Words of Wisdom

“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”
- W. B. Yeats

Hawaii State Assessment SUMO POST

Since the Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) has been mandated in the early 2000’s, Hawaii’s students have steadily improved. Take my Alma Mater, Hilo High School, and compare the score from 2004 to 2007. The Standard ranking increased from 4.1 to 36.0. The Grade 10 score for Reading Meet or Exceed increased from 41.9 to 57.0. The Grade 10 score for Math Meet or Exceed increased from 19.0 to 24.0. (Hilo) These numbers may seem encouraging, but they are still below meeting standards. In addition, HSA testing incites fear, disgust and apathy among both students and teachers. The majority of 10^th graders who are subjected to the exam do not care about the result despite the repercussions of failure and encouragement from the teachers. That placed an unnecessary burden upon the top few students who worked harder to help the school pass the test. Instead of imposing needless, unwanted tests upon students, I propose the money should be reallocated to serve a better purpose such as funding scholarships and supporting families with the high costs of education.

Hawaii State Assessment Rankings

Here's an interesting ranking site for Hawaii's public high schools.

http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeRsphp/STATE_HI_level_High_CountyID_10.html

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