Dec. 6, 2016 General Business Meeting (GBM). Metric to be determined with discussion at the BOE’s Student Achievement Committee (SAC).
TBA*
TBA*
* indicator added at BOE GBM 12/6/16, metrics to be reviewed at upcoming SAC.
What’s next
View this chart to see what implementation looks like at the state, Complex Area and school level. Activities for each include:
SCHOOLS: Working in concert with their School Community Councils and staff, schools are designing their Academic Plans for 2017-2020. The plans, which are aligned to the goals, objectives and timeline of the Strategic Plan, are a tool to clearly and accurately communicate each school’s needs, direction and activities for the coming school years.
COMPLEX AREAS: Complex Area Superintendents will approve all Academic Plans by May 12, 2017, and develop their own plans to include a reflection on data and strategies to expand successes and improve results.
STATE: Offices are responsible for reporting progress toward achieving the objectives, strategies, statewide initiatives and data indicators of the Strategic Plan — monthly to the Superintendent, as scheduled by committee to the Board of Education, and as needed to stakeholders and the public.
COMING SOON: Strategic Plan discussion kits.
School and state personnel give their insight into Strategic Plan implementation:
The 2016 review & extension process
The DOE and BOE embarked on a review and extension of its 2012-2018 Strategic Plan at the beginning of 2016. The goal was to gather input from the community to understand progress, challenges and lessons learned from the implementation of the existing plan, and take advantage of opportunities to introduce new strategies and objectives to support student success. (Pictured: feedback gathered at the final Hawaii State Student Council meeting of the 2015-16 school year.)
It was an excellent time to initiate a review of the plan. A new federal law with broad bipartisan support, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), was signed into law by President Obama in December 2015. The DOE had completed the rigorous requirements for the Race to the Top grant in 2014. In 2015, the BOE had passed a new Ends Policy, Nā Hopena A‘o, a Department-wide framework to develop the skills, behaviors and dispositions that are reminiscent of Hawaiʻi’s unique context, and to honor the qualities and values of the indigenous language and culture of Hawaiʻi.
After extensive outreach and feedback (see below), the final plan was released on Nov. 30, 2016, and presented to and passed by the BOE on Dec. 6. BOE amendments to the plan included:
Recognition of both of Hawaii’s official languages and Hawaiian language medium schools in the public school system.
Placing additional emphasis on: multiculturalism, multilingualism, support of struggling students, attendance supports at home, mandating no additional testing, recognizing the issue of teacher shortages (especially for special education).
Including an ambitious target of reducing chronic absenteeism statewide to 9 percent by 2020.
Adding two statewide indicators: Achievement Gap and a Family and Community Engagement indicator.
OUTREACH
PHASE I – SPRING 2016: to develop a community-based definition of student success
via online survey (1,429 responses)
at 108 diverse focus groups with an estimated 1,201 participants conducted around the state (see map).
View Phase I Community Outreach report: PRINT | DIGITAL
PHASE II – FALL 2016: to set objectives and strategies to realize the new definition of student success
BOE Community Meetings were held on Oahu, Hawaii, Maui, Molokai and Kauai. Stakeholders who attended worked in teams to refine, rework or reject strategies designed to support draft objectives for student success culled from the Phase I outreach, and offer suggestions for what’s working or what we need to achieve them. View list of meetings with links to Facebook galleries.
At the end of September, a survey to gather additional input on Goal 2 (Staff Success) and Goal 3 (Successful Systems of Support) netted 1,144 responses.
DRAFT PLAN FEEDBACK
A draft plan was released on Oct. 18, 2016 for a public comment period that netted more than 4,000 views. Feedback revealed strong support for the objectives and strategies. (View summary of feedback here.)
Student Success is at the center of the Strategic Plan, so student voice is crucial. The DOE teamed with Oceanit and Adult Friends for Youth on a design thinking exercise to do a deep dive into how students would design schools:
Sen. Jeff Sessions expressed skepticism during his confirmation hearing to be U.S. attorney general on Tuesday about executive branch guidance that has not gone through the full notice-and-comment rulemaking process and said he would be “dubious” about asking courts to defer to such guidance.
The Alabama Republican, who is President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Justice, was asked about such guidance by Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, who did not specifically cite the controversy over the Obama administration’s informal guidance on respecting the restroom choices of transgender individuals, but Lee appeared to have had that issue in mind…
Early college high school, apprenticeships, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education take center stage as governors continue to give state of the state addresses.
