Gmail Totestimony …boe.hawaii.gov/Meetings/Notices/Meeting Material Library...Gmail 04/28/2017 07:55 PM [email protected]

Gmail <[email protected]>

04/28/2017 07:55 PM

To [email protected] cc

Subject Testimony to the BOE to approve the final draft of k-12 Hawaiian Lang Arts Standards.

testimony to the BOE to approve the final draft of k-12 Hawaiian Lang Arts Standards.

Aloha ahiahi kākou,

I cannot explain how very important it is that they are approved. Standards for papa 5-6 have just been released and they are (for lack of words) NANI, and support what our Kaiapuni kumu believe is how we need to strengthen our haumana in terms of speaking, analyzing, sharing out, and becoming true leaders of our lahui. They include standards of mele, hoʻolauna, haʻiʻōlelo,native perspective, and more. And they must be approved now. Mahalo for doing this for all of our future hanauna!

Me ke aloha, Marlena Farm PhD

********************************************************************************This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/********************************************************************************

Ahulani Wright <[email protected]>

04/28/2017 09:58 PM


Subject BOE Testimony

Aloha mai kākou e ka papa alakaʻi o ka hoʻonaʻauao,ʻO wau ʻo Ahulani Wright. He kumu a he makua au o ke Kula Kaiapuni o Hauʻula, a he makua au o Ke Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ʻo Kahuku Academy. I am writing this testimony to be submitted and read at the May 2, 2017 General Business Meeting in regards to the K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards.I am writing in full SUPPORT of approving and accepting the proposed Hawaiian Language Arts standards. These standards are critical to the continued effort to aligncurriculum, instruction and assessments to a Hawaiian language foundation as well as to thecontinued effort to strengthen what we do as an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi K-12 educational pathway. As aparent, I trust those who have been integral in creating these standards, and I am so proud tohave these standards to provide and guarantee my child a well-rounded education. Not only arethey written to provide content, rigor, and professional opportunities, but more so they ensurethat my children will be taught to be capable, meaningful, and resourceful leaders grounded intheir knowledge, respect, and love for ancestral knowledge. As a kumu in this Kaiapunieducational pathway, these standards provide a guideline and a direction to which I can plan andcreate curriculum, and provide a meaningful school and life experience for my students. I fullysupport these Hawaiian Language Arts Standards and truly believe that in teaching them, mystudents as well as my school and community will become better people, grounded in theirculture, and connected to this beautiful place we call home.Mahalo piha,Ahulani [email protected](808) 222-7516********************************************************************************This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the HawaiiDept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. Youwill not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additionalprotection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/********************************************************************************

Rk N <[email protected]>

04/29/2017 10:17 AM


Subject K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards

Aloha Board of Education members,Thank you for your attention to the above-mentioned agenda item for your May 2nd meeting. I have read the document, Hawaiian Language Arts Kaiapuni Standards Informational Document (attached), and I support its aims to a large extent, as Hawaiian language learners must be supported. But there are issues regarding protections for the language of the Niihau community and their variety of Hawaiian, and this document does not address how the language of the Niihau community should be protected against incursion and alteration from the 2nd-language speaking community across Hawaii.It has been written about by scholars, such as Laiana Wong (1999), No‘eau Warner (1996), and Keao NeSmith (2012) that there are fundamental differences between the way native speakers and 2nd-language speakers use Hawaiian due to the fact the 2nd-language speakers are 2nd-language speakers and not familiar with the Hawaiian language to the same extent that native speakers are.Whereas native speakers were raised with Hawaiian by other native speakers in an unbroken chain of intergenerational language transmission, 2nd-language speakers learn the language from other 2nd-language speakers in classrooms. Research, such as that published by the authors shown above, shows that 2nd-language speakers learn the language imperfectly and that since they have virtually no contact with native speakers due to the depletion of native speakers in Hawai‘i's society today, they now consist a community of speakers who demonstrate linguistic characteristics unique to themselves that are very different from those of native speakers.The Hawaiian immersion school system embodies the 2nd-language speaker variety of Hawaiian today. Pila Wilson and Kauanoe Kamanā (2001) wrote about how the Hawaiian immersion school system was started and Larry Kimura et al (2003) in the preface of their book, Māmaka Kaiao , explain how the Hawaiian immersion system encourages altering or adding to the language based on the inventions of 2nd-language speakers. This is alarming to the Niihau community who are native speakers and do not subscribe this notion.What protections are afforded the Niihau community and their language by the Office of Hawaiian Education and Ka Papahana Kaiapuni? There is no mention in its Informational Document about the Niihau community and how their variety of Hawaiian should be protected as its own distinct variety of Hawaiian. Is there an option to opt out on the part of any Hawaiian immersion school? A reason for this could be, for example, Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Kawaikini on Kaua‘i, that they may choose to put a concerted effort into adopting the native-speaker variety of Hawaiian at a certain stage. This would represent a turn away from the 2nd-language speaker variety of Hawaiian and the K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards and towards a native-speaker standard, which would be different. This would then represent a conflict with regards to the Standards proposed by the Office of Hawaiian Education.

