Begin forwarded message:
From: "Supt. Christina M. Kishimoto" <reply@hawaiidoe.org>
Date: February 25, 2019 at 4:31:46 PM HST
To: <20048903@notes.k12.hi.us>
Subject: Kick Off Your Week: 3rd graders (and educators) are rocking the state
Reply-To: reply@hawaiidoe.org
3rd graders (and educators) are rocking the state
We are rapidly approaching one of my favorite activities of the year — Read Across America Day on Friday, March 1. I love that it celebrates reading with in-classroom events, decorations and dress-ups and, in particular, that it honors Dr. Seuss books because of the whimsy and delight his stories and artwork inspire. So many of us became reading lovers because of him!
I look forward to reading to a few classes this week. However, in an effort to reach all students, here's a recording of me reading one of my favorite books, "Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood." Feel free to watch this with your students, click here.
When it comes to language arts and literacy, there's a lot to celebrate in Hawaii. We've made 3rd grade literacy a focus because it's predictive of readiness for more complex work in the upper grades, and it spotlights where we need to bolster early childhood educational supports. Literacy also holds the key to understanding all subjects. As such, it's an indicator in our Strategic Plan and will continue to be a data set to track into the future.
The statewide data show that our 3rd graders are on a positive trajectory when it comes to literacy:
- Hawaii saw a 7-point increase, year over year, in the percentage of 3rd graders reading near, at or above grade-level on the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA). At 73%, I have great confidence we'll exceed our statewide target of 76% by 2020.
- Our 3rd graders who are meeting and exceeding the achievement standard for English Language Arts on the SBA has jumped 7 points from our first SBA assessment three years ago to 53%. They're helping to drive across-the-grades increases in language arts achievement. (Incidentally, our 3rd graders are also up 5 points in mathematics over that time.)
Again, these results reflect our students' greater knowledge and capability with more challenging learning standards under Common Core. From a skills standpoint, our students are more prepared for upper grades and post-secondary.
But I must note, the achievement here is rooted in the increased collaboration among our teachers and a commitment by schools and Complex Areas to implement innovative ways to engage our students and provide teacher collaboration time. There are bright spots across the HIDOE that reflect this. Take Keaukaha Elementary in Hilo. Their drive to spark a love of reading, starting in the 2016-17 school year, included daily SURF (silent uninterrupted reading for fun) and grew to include a lip-sync battle and a student project showcase of their favorite books. In three years, 3rd graders at Keaukaha went from 17% meeting/exceeding the SBA language arts achievement standard to 43% last year. That kind of growth doesn't happen because of running testing drills. It happens when kids love learning and they can demonstrate what they've learned.
Achievement comes from love of learning. The more we cultivate this, the more children will rise.
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