South Dakota: Gov. Dennis Daugaard Dives into Dual Credit and Remediation
During his January 10 state of the state address, South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R) praised the state’s dual credit program, calling it a win-win-win. “Students win because these are the cheapest college credits they will ever buy, and they get a head start on college or tech school. High schools win because they can expand their course offerings at no cost to the school district. Universities and technical institutes win, because they attract students who are better-prepared when they come to campus.”
Daugaard had numbers to back up the program’s success, sharing that, in the past school year:
2,139 high school students took at least one dual credit course from a university, and another 899 took a technical institute course.
The passage rates were 94 percent for university courses and 88 percent for technical institute courses.
High school students and their families saved a total of $4.4 million.
Daugaard also touched on the issue of remediation, noting that last year 30 percent of first-year, full-time freshman at state universities took at least one remedial course in math or English. He discussed a free program to help test students who may need remediation in high school to avoid the costs and difficulty of remedial courses in college.
He gave a nod to the strengthening of career and technical education programs across the state through workforce education grants awarded by the Building South Dakota Fund.
Hawaii: Gov. David Ige Calls for School Transformation and Increased Early College Access
Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) talked about school transformation during January 23 state of the state address, expressing his desire to have a system that gives more flexibility to schools so that those closest to the students, who “best understand how they learn and what motivates them” are the ones designing programs and implementing plans. He also mentioned a new Innovation Grant Program to help support school-level innovations that work to close achievement gaps for students with disabilities, students from low-income families, and immigrant students.
Ige also proposed to expand the state’s Early College Program, to allow more students to begin earning college credits in high school. To make his case, Ige noted that studies say this may be “one of the most powerful tools to advance college enrollment and success among our public high school graduates—especially for lower-income and first-generation college students.”
Rhode Island: Gov. Gina Raimondo Expands Early College Options
Rhode Island is working to give its people a “real shot in the economy of the future,” said Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) in her January 17 state of the state address. For Raimondo, that means expanding early college options. She noted that in 2016 nearly 4,000 students took college courses while still in high school, some earning enough credits to have a full college semester completed before graduating from high school.
Raimondo also discussed the state’s push to have more individuals with a degree or credential beyond high school, which currently is less than half of Rhode Islanders. To reach a goal of 70 percent of Rhode Island adults with degrees or certificates by 2025, Raimondo noted that the state is working to make college more affordable and accessible, and will continue to invest in training and certificate programs.
Alaska: Gov. Bill Walker Shares Top Five Priorities for Education
In his January 18 state of the state addressAlaskaGov. Bill Walker (I) shared five top priorities for the state’s public education system. Put together by the State Board of Education after a public outreach process, the priorities include.
Improving student learning
Ensuring excellent educators
Modernizing the system
Inspiring tribal and community ownership
Promoting safety and well-being.
Walker noted that final recommendations in these areas would be shared with his office at the end of 2017 and that legislative efforts for reform would begin.
Michigan: Gov.Rick Snyder Makes the Case for Apprenticeships and STEM Education
In his January 17 state of the state address, Michigan: Gov. Rick Snyder (R) emphasized the importance of not treating education, the economy, and careers as silos, but instead to create the connection between school and career while inspiring lifelong learning. As the economy changes and jobs fluctuate, Snyder expressed the need to have the flexibility to respond accordingly in education. One method Snyder mentioned is apprenticeships, sharing the state’s growth as a leader in this area, with a 14 percent increase in registered apprenticeships over 2016. He talked about the need for even more growth and his intention to work with the state legislature and private sector partners to make this happen.
Snyder also hits on the hot topic of STEM education, and the need to expand access to STEM courses in Michigan schools as more STEM-related jobs require computer coding and computer science knowledge.
Other Education Highlights
Graduation rates receive a mention in Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R)’s January 17 state of the state address, as Bryant acknowledges both the state’s all-time-high 80 percent graduation rate and gains on reading and math tests.
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb (R) called for one million dollar annual increases in K-12 STEM education and in the federal E-rate program during his January 17 state of the state address. Holcomb noted that more than half of Indiana’s schools do not have wi-fi in the classroom, and that this increased funding will enable more schools to participate in the E-rate and improve digital connectivity in schools.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) mentioned efforts to expand apprenticeship programs for high school students to strengthen career pathways in his January 25 state of the state address, an initiative of the Governor’s Cabinet on Children and Youth alongside the Illinois State Board of Education, high schools, community colleges, and employers.
KAILUA-KONA — Parents of kids in public schools — including charter schools — won’t necessarily notice big changes when the state Department of Education implements the Every Student Succeeds Act next school year.
“You’re not gonna see a radical difference,” said Art Souza, West Hawaii Complex Area superintendent.