I propose that standards specifically geared towards the Niihau community be created in addition to what the Board of Hawaiian Education is proposing here, and that whatever Hawaiian immersion school that wishes, be allowed to switch to that standard if they so choose.There must be clarity and transparency provided in K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards that distinguishes between the native-speaker variety and 2nd-language speaker variety of Hawaiian. There must be clarification in the Standards explaining the purpose of the Standards and whom the Standards are intended to affect. Protections for the Niihau variety of Hawaiian must be clarified and the Niihau Language Commission (Ka Leo o na Kupa) of the County of Kauai and Niihau must be consulted for their input before the BOE makes a final determination.For information about Ka Leo o na Kupa, please see: http://www.kauai.gov/Portals/0/OED/ProclamationforNiihauLanguage.pdf?ver=2016-04-26-154 727-693.Without these questions addressed, I cannot support the K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards as proposed, and I will encourage the people of Kauai and Niihau to do the same. I hope the BOE will do the right thing and acknowledge the fact that two varieties of Hawaiian exist and that each should be supported differently.Please review the podcast produced by PRI, Meet the last native speakers of Hawaiian (July 28, 2016), which covers the issue of the difference between the Hawaiian of 2nd-language speakers and native speakers and how important this is to consider: https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-07-28/last-native-speakers-hawaiianMahalo nui,Keao NeSmith, PhDReferences:NeSmith, R. K. (2012). The teaching and learning of Hawaiian in mainstream contexts: Time for change? Unpublished PhD thesis, University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand.Warner, S. L. (1996). I ola ka ‘ōlelo i nā keiki: Ka ‘apo ‘ia ‘ana o ka ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i e nā keiki ma ke kula kaiapuni. Unpublished PhD dissertation, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, Hawai‘i.Wong, K. L. (1999). Authenticity and the revitalization of Hawaiian. Anthropology and Education Quarterly, 30 (1), 94-115.

****************************************************************************** **This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/ ****************************************************************************** **

Pauline Chinn <[email protected]>

04/29/2017 06:06 PM


Subject Testimony

I would like to register my support for K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards on May 2, 2017. As a science educator, my work to bring the science in Hawaiian language newspapers to science education and science research is only possible if students have strong Hawaiian language skills and abilities. These standards help to align curriculum, instruction and assessments to a Hawaiian language foundation and support efforts to strengthen the ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi K-12 educational pathway.Mahalo, Pauline-- Pauline W. U. ChinnProfessor, Curriculum StudiesUniversity of Hawaii at Manoa1776 University AvenueHonolulu, Hawaii 96822Ph. 808 956-4411Fax 808 956-9905

Kulia I Ka Nu'u manoa.hawaii.edu/coe/kulia/Kahua A'o manoa.hawaii.edu/kahuaao

"Why Science Education for Diversity?" http://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/9T4e3vTbYq5IQCZfqy9A/full

********************************************************************************This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/ ********************************************************************************

Pohai Montague-Mullins <[email protected]>

04/29/2017 09:49 PM


Subject K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards

I, Caroline Rae Pohainani Montague-Mullins, teacher at Ke Kula ʻONawahiokalaniʻopuʻu support the approval of the final draft of the K-12 HawaiianLanguage Arts Standards.


Cheryl B <[email protected]>

04/30/2017 08:38 AM


Subject May 2, 2017 General Testimony

This is my testimony to the BOE for May 2, 2017 Regarding the following:1. Superintendent choice2. Hawaiian Standards3. HSTA contractKeeping it short.#1 Please go back to the list of 8 candidates and review! I am appalled that the committee would present the two people as the best candidates based on the criteria and thought that people sent in. It is my hope that these candidatesʻ choice was not influenced by outsiders or the foundation that paid for the research. These two candidates read like a future of corporate-based, charter (of the mainland type) voucher endorsing, etc. It is not what is right for Hawaiʻi . We are unique and in the time it would take them to learn all they need to know about our islands it would be past their time of efficacy to what we need. PLEASE go back and look again.#2 The Hawaiian Ed. department has worked extremely hard on the standards. Please continue to support Kaui and everyone in their endeavors! We are Hawaiʻi and as Ms. Mulcahy says, " when we walk into a school in Hawaiʻi, it should look like Hawaiʻi" . We have a great path now with Nā Hopena Ao and these standards. PLEASE keep it going. (see #1, we need a Supt. who already understands this)#3 Though the contract still lacks in many areas, it is a start to a positive outlook for all of us. It was not an easy road but the fact that an agreement could be reached is a good thing. Now we have to continue by really working on those areas like the HR departmentʻs lists that keep qualified people from ever being seen by principals (my initial experience), provide environments of safety for kids and teachers for their health and welfare and continue the path towards our unique Hawaiʻi. Mahalo for your time. I regret I will not be there for the meeting.C.BurghardtRetired educator********************************************************************************This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You

will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/ ********************************************************************************

1Mei2017KaPapaHoʻonaʻauaoOKaMokuʻāinaʻOHawaiʻiP.O.Box2360Honolulu,Hawaiʻi96804NO:KākoʻoikaʻāponoʻiaonāanahoʻohālikelikemākauʻōleloHawaiʻi(TestimonyinsupportfortheHawaiianLanguageArtsKaiapuniStandards)

