HIDOE’s Strive HI Gains Three-Year Federal Approval

Strive HI, the Hawai’i State Department of Education’s accountability and improvement system, was given an additional three years of continued flexibility from provisions of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, known also as No Child Left Behind.

In the past, the HIDOE has received approval twice, following a provisional year, in yearly increments. This is the first time that the state’s Strive HI system has received the approval for a full term and without additional conditions.

“This announcement truly honors the progress and hard work of Hawai’i’s school leaders and educators,” said Kathryn Matayoshi, superintendent of the HIDOE. “This continuation of our ESEA Flexibility Waiver allows us to stay the course with the Strive HI system.”

The Strive HI System, a culmination of work by Hawai’i educators, parents, community groups, and higher education professionals was first approved in 2013. The system replaces outdated and ineffective aspects out of NCLB and supplements benchmarks that are aligned with the Board of Education and DOE State Strategic Plan.

A variety of improvements were made to the plan over the past year using teacher and principal feedback, including the following:

• Adding measures to the Strive HI index to reflect school success more accurately.
• Improving the classification process so schools are classified by level (elementary, middle, high).
• Clarifying the Strive HI Index by replacing complicated measures with more simplified, but equally rigorous, options.

“The adjustments to Strive HI reflect multiple factors that improve our alignment to our Strategic Plan and goals for our student and school achievement,” Superintendent Matayoshi said.

As a diagnostic tool to understand a school’s performance and progress, the Strive HI Index, under the Strive HI Performance System, acts as a diagnostic tool that provides an understanding of a school’s performance and progress. In addition, it assists in the ability to differentiate schools based on their individual needs for reward, support and intervention.