Bill Text: HI SCR106 | 2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Public High Schools; College Readiness

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 11-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-03-17 - (S) The committee on EDH deferred the measure. [SCR106 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2010-SCR106-Introduced.html

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THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	106
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING ALL HAWAII PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOLS TO MAKE DATA-DRIVEN AND SYSTEMATIC IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR SCHOOL PROGRAMS, CULTURE, AND STRUCTURE TO IMPROVE COLLEGE READINESS FOR ALL STUDENTS.

 

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii's citizens and community leaders place a high priority on quality K-12 education, and the Board of Education and Superintendent of Education advance this commitment toward excellence by fostering student achievement, school improvement, and community involvement in education based on high expectations and challenging standards; and

 

     WHEREAS, through funding by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Educational Policy Improvement Center (EPIC) has developed a college readiness model composed of the following four dimensions:

 

     (1)  Key Cognitive Strategies describe the ways of thinking that are necessary for college-level work, including but not limited to problem-solving, inquisitiveness, precision/accuracy, interpretation, reasoning, research, and intellectual openness;

 

     (2)  Key Content Knowledge refers to the need for students to master writing skills, algebraic concepts, key foundational content, and "big ideas" from core subjects in order to be college ready;

 

     (3)  Academic Behaviors consist largely of study skills and self-monitoring, including but not limited to time management, awareness of one's current level of mastery, and selection of learning strategies; and

 

     (4)  Contextual Skills and Awareness, or "college knowledge," refers to the understanding of college admissions processes, college culture, tuition and financial aid, and college-level academic expectations; and

 

     WHEREAS, EPIC selected and visited thirty-eight high schools from throughout the United States representing a diverse cross-section of schools from nearly two hundred schools nominated by organizations such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Coalition of Essential Schools, Diploma Plus, The Education Trust-West, EdVisions Schools, High Schools that Work, Jobs for the Future, Volunteers of America, and Advancement Via Individual Determination, that had consistently graduated college-ready students from underrepresented groups; and

 

     WHEREAS, the EPIC study of the thirty-eight high schools identified key themes related to how participating schools foster college readiness including:

 

     (1)  Creating and maintaining a college-going culture in the school;

 

     (2)  Emphasizing key cognitive strategies such as reasoning, problem solving, and research;

 

     (3)  Holding high expectations for all students, then providing differing degrees of support based on student need;

 

     (4)  Creating a core academic program that is aligned with and leads to college readiness by the end of the twelfth grade;

 

     (5)  Making the senior year meaningful and challenging, keeping all students fully engaged;

 

     (6)  Reducing course selection choice in favor of college-focused offerings, particularly for first-generation college attenders;

 

     (7)  Creating assignments and grading policies that more closely approximate college expectations each successive year of high school;

 

     (8)  Promoting key self-management skills and providing students feedback on the development of these skills;

 

     (9)  Preparing students for the complexity of applying to college and the academic and social differences between high school and college; and

 

    (10)  Building partnerships with and connections to postsecondary programs and institutions; and

 

     WHEREAS, several Hawaii public high schools have received federal Smaller Learning Communities Program grants and are working on creating college readiness opportunities for all students at their schools; and

 

     WHEREAS, all public high schools can participate in Running Start, a P-20 initiative at the University of Hawaii that encourages high school students to enroll in college courses while they are still in high school; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Advancement Via Individual Determination program is available to middle schools and high schools to encourage the "average" student to continue to college; and

 

     WHEREAS, public high schools can choose to participate in training and site visits offered by High Schools that Work for a nominal fee; and

 

     WHEREAS, each high school's school community council reviews, gives input to, and recommends approval of high school academic financial plans; and

 

     WHEREAS, each high school has developed a network of community support including businesses, parents, the military, and other community organizations; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the House of Representatives concurring, that all public high schools and their school community councils are requested to review EPIC's college readiness model and the key themes described above that are followed by the thirty-eight model high schools to foster college readiness in their students; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all public high schools and their school community councils are requested to assess the extent to which their high school's program, culture, and structure are in line with those identified by EPIC's college readiness model, and discuss and decide what improvements need to be made at their high school to make their high school more college ready for all students; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all public high schools and their school community councils are requested to include the improvements that they identify to better prepare their students for college, in the academic and financial plan for their respective schools for the 2011-2012 school year; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education is requested to report to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2011, the extent to which high schools and their school community councils have:

 

     (1)  Reviewed EPIC's college readiness model and the key themes followed by the thirty-eight model high schools;

 

     (2)  Evaluated their high school's college readiness; and

 

     (3)  Are including appropriate changes in the school's academic and financial plan; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, the Chairperson of the Board of Education, all public high school principals, and all chairpersons of school community councils for public high schools in Hawaii.

 

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title: 

Public High Schools; College Readiness