Souza described the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) as a continuation of No Child Left Behind’s standards-driven policies, but without some of the rigid federal mandates, including strict benchmarks like requiring 100 percent of students to read at grade level by 2014.
“The ethic behind the law was terrific,” Souza said of No Child Left Behind, but added benchmarks like that are “not realistic.”
Lindsay Chambers, speaking on behalf of the state Department of Education, said plans to implement the new law “are still being developed, so it’s difficult to provide specific examples of impacts at this time.”
Now, the act is giving states more control in developing those standards. The Every Student Succeeds Act was signed into law in December 2015, replacing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which has guided federal education standards since 2002. That law was roundly criticized as taking too much of a “one-size-fits-all” approach to education.
ESSA is expected to be implemented for the 2017-18 school year.
The public will have the chance to learn more about the federal act and how it will shape Hawaii’s education policy during town hall meetings planned in Kailua-Kona and Hilo. The first is 4:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Kealakehe High School and the second is 4:30-6:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at Waiakea High School.
Those who attend will have the opportunity to learn about the Department of Education’s efforts to draw up a plan to ensure the state’s public schools are in full compliance with the federal law.
While ESSA gives states more flexibility in creating standards, they must still prove the standards are likely to raise graduation rates and student achievement, including reporting performance by school on a variety of indicators, in addition to a “summative result,” according to the U.S. Department of Education.
But, they now have more say in how they gather the data to report to the feds.
Starting in fall 2005, NCLB required schools to test students in math and language arts every year from the third through eighth grade. The new law still requires schools to test students’ math and reading skills, but allows states to use a single test or a number of interim assessments so long as the tests result in a “single summative score” demonstrating student achievement.
The DOE says the state’s “Smarter Balanced Assessment” already meets the requirements of the new law.
Allowing states to focus on student growth, rather than measuring kids against standardized benchmarks is one of the appeals of the new law, Souza said.
“Every student has unique learning needs,” he explained. “You have to meet students at their learning level.”
Doing that, Souza said, allows lessons to be individualized for students’ needs. Students who learn at slower rates are measured by how they are growing and students who learn at a faster pace can have an opportunity to accelerate in their education.
However, some Hawaii leaders have already raised concern about whether the flexibility that made the bill successful will actually manifest itself in reality.
In a July 29 letter to the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education, Gov. David Ige, along with Board of Education Chairperson Lance A. Mizumoto and Superintendent Kathryn S. Matayoshi, said the Every Student Succeeds Act was “a welcome change” from No Child Left Behind, but that recently released regulations make the law less flexible than they were led to believe.
“Aspects of the proposed regulations seem to revert back to the one-size-fits-all approach, which may limit the opportunities that have been purported to be available,” stated the letter.
For example, NCLB required states to track the performance of specific “subgroups” of students, such as racial minorities, impoverished students and students with limited English skills.
Those subgroups were carried over into the Every Student Succeeds Act. However, the state can no longer combine subgroups, which it said “allowed for thousands of more students to be included in their schools’ accountability rating,” and prevented students who fell into two categories from being counted twice.
This approach resulted in more than 2,000 more special education students being included in school accountability assessments than would have been under the NCLB system, the department said in its comments to the feds.
The state is currently awaiting an answer from the feds if Hawaii can keep combining subgroups an option.
The governor and others are also taking issue with the federal government also requiring states to flag schools as needing “comprehensive support and improvement” for the 2017-18 school year.
That, the state department said, requires states to use data from the current school year, which was intended to be a “low/no stakes transition year for states and schools,” according to the state Department of Education.
Instead, they suggested using data from the 2017-18 school year to identify schools in need of improvement in fall 2018.
Senator Michelle Kidani (Dist. 18 – Mililani Town, portion of Waipi‘o Gentry, Waikele, Village Park, Royal Kunia), Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, will travel to three neighbor islands next week for a series of public Town Hall meetings to discuss new Federal education legislation.
Senator Michelle Kidani
When fully implemented, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) will affect the way teachers, students and campus leadership interact and conduct public school instruction.
“It’s important that the public understand and have some input about how schools are educating our youngsters,” Senator Kidani said. “I have invited education policy expert Lee Posey from the National Conference of State Legislatures to be a guest speaker at our Town Hall sessions. I’ve heard her presentations, and they provide an excellent overview of ESSA and how the new law can benefit the state.”
As Education Chair, Senator Kidani is a member of Governor David Ige’s ESSA Team that has scheduled a public forum this weekend at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Lee Posey will also be a presenter at this Saturday’s forum before proceeding to the neighbor island venues next week. Posey is a Federal Affairs Counsel with the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).
