Posted on: Friday, April 18, 2003
BOE must weigh compliance with federal mandate
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
'AIEA — The Board of Education will have to make the difficult decision of whether to comply with the federal No Child Left Behind Act and find millions in additional financing, or refuse to take part in the mandate and risk losing millions in federal aid.
Those were the options presented to the board at its regular meeting yesterday at 'Aiea Intermediate School. The board heard from state Rep. K. Mark Takai, D-34th (Pearl City, Newtown, Royal Summit), who introduced a nonbinding resolution in the Legislature opposing the act, and David Shreve, senior committee director of the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Shreve said Hawai'i isn't the only state that is facing the dilemma of how to pay for the standardized tests and requirements of the law. The act requires testing for grades 3 through 8 and placing of highly qualified teachers in the classrooms.
Schools that fail to meet the goals of the law must offer students tutoring and the opportunity to transfer to a higher-achieving school. After six years, schools that continue to perform below standards can be shut down and re-opened with new staffs.
No Child Left Behind requires all public schools to show progress in reading and math every year. Also, every demographic and racial subgroup at each school must show progress in both subjects or the entire school will fail to meet the federal requirements.
But critics say that the program has been woefully underfinanced by Congress and will cost states millions. Hawai'i is expected to receive $72 million over the next two years to implement the law, but the Department of Education estimates it will cost an additional $176 million.
Shreve told the board that many states — including Nebraska, Louisiana and New Hampshire — are leaning toward not complying unless more money is appropriated. By refusing to participate, however, these states could lose all financing for the federal Title I program for low-income students, he said.
Shreve said the intent of the law is good, but he said the law is flawed and unenforceable. He added that some states have already lowered tests standards in order to meet the requirements of the law.
"You're being punished if you set your standards high and given a break if you set your standards low," Shreve said.
In Hawai'i, the results of the new Hawai'i State Assessment test revealed that nearly all schools will have to improve test scores or face sanctions. Test-makers have said the test is more difficult than previous standardized exams.