EKaPapaHoʻonaʻauaoē,Alohaʻoukou:Hemeahanohanonokokākouaupuni,kokākoumaukula,kokākoumaupoʻenōhoʻiokaʻāinakaʻikeʻiaʻoHawaiʻineikahimualoaoʻAmelikaiʻikeʻiaaikahoʻokōmaoliʻiaoka“ʻeluaʻōlelokūhelu,ʻeluaalahoʻonaʻauao”makokākouʻōnaehanahoʻonaʻauaomokuʻāina.Makēiawā,makaʻāponoʻanaheʻōpaʻaanahoʻohālikelikemākauʻōleloHawaiʻiekūkaʻawaleananonākulaʻōleloHawaiʻi,maiahanaehōʻeahouaʻeaikākouikaʻanuʻuhouoiahanohano.Nolaila,makaʻaoʻaooKaHakaʻUlaOKeʻelikōlani,kekolekeihoʻokumuʻiaekaʻAhaʻōleloOHawaiʻineiikolekekaiaʻōleloHawaiʻi,kehoʻomaikaʻineiauikaʻOihanaHoʻonaʻauaonokānahanamakahoʻopukaʻanaiiamauanakuhimākauʻōleloHawaiʻi.KehōʻoiapūakuneiauʻoKaHakaʻUlaOKeʻelikōlanikekahiikomomaiahana,akekomopūneimakēiaʻanuʻuhoumakekākoʻopihaʻanaikaʻāponoʻiaeʻoukou,eKaPapaHoʻonaʻauao.Mekamahaloikahananuiialulikeʻia,KeikiK.C.Kawaiʻaeʻa,Ph.DLunaHoʻokeleKaHakaʻUlaOKeʻelikōlaniKolekeʻŌleloHawaiʻi

KULANUI O HAWAIʻI MA HILO

Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani

College of Hawaiian Language

http://www.olelo.hawaii.edu/khuok/

MOKUNA PAPAHANA KĀLAIʻIKE Academic Studies Division

Muapuka

Undergraduate Programs

Mulipuka Graduate Programs

Kula Mauli Ola

Laboratory Schools

Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program

MOKUNA

HALE KUAMOʻO Hawaiian Language Center

Hoʻoikaika Kumu

Hawaiian Medium Teacher Development

Hoʻomohala Haʻawina Lawelawe Pāpaho & Kelekaʻaʻike

Curriculum Development, Media and Telecommunication Services

KEʻENA HOʻOKELE KOLEKE

Administrative Office

200 W. KĀWILI STREET HILO, HAWAIʻI 96720-4091

KELEPONA (Phone): (808) 932-7360 KELEPAʻI (Fax): (808) 932-7651

KE KULA ʻO NĀWAHĪOKALANIʻŌPUʻU

Hawaiian Medium Laboratory School

16-120 ʻŌPŪKAHAʻIA ST, SUITE 1 KEAʻAU, HAWAIʻI 96749

KELEPONA (Phone): (808) 982-4260 KELEPAʻI (Fax): (808) 966-7821

He Mea Hai Ma Ka Papaha Kaulike Me Ke Pai Laemāuna

An Equal Opportunity/

Affirmative Action Institution

�

ʻAha Kauleo Statewide Consortium of Hawaiian Language Schools

May 1, 2017

Dear Board of Education members,

The ʻAha Kauleo would like to express their strong endorsement for the K-12 Kaiapuni

Standards in Hawaiian Language Arts. We believe that these are challenging and appropriate

academic standards for our Hawaiian immersion students that will lead to our students being

college, career and community ready.

The ʻAha Kauleo is a statewide consortium of 23 Hawaiian language schools, including 17

Hawaiian language immersion schools under the HIDOE and 6 charter schools. This statewide

body includes a range of stakeholders from every Hawaiian immersion/medium school across the

state, including: administrators, teachers, parents, and community members. In addition, the

following community organizations and higher education institutions are represented on this

consortium: ʻAha Pūnana Leo; Brigham Young University, Hawaiʻi; Hale Kuamoʻo; Hawaiʻi

Department of Education; Kamehameha Schools; Office of Hawaiian Affairs; University of

Hawaiʻi at Hilo; University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa; University of Hawaiʻi Maui College.

The development of these standards has included stakeholders from our community throughout

the process. Teachers from all the Hawaiian language immersion schools and charter schools

were invited to develop the standards to ensure that they specified and reflected what our

students are expected to know and be able to do by the time they graduate from high school to

succeed in college and the workforce. Participation by kaiapuni teachers also ensured that these

Hawaiian Language Arts standards are appropriate, based in the knowledge of a kaiapuni

student, and incorporate a Hawaiian worldview. This development process happened over the

course of many meetings where revisions were made, stakeholder feedback collected, and

alignment across grades was confirmed.

While our kaiapuni teachers laid the foundation for these standards, other stakeholders in our

kaiapuni community were asked to provide feedback as well, including Hawaiian language and

studies and other content experts from our institutions of higher education, Hawaiian language

and cultural practitioners, as well as staff from our Hawaiian-serving institutions such as

Kamehameha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Providing opportunities for this level

of expertise in the development of these standards ensured that the standards were rigorous and

included the teaching of cognitively complex skills. In addition, including this wide spectrum of

stakeholders throughout the process confirms that these standards were developed with the

broadest stakeholder involvement possible.

