Hawaii’s rank falls Hawaii's public schools received a below-average grade in preparing students for higher education. The grade dropped to a C- from a C two years ago, according to a national education group's report card.
for college preparation
By Leila Fujimori
lfujimori@starbulletin.comHawaii showed no improvement in the very low proportion of eighth-graders who score well on national math and science tests in 2002 compared with 2000, said the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization.
The National Center's "Measuring Up 2002" ranked Hawaii 22nd among the 50 states. It judged states on lower education for preparation and public and private higher education in five key areas of performance: preparation, participation, affordability, completion and benefits. No state got straight A's.
The report showed 15 percent of Hawaii's eighth-graders scored at or above proficient on the national assessment exam in science, while the top states' students were at 42 percent.
"It's terrible," said Justin Mew, state Department of Education science education specialist. "A good part of the reason is that students are not taking eighth-grade science."
Mew said a 1996 survey showed that while 30 percent of Hawaii's students were taking eighth-grade science, the national average was well over 90 percent.
Student achievement among Hawaii eighth-graders in math was at 16 percent compared with 34 percent nationally.
Kathleen Nishimura, Department of Education math education specialist, said Hawaii students' test scores may be low but have been improving steadily since 1990, based on the National Assessment of Educational Progress test scores, which she said are the only valid data available.
Revisions of standards in 1999 have raised the bar, setting challenging and rigorous standards in math and other areas, she said.
Hawaii also got a lower grade, a D, compared with a C-, for affordability of higher education.
In the category of benefits, Hawaii went up a notch to a B- from a C+ due to an increase in the percentage of Hawaii residents holding a bachelor's degree, to 29 percent from 26 percent in 2000. This compares with 35 percent of residents in top states.
Hawaii maintained a C grade in completion with a fairly large proportion of undergraduate students earning certificates and degrees in relation to the number enrolled, 16 per 100 students, in comparison to high-performing states with 21.
Also, 37 percent of first-time, full-time students complete a bachelor's degree within five years of high school compared with 66 percent of top states.
Hawaii also kept a B- grade in participation, with a high level of young adults enrolled in college-level education.
State Department of Education
