Pupils of Ni'ihau ace language skills
By Jan TenBruggencate
Advertiser Kaua'i Bureau
KEKAHA, Kaua'i — Ni'ihau children attending a charter school in Kekaha performed well in a new test of their Hawaiian language comprehension and writing skills.
The results are not comparable with tests for other schools because the test was the first of its kind, but it indicates that the Hawaiian language teaching techniques are working, said Namaka Rawlins, director of the Hawaiian language education program 'Aha Punana Leo.
The test of early learning achievement, given to students in kindergarten through grade five, was developed for the Ke Kula Ni'ihau O Kekaha charter school through a federal grant to 'Aha Punana Leo.
It was developed by Pacific Resources for Education and Learning (PREL), which has developed similar tests for Micronesian schools. Staff members at the school helped in the preparation of the testing materials.
"I think it's safe to say that the kids performed very well on the kinds of skills that it tests," said Ormond Hammond, PREL scholar for planning.
Ke Kula Ni'ihau's students are the children of Native Hawaiian speakers from the island of Ni'ihau. Their classes are taught in Hawaiian, and they begin learning English as a second language in the fifth grade. Some of the students add French at the high school level.
The school has about 30 students, and between 10 to 15 children took the test. An exact number was not available. Students were tested on word recognition, their ability to identify letters associated with certain sounds, their ability to comprehend stories and to fill in missing parts, and other skills.
"They're already talking about the next version, and if the kids are doing so well, developing a harder one," he said.
Rawlins said the test indicates that the phonetics approach to learning to read in Hawaiian works.
"It was a first look at something concrete that we're measuring ... It makes you rest assured that we're moving in a positive direction," Rawlins said.
The test is viewed by the school and 'Aha Punana Leo as a tool that will ultimately measure progress in a range of areas, said Ilei Beniamina, the assessment coordinator for the project.
"It is right along with the state (Department of Education's) content and performance standards," Beniamina said. "Ke Kula Ni'ihau O Kekaha is showing that an educated Hawaiian can speak Hawaiian as a first language, English and foreign languages as second languages, and perform at a high academic level," Beniamina said.
Reach Jan TenBruggencate at jant@honoluluadvertiser.com or (808) 245-3074.