Finally, the department’s Office of Hawaiian Education in collaboration with Ka Papahana

Loiloi Kaiapuni attend all ʻAha Kauleo meetings and present updates and solicit feedback from

all stakeholders of the group. Ka Papahana Loiloi Kaiapuni is a partnership between the

DOE and UH-Mānoa College of Education to develop assessments for grades 3 and 4 built on

these Kaiapuni standards. This effort demonstrates two things to all of our stakeholders: 1) that

ʻAha Kauleo Statewide Consortium of Hawaiian Language Schools

the department is committed to involving stakeholders throughout the process and into the future,

and 2) the strength of these standards and their accompanying assessments is in the strong

partnership between the department, Ka Papahana Loiloi Kaiapuni, and the stakeholders of ʻAha

Kauleo.

It is in the spirit of this commitment that we provide our endorsement of the K-12 Kaiapuni

Hawaiian Language Arts standards without reservation.

Sincerely,

Kamaoaʻe Walk, Pelekikena (President)

Pōhai Montague-Mullins, Pelekikena Hope (Vice President)

Kīhāpai Krug, Kākau ʻŌlelo (Secretary)

Kahele Dukelow, Kākau ʻŌlelo Leka (Corresponding Secretary)`

Keliikanoe Mahi/EHUNUI/HIDOE

05/01/2017 07:16 AM


Subject Testimony

Aloha,

I am writing to express my support of and ask for the approval of the final draft of the K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards at the Board of Education's General Business Meeting on May 2, 2017. These standards are critical to the continued effort to align curriculum, instruction and assessments to a Hawaiian language foundation as well as to the continued effort to strengthen what we do as an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi K-12 educational pathway.

I appreciate your support and consideration of this important effort.

Naʻu nō me ka mahalo a me ka haʻahaʻa,

Keliʻikanoe Mahi

Vice Principal

Ke Kula ʻo ʻEhunuikaimalino

-- "Like" our Facebook page "Ke Kula ʻo ʻEhunuikaimalino"(https://www.facebook.com/ehunuikaimalino/). You can also follow us on Twitter(https://twitter.com/ehunuikaimalino) and Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/ehunuikaimalino/).

Kehaulani Aipia <[email protected]>

05/01/2017 08:44 AM


Subject Testimony Of Support (Hawaiian

Language Arts Standards)

Aloha kāua, On behalf of Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki LPCS, I, Kēhaulani ʻAipia-Peters am submitting testimony of support relative to General Board Meeting (May 2, 2017), Agenda Item VI. A. Board Action on Hawaiian Language Arts Standards.naʻu me ka haʻahaʻa,na Kēhaulani ʻAipia-PetersChair, Governing BoardKe Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki LPCS

********************************************************************************This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/ ******************************************************************************

** lekaBOE.Nawahi.pdflekaBOE.Nawahi.pdf

1 Mei 2017 Ka Papa Hoʻonaʻauao O Ka Mokuʻāina ʻO Hawaiʻi P.O. Box 2360 Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96804 E Ka Papa Hoʻonaʻauao ē, Aloha ʻoukou: He mea hanohano no ko kākou aupuni, ko kākou mau kula, ko kākou mau poʻe nō hoʻi o ka ʻāina ka ʻike ʻia ʻo Hawaiʻi nei kahi mua loa o ʻAmelika i ʻike ʻia ai ka hoʻokō maoli ʻia o ʻelua ʻōlelo kūhelu ma loko o ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻana. Ma kēia wā, ma ka ʻāpono ʻana he ʻōpaʻa anakuhi mākauʻōlelo Hawaiʻi e kū kaʻawale ana no nā kula ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ma ia hana e hōʻea hou aʻe ai kākou i ka ʻanuʻu hou o ia hanohano. No laila, ma ka ʻaoʻao o Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, ke kula kaiaʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ke hoʻomaikaʻi nei mākou i ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao no kāna hana ma ka hoʻopuka ʻana i ia mau anakuhi mākauʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. Ke komo pū nei ma kēia ʻanuʻu hou ma ke kākoʻo ʻana i ka ʻāpono ʻia e ʻoukou, e Ka Papa Hoʻonaʻauao. Me ka mahalo i ka hana nui i alu like ʻia, Kēhaulani ʻAipia-Peters Pelekikena, Papa Alakaʻi Ke Kula ʻO Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu Iki

16-120 ʻŌpūkahaʻia St Keaʻau, HI 96749 (808) 982-4260 (808) 966-7821

www.nawahi.org

Ka Papa Alakaʻi

Dr. Kēhaulani ʻAipia-Peters,

Pelekikena

Kēhaulani Shintani, Hope Pelekikena

Kaleo Hayashida,

Kākau ‘Ōlelo

Leilani Kaʻapuni, Puʻukū

Kamalei Hayes

Dr. Kauanoe Kamanā

Nāmaka Rawlins

Dr. Pila Wilson

Pelehonuamea

Harman

No ʻAneʻi Ko Kākou Ola!

Arley Enesa <[email protected]>

05/01/2017 10:01 AM

To "[email protected]" <[email protected]>

ccSubject K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts

Standards Testimony

Aloha!!

