The state Department of Education expects to have the first round of trend reports ready for the state Board of Education in November and for lawmakers before the new session in January. Parents and others will be able to look at the reports on the department's Web site or ask for paper copies. "I think it's a great idea any time we can get more precise data on our schools," said Nancy Cullen of Kailua, Windward region director of the Hawai'i State Parent Teacher Student Association. "Parents have a lot of questions."

Much of the information is already available at the DOE, but, for the first time, it will be compiled in a concise format where school performance can be measured over several school years.

The school-level reports will contain a demographic portrait of students, a breakdown of teacher experience, an analysis of test scores, and data on attendance, student safety and facilities. The reports will also track civic responsibility, such as how many students volunteer or participate in Kids Voting Hawai'i, and financial accountability.

The complex-level reports will show how schools perform within each of the state's 42 school complexes, making it easier for parents to rate the elementary, middle and high schools in their neighborhoods. The state-level report will have a summary of schools statewide, along with additional national and state test score data, giving lawmakers a more complete picture of how schools are doing.

"We believe there is a need to have accountability," said state Rep. Roy Takumi, D-36th (Pearl City, Palisades), one of the main authors of the reform law. "It has to be transparent."

After schools adopt a new student spending formula in the 2006-07 school year, basing spending on student need, Takumi hopes that parents will also be able to see exactly how much money each school gets for each type of student.

State Sen. Bob Hogue, R-24th (Kailua, Kane'ohe), said it has been difficult at times to get comprehensive information from the DOE because that data is often scattered in various locations. "I think this is a step in the right direction," he said.

The new reports come as many educators are growing weary of an emphasis on standardized tests to judge schools. The DOE is required by federal law to publicly release school-by-school scores on the state's proficiency tests. The department also releases school scores on the national Stanford Achievement Test, which shows how Hawai'i students compare against national averages.

Some educators believe a preoccupation with test scores, at schools and among lawmakers and the news media, overshadows the daily challenges of reaching students in poverty or with learning difficulties. Others believe that the state's proficiency tests, which the DOE uses to determine whether schools meet the federal No Child Left Behind law, have put pressure on the DOE to confront years of poor performance.

The trend reports will give more context on schools, but academic achievement will continue to be defined by test scores.

Takumi is cautious. "We have to question the legitimacy of focusing solely on test scores as the basis for student achievement," he said after test results were released earlier this month. "We've just become obsessed."

State schools superintendent Pat Hamamoto said the department's priority is student achievement, so test scores are important indicators that cannot be ignored. But she said other measures, such as school safety and civic responsibility, are also insightful. "We want parents to know that their schools, that public education, is looking out for the welfare of the whole child," Hamamoto said.