HCDB
Section
Section
Section
for the
Deaf and Blind
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| Hawaii Center for the Deaf and Blind | | |||||
| Administrator's Message |
| March 2009 |
It’s hard to believe that we’re ending the third quarter and the 2008-2009 school year is almost over. While we only have one quarter left, you can be sure that it will be the busiest time of the year! When the students return from Spring Break, here are a few activities that will be taking place: Hawaii State Assessment (April 14-16); Authors’ Party (April 17); Spirit Week, Senior Luncheon and Prom in May; and Graduation in June. Three seniors will be graduating on June 4, 2009. One senior will be attending Gallaudet University, one will be joining the work force, and the third will be relocating to Arizona with her family. For your information, HCDB currently has 70 students from preschool to 12th grade. Twenty-one of our students reside in the dormitory from the neighbor islands. All students receive their instruction in ASL because HCDB is an ASL immersion campus. Most students with special needs struggle with standardized testing. Of the students with disabilities statewide, 16% score at a proficient level or higher for reading, and 8.5% for math on the Hawaii State Assessment. Reading is an area of non-proficiency for our students, since English is not their first language. However, HCDB students exceeded the state average in math, with 11% scoring proficient! On alternate measures for reading, such as the Stanford Diagnostic Reading Test (SDRT) and the Accelerated Reader (AR) STAR test, our students have had an average increase of 19% on the SDRT and have gained an average of 2.3 grade levels on the STAR reading test. HCDB students are being instructed by some of the brightest and well-educated staff in the entire State of Hawaii. Of the twenty-one (21) teachers, 86% have advanced degrees – meaning a Masters Degree or higher. The highest percent in any other Complex across the state is 36%. In addition, 100% of our teachers meet the Hawaii special education teacher qualifications. It takes a village to raise a child and the classroom teachers and students are supported by a team of professionals who, in addition to their support, are familiar with deaf culture and ASL. They include educational assistants, a literacy specialist, transition teachers, counselors, a librarian, a technology coordinator, PCNC, cafeteria, custodial and dorm staff that are all talented and can communicate with the students directly in ASL. HCDB is very proud of the quality education we are providing for our students. A team of four of our students recently competed against fifteen other schools and programs for the deaf at the Gallaudet Western Regional Academic Bowl Tournament. We won two of our seven games in our bracket, a record for HCDB! Please know that at HCDB we continue to provide the best education for deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Our standards are rigorous and our expectations are high. |