My name is Arley Enesa, I’m a parent of kaiapuni keiki one 6th

grade graduate and the others grades 6 and 3. I’m also the President of the Hui Makua (Parent Group) of Na Leo Kako’o o Ko’olauloa, a non‐profit that supports Hawaiian Language Programs Pre‐K through grade 12 in the Ko’olauloa area. I’m in support of the K‐12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards being put forth in the General Business Meeting on May 2, 2017. These standards are critical to the continued effort to align curriculum, instruction and assessments to a Hawaiian Language foundation as well as to the continued effort to strengthen what we do as an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi K‐12 educational pathway. Please support our keiki in kaiapuni by approving these standards so that they may be assessed more accurately and fairly. Your attention to this matter is requested. If you have any questions or need further testimony please contact me at this email or call me at (808) 372‐9006.

Mahalo nui

Arley Enesa


State of Hawaiʻi Board of Education P.O. Box 2360 Honolulu, Hawaiʻi 96804

May 1, 2017 Aloha e ka Board of Education, My name is ʻĀnela Iwane and this is my tenth year serving in the Hawaiʻi public education system. I was as a Hawaiian immersion teacher at Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Hauʻula for over nine years and I just started serving as an Educational Specialist in the Office of Hawaiian Education since the beginning of April. I would like to express my strong support for the K-12 Kaiapuni Standards in Hawaiian Language Arts. I believe that these standards are appropriate and rigorous academic standards for our Hawaiian immersion students that will lead to our students being college, career and community ready. The development of these standards are important to highlight because it has included stakeholders from our community throughout the process. Teachers from all the Hawaiian language immersion schools and charter schools were invited to develop the standards to ensure that they specified and reflected what our students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade level. Participation by kaiapuni teachers also ensured that these Hawaiian Language Arts standards are appropriate, based in the knowledge of a kaiapuni student, and incorporate a Hawaiian worldview. This development process happened over the course of many meetings where revisions were made, stakeholder feedback collected, and alignment across grades was confirmed. From there, other stakeholders in our kaiapuni community, from the the universities, Hawaiian language and cultural practitioners, and staff from other Hawaiian-serving institutions, were asked to provide feedback.

The Hawaiian Language Arts Standards are also very important for the students in Hawaiian language immersion schools because it includes oral language development which helps to provide the foundation for entering and continuing immersion students to learn the language of instruction. Majority of the students who enter the kaiapuni program do not speak Hawaiian until they start school. It is imperative for students to acquire the language of instruction prior to accessing content knowledge taught through that target language. The current Common Core State Standards does not account for this because it was created for monolingual students of English. As an educator, we stress the importance of differentiation. I urge the Board to consider this critical need for differentiation to meet the needs of our kaiapuni students. I strongly urge the Board to support the K-12 Kaiapuni Hawaiian Language Arts standards. Sincerely, ʻĀnela Iwane Educational Specialist, Office of Hawaiian Education

Board of Education General Meeting Board of Education Testimony in SUPPORT of the adoption of the Hawaiian Language Arts Kaiapuni Standards

Tuesday, May 2 2017

For Action Item:VA Aloha mai kākou, My name is Eōmailani Kukahiko and I am a teacher educator at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, I am also a parent at Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Maui ma Pāʻia. I am writing to support the inclusion of the adoption of the Hawaiian Language Arts Kaiapuni Standards. The standards were developed as a result of HIDOE policy 105-8 directive, which required the development of rigorous and relevant standards in collaboration with Hawaiian immersion community stakeholders. The validity of these standards lies in the department’s engagement of the Kaiapuni community and language and content experts in every step of this process. As a Hawaiian Immersion teacher educator for the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, I have seen first hand the difficulty in the process toward properly assessing the students in the Kula Kaiapuni. Although the program will soon celebrate 30 years of Hawaiian Immersion Education, we are just beginning the process of creating standardized assessments that globally address this unique educational initiative of Kula Kaipuni. While the standards begin with Language Arts, Mathematics and Science, I believe that this initiative should continue and expand to all content areas in alignment with the strategic goals of each school. This is a critical time in education. Hawaiʻi has an opportunity to support local, stakeholder guided assessment that will serve as a model for the state, the nation, as well as other Indigenous groups that fight similar struggles to renormalize their native languages, while maintaining high standards for children’s learning. Mahalo,

Eōmailani Kukahiko, Ph.D. Associate Specialist

May1,2017TO: ChairMizunoandmembersoftheBoardofEducationFR: Dr.PōhaiKūkea-ShultzRE: BoardActiononHawaiianLanguageArtsKaiapuniStandards,BoardofEducation

GeneralBusinessMeeting,May2,2017at1:30pmAlohamaikākou,IamwritingthislettertoexpressmysupportfortheHawaiianLanguageArtsKaiapuniStandards.Firstandforemost,asaHawaiianimmersionparent,IsupportthesestandardsastheywerewrittenintheHawaiianlanguagebyHawaiianimmersionteachersandstakeholders.Standardsdevelopmentdoesnotgetmorerigorousorrelevantthanthis.IamalsoinvolvedinthisprojectinadifferentcapacityasafacultymemberattheUniversityofHawaiʻiatMānoa’sCollegeofEducationandthePrincipalInvestigatoroftheHawaiianImmersionSchoolsAssessmentProject.IhavewitnessedthesupportoftheHawaiianimmersioncommunityastheyhaveworkedtogethertobuildstandardsandassessmentsthatarereliableandvalidandhelpourstateliveintoitsresponsibilitytotheHawaiianlanguageasanofficiallanguageofthisstate,toHawaiʻiBOEpolicies2014and2015,andmostimportantlyourHawaiianspeakingchildren.Ialsobelievethesestandardsprovideourkaiapuniteacherswithaframeworktoteachfrom,withtheflexibilitytodevelopcurriculumthatisappropriatefortheirstudentsandtheircommunities.Asaboard,youhavetheopportunitytoputourstateattheforefrontofthedevelopmentnativelanguagestandardsandassessment.Mahalofortheopportunitytopresenttestimonyinsupportofthisgroundbreakingwork.