She conducts NCSL lobbying activities on education, representing state positions and concerns to Congress and the Administration, and was NCSL’s chief lobbyist on Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) reauthorization. Ms. Posey has been at NCSL since 1999 and her experience includes work on a wide variety of issues including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), federal childcare grants, child welfare, child support, food and nutrition programs, agriculture, and rural development.
The neighbor island Town Hall sessions are jointly sponsored by the Hawai‘i State Senate and the Hawai‘i State Teachers Association (HSTA). Senator Kidani’s colleagues from the respective Senate districts will join her for the presentations, including Senate President Ronald Kouchi from Kaua`i, Senator Lorraine Inouye from Hilo, and Senators Rosalyn Baker and Gilbert Keith-Agaran from Maui. Others may join the sessions as their schedules allow.
The Town Hall sessions are all open to the public at no charge at the following locations:
Monday, July 11 – Hawai‘i Island, Hilo High School, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 12 – Maui, Baldwin High School, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, July 13 – Kaua`i, Kapa`a High School, 5:00-7:00 p.m.
Gov. David Ige announced the names of the newly selected members of the Governor’s Team on ESSA – Every Student Succeeds Act. The team will work to develop a blue print for Hawai‘i’s public schools that is consistent with ESSA and will maximize opportunities and possibilities for Hawai‘i to transform education.
The team was selected by Gov. Ige based on recommendations and applications, including one recommendation each from Senate President Ronald Kouchi and House Speaker Joe Souki.
“Our goal was to get a good cross-section of stakeholders with diverse backgrounds and experiences. The work of the ESSA team will be an inclusive process that will involve town meetings and a summit to allow all to participate,” said Gov. Ige.
Gov. Ige appointed Darrel Galera as chairman of the ESSA team earlier this month.
Here is a complete list of members:
Philip Bossert – Community member, Director of Strategic & International Program, HAIS
Catherine Caine – Elementary School Teacher, Waikīkī Elementary
Kamana‘opono Crabbe – CEO – Office of Hawaiian Affairs
Darrel Galera – Chariperson, Executive Director, Education Institute of Hawai‘i
Keith Hayashi – Principal, Waipahu High School
Michelle Kidani – State Senator, Chair of Senate Education Committee
Brennan Lee – Student, State Student council
Ann Mahi – DOE – Complex Area Superintendent Waianae/Nanakuli
Hubert Minn – Member, Board of Education
Lauren Moriguchi – Executive Director, Office of Early Learning
Steve Nakasato – Principal, Pearl Ridge Elementary School
Alan Oshima – President, CEO Hawaiian Electric Co.
Catherine Payne – Chairperson, Charter Schools Commission
Amy Perruso – Teacher, Mililani High School
Stacey Roberts – UH Professor, Chair of Educational Administration Program
Carol Shikada – DOE – Educational Specialist (Kaua‘i)
Linda Takayama – Workforce – Director of Labor & Industrial Relations
Stephen Terstegge – Parent/Military, Castle High School
Takashi Ohno – State Representative
The team had its first preliminary, introductory meeting today. Meeting minutes will be regularly distributed to the Legislature, Schools Superintendent, Board of Education, Department of Education and will be posted on the governor’s website at: governor.hawaii.gov.
The ESSA team will ultimately be responsible for assessing the current public school system and identifying areas of need.
An Education Summit will be scheduled this summer to give organizations and individuals the opportunity to discuss possibilities for a future-focused education system and solicit input on key recommendations to the state’s ESSA plan.
We believe in the unique strengths and potential of each and every child in our public schools. To fulfill our commitment to each student, Hawaiʻi’s public schools will achieve equity and excellence, so that all students can successfully discover and embark upon their chosen path in life. State offices, Complex Areas, and schools—DOE and charters—will apply their resources to ensure that all students have equal opportunity for a high-quality education. This education, integrated with our uniquely Hawaiian values and sense of place, will equip students for local and global leadership and the ambitious community, career, and college goals of their choice. Our students have high hopes for their future and by working together, all of us—including families, communities, state leaders, businesses, and partner organizations—can support the future of Hawaiʻi’s keiki and our island home.
It was an excellent time to initiate a review of the plan. A new federal law with broad bipartisan support, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), was signed into law by President Obama in December 2015. The DOE had completed the rigorous requirements for the Race to the Top grant in 2014. In 2015, the BOE had passed a new Ends Policy, Nā Hopena A‘o, a Department-wide framework to develop the skills, behaviors and dispositions that are reminiscent of Hawaiʻi’s unique context, and to honor the qualities and values of the indigenous language and culture of Hawaiʻi.