matagi Walker <[email protected]>

05/01/2017 11:33 AM


Subject Testimony- K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards

Meeting: General Business Meeting on May 2, 2017. Agenda item: K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts StandardsPosition: SupportMy name is Rebekah Walker. I am a parent of Hawaiian Immersion Students. My children range from the ages of 18-3 years old. They have been in Hawaiian Immersion for 11 years.It has been great to see the development of standards by OHE. It will be tragic if these are not supported by the BOE. These standards are necessary to promote progress in the education of our keiki in the Hawaiian Language.

I support the Office of Hawaiian Education (OHE) and Ka Papahana Kaiapuni with their recommendation to the Hawaiʻi Board of Education to approve the final draft of the K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards on May 2, 2017 at the General Business Meeting. These standards are critical to the continued effort to align curriculum, instruction and assessments to a Hawaiian language foundation as well as to the continued effort to strengthen what we do as an ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi K-12 educational pathway.One of the greatest hurdles for Hawaiian Language Immersion schools is that people with out a knowledge of the process of an immersion education and without knowledge of the Hawaiian language are allowed to make decisions about Hawaiian Immersion Education. What should be happening is the BOE should support those do know what is needed, who do speak the language of Hawaiian and support their initiatives. There should be more decision making power given to OHE for Hawaiian Immersion Education issues in the future.

Mahalo,Rebekah WalkerParent of keiki at Ke Kula Kaiapuni o Hau'ula

Testimony submitted will be posted on the Board of Education website and may be included in the Board's minutes. Please consider this when when including personal information in your testimony.

****************************************************************************** **This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/ ****************************************************************************** **

Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue Teacher at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue

May 1, 2017


As a teacher at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue, I would like to express my strong endorsement

for the K-12 Kaiapuni Standards in Hawaiian Language Arts. I believe that these are challenging

and appropriate academic standards for our Hawaiian immersion students that will lead to our

students being college, career and community ready.

Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue is the only DOE, K-12 Hawaiian Immersion School site on O‘ahu

in the back of Palolo Valley. Many of the teachers at Ke Kula Kaiapuni were a part of creating

these standards and the State Assessments that were developed based on these standards. These

standards are very instrumental in the development of our schools curriculum and assessment

across all content and grade levels.



Sincerely,

Leimomi Sing

Academic/ Data Coordinator

Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue

2 Mei 2017 Iā: Papa Hoʻonaʻauao, ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao Maiā: Kōmike Hoʻokuluma ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, Kanaeokana No: Leka Kākoʻo i Nā Ana Hoʻohālikelike Mākau ʻŌlelo

(Re: Letter of Support for the Hawaiian Language Arts Standards) ʻAuhea ʻoukou e nā hoa kākoʻo i ka hoʻonaʻauao Hawaiʻi, Eia mākou, ke Kōmike Hoʻokuluma ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi o Kanaeokana, ke hōʻike nei i ko mākou kākoʻo i nā Ana Hoʻohālikelike Mākau ʻŌlelo ʻo Hawaiian Language Arts Standards ka inoa. No kēia hui ke kuleana ʻo ke kākoʻo ʻana i nā hanana a me nā pōʻaiapili e ola hou ai ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. ʻO Kanaeokana ka hui kula Hawaiʻi (www.kanaeokana.net). ʻOiai ua ʻokoʻa nā kula a kākou, ua aukahi naʻe ka manaʻo i loko o ke kākoʻo ʻana i kēia papahana haku loiloi ana mākau ʻōlelo. I mea nō kēia papahana e hoʻoikaika ai i ka papahana Kula Kaiapuni i loko nō o ka like o nā ana e mālama ai ma ka lumi papa. Ke aloha nō, na ke Kōmike Hoʻokuluma ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi

Sarah Glidewell <[email protected]>

05/01/2017 01:45 PM


Subject Testimony for Hawaiian immersion standards grade 5 to 6 to be approved

Aloha mai kākou,

We would like to submit our testimony for agreeing that the standards for grades 5 to 6 be approved.

The following outlines some of the reasons why. We need to strengthen our keiki in terms of speaking, analyzing, sharing out, and becoming true leaders of our lahui. The standards include standards of mele, hoʻolauna, haʻiʻōlelo,native perspective, and more.

So, again, our family agrees that the standards for grade 5 to 6 be approved.

Me ka mahalo a me ka haʻahaʻa

Ka ʻOhana GlidewellSent from my iPhone********************************************************************************This email was scanned by the Cisco IronPort Email Security System contracted by the Hawaii Dept of Education. If you receive suspicious/phish email, forward a copy to [email protected]. This helps us monitor suspicious/phish email getting thru. You will not receive a response, but rest assured the information received will help to build additional protection. For more info about the filtering service, go to http://help.k12.hi.us/spam/********************************************************************************

Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue Teacher at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue

2528 10th Avenue

Honolulu, HI 96816

May 1, 2017


As a teacher at Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue, I would like to express my strong endorsement

for the K-12 Kaiapuni Standards in Hawaiian Language Arts. I believe that these are challenging

and appropriate academic standards for our Hawaiian immersion students that will lead to our

students being college, career and community ready.

Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue is the only DOE, K-12 Hawaiian Immersion School site on O‘ahu

in the back of Palolo Valley. Many of the teachers at Ke Kula Kaiapuni were a part of creating

these standards and the State Assessments that were developed based on these standards. These

standards are very instrumental in the development of our schools curriculum and assessment

across all content and grade levels.



Sincerely,

A. Kēhaunani Llanos

Kumu Papa 2/2nd grade Kumu

Ke Kula Kaiapuni ‘o Ānuenue

Date: May 2, 2017

To: Board of Education, General Business Meeting

When: 1:30 p.m.

Testifier: Kaʻanoʻi Walk

Agenda Item: VI. A Board Action on Hawaiian Language Arts Standards

E ka Luna Hoʻomalu Mizumoto, ke Hope Luna Hoʻomalu De Lima, a me nā Lālā o ka Papa

Hoʻonaʻauao, aloha! My name is Kaʻanoʻi Walk, and I serve as the Senior Policy Analyst of the Kūamahi

Community Education Group of Kamehameha Schools. We are writing to express our support for the

proposed Hawaiian Language Arts Standards and offer the following comments:

We commend the Department, and the Office of Hawaiian Education, for beginning to develop the

current Kaiapuni Standards for all content areas, in partnership with the Hawaiian Immersion Assessment

Project at the University of Hawaiʻi-Mānoa. We understand that, to ensure rigor, the standards were

developed by participants who were knowledgeable about academic research in instruction and

curriculum, as well as those who were knowledgeable about the Hawaiian community, language, culture

and worldview. Meaningful input was sought from the ʻAha Kauleo Advisory Board, content and

language specialists and contracted advisors whom the Department identified as leading researchers in the

field, including individuals from Kamehameha Schools and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. We believe

that the implementation of these standards is a critical step toward ensuring quality Hawaiian Language

Arts instruction.

Kamehameha Schools advocates for and supports the achievement of Hawai‘i’s Native Hawaiian public

school students. As such, we have been a collaborator with the Board of Education, the Department of

Education and, specifically, the Office of Hawaiian Education. We believe that establishing Hawaiian

Language Arts standards is consistent with the mission of the office, the Board and Department’s

approved strategic plans and essential to advance the education of the children of the state. We

acknowledge the Board of Education’s efforts in this area and want to be a part of the ongoing dialog

surrounding Hawaiian Language Arts.

Founded in 1887, Kamehameha Schools is an organization striving to advance a thriving Lāhui where all

Native Hawaiians are successful, grounded in traditional values, and leading in the local and global

communities. We believe that Hawaiian culture-based education leads to academic and related successes,

in turn strengthening our local communities and state and providing global examples of progress and

leadership.

ʻAʻohe hana nui ke alu ʻia. No task is too large when we all work together! Mahalo nui.

http://boe.hawaii.gov/Meetings/Notices/Meeting%20Material%20Library/GBM_05022017_Board%20Action%20on%20Hawaiian%20Language%20Arts%20Standards.pdf

OFFICE OF HAWAIIAN AFFAIRS

Administrative TestimonyTestimony of Kamana’opono Crabbe, Ph.D.

Ka Pouhana, Chief Executive Officer

State of Hawai’i Board of EducationAGENDA ITEM Vl.A: BOARD ACTION ON HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE ARTS STANDARDS

May 2, 201 7 1 :30 p.m. Queen LiIi’uokalani Building

The Administration of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) appreciates theopportunity to submit testimony in SUPPORT of Agenda Item VI.A, which would fulfill theBoard of Education’s (Board’s) commitment to furthering Hawaiian language education,with respect to the establishment of standards for Hawaiian language arts.

Adopting Hawaiian language arts standards is essential to continuing the State’sefforts to strengthen its Hawaiian medium educational pathway. Although the Hawaiianlanguage was once a thriving language used by Native Hawaiians and foreigners alike, bythe late 20th century it was pushed to the brink of extinction. Fortunately, the Hawaiianlanguage was saved by several historic initiatives, including the Hawaiian LanguageImmersion Program (Ka Papahana Kaiapuni) that was launched as a pilot program at twoDepartment of Education (DOE) elementary schools in 1 987. Today, Ka PapahanaKaiapuni is offered at twenty-three public schools educating more than 2400 students inkindergarten through grade 1 2. Ka Papahana Kaiapuni has become an important part ofHawai’i’s public education system, and allows students to be instructed in a linguistically-and culturally-enriched educational pathway.

To further support the effort of Ka Papahana Kaiapuni, the Board adopted revisionsto Board Policy 2105 (renumbered Board Policy 105-8) on February 18, 2014. BoardPolicy 105-8 now states that “the curriculum and standards [of the Kaiapuni program] areto be developed by the Department [of Education] to prepare students for college, careerand contributors to community with the assistance of the appropriate stakeholders... Thedevelopment of the Kaiapuni curriculum, content, instruction and assessment should beinformed and research-based utilizing qualitative and quantitative data” (emphasis added).Subsequently, the Board also updated the State’s Education Strategic Plan, which now“provides a common foundation of expectations and supports for all students in Hawai’i’spublic schools and recognizes both of Hawaii’s official languages.” [Emphasis added.1

Accordingly, in furtherance of Board Policy 105-8, and consistent with the State’sEducation Strategic Plan, the DOE’s Office of Hawaiian Education partnered withsignificant partners and stakeholders to develop the proposed Hawaiian language artsstandards now before the Board for approval. These partners and stakeholders includedthe Hawaiian Immersion Assessment Project at the University of Hawai’i-Manoa; Kaiapuniteachers; experts knowledgeable about academic research in instruction and curriculum;

State of Hawai’i, Board of EducationAgenda Item VI.AMay 2,2017Page 2 of 2

and individuals and organizations knowledgeable about the Hawaiian community,language, and culture. OHA appreciates the diligent efforts of the DOE Office ofHawaiian Education, as well as its partners and stakeholders, in facilitating this importantstep towards further strengthening our Hawaiian language education pathway.

Therefore, OHA urges the Board to APPROVE the proposed Hawaiian languagearts standards in Agenda Item VI.A.

Mahalo nui for the opportunity to provide this testimony.

‘A’ohe lua e like al me ka ho’ona’auao ‘ana o ke kamali’i. Nothing can comparein worth to the education of our children.

Nalani Brun <[email protected]>

05/02/2017 09:37 AM


cc Paula Morikami <[email protected]>, Bernard Carvalho <[email protected]>,

Subject K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards-May 2 meeting

Aloha Board of Education members,

Thank you for your attention to the above-mentioned agenda item for your May 2nd meeting. We have read through the document, Hawaiian Language Arts Kaiapuni Standards Informational Document (attached), The Mayor’s commission on preservation of the Niihau Language supports much of what is being said as Hawaiian language learners must and should be supported. We would just like protections for the language of the Niihau community and their variety of Hawaiian which we do not believe this document addresses. How will the language of the Niihau community be protected against incursion and alteration?

We are asking that standards specifically geared towards the Niihau community be created in addition to what the Board of Hawaiian Education is proposing here, and that whatever Hawaiian immersion school that wishes, be allowed to switch to that standard if they so choose.

Please provide clarification in the Standards explaining the purpose of the Standards and whom the Standards are intended to affect. Protections for the Niihau variety of Hawaiian must be clarified and the Niihau Language Commission (Ka Leo o na Kupa) of the County of Kauai and Niihau must and should be consulted for their input before the BOE makes a final determination.

For information about Ka Leo o na Kupa, please see: http://www.kauai.gov/Portals/0/OED/ProclamationforNiihauLanguage.pdf?ver=2016-04-26-154727-693.

Mahalo Nui,

Nalani Brun, Office of Economic Development on behalf of the Mayor of the County of Kauaiand the Mayor’s Commission on preservation of the Niihau Language- Ka Leo o na Kupa.

Nalani K. Brun

Program Administrative Officer County of Kauai – Office of Economic Development4444 Rice St. Suite 200Lihue, HI 96766

808‐241‐[email protected]

"If it doesn't challenge you, it won't change you; and if you don't change, you won't grow."


MEMO

IĀ: HI BOE

MAIĀ: Honey Kaʻulawena Perez-Wasson

KA PAPAHANA: SUPPORT for Board approval of Hawaiian Language Arts (HLA)

Standards for grades Kindergarten to 12

KA LĀ: Mei 2, 2017

Aloha! ʻO Honey Kaʻulawena Perez-Wasson koʻu inoa, ke keiki a Harry lāua ʻo Joan

Perez-Wasson. Hele au i ke Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ʻo Kahuku Academy. Noho au ma ke

ahupuaʻa ʻo Lāʻiewai ma nā ʻāina o koʻu mau kūpuna mai nā hānauna ma mua oʻu. He

‘umikumamāhiku oʻu makahiki a ma ko‘u makahiki ‘elima ua komo au i ke Kula Kaiapuni i hiki

ke hoʻomau i ka ʻōlelo mākuahine a me nā moʻomeheu Hawaiʻi. My name is Honey Kaʻulawena

Perez-Wasson and I am a Senior at Ke Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ʻo Kahuku Academy.

I strongly support the Board approval of HLA standards for grades Kindergarten to 12

because, I believe it will only prepare all Kaiapuni students to get into college and hopefully

their future jobs. Second, as Kaiapuni students, it will help us gain knowledge from learning

different strategies from a Hawaiian worldview. Last but not least, in the Hawaiian perspective

we strive to practice in the ways of our ancestors to reach high levels of expertise. Approving

the Hawaiian Language Arts standards will allow us to truly do that.

Mahalo!

sjenkins

Late Testimony

MEMO

IĀ: Board Members, Hawaiʻi Board Of Education

MAIĀ: Kaʻena Keawe

KA PAPAHANA: SUPPORT Board approval of Hawaiian Language Arts (HLA) Standards

for grades Kindergarten to 12.

KA LĀ: May 2, 2017

Aloha,

ʻO Arthur Keawe ke kāne, ʻo Ilean Ho ka wahine, noho pū lāua a hānau ‘ia ʻo Steven

Keawe. ʻO Edward Plunkett ke kāne, ʻo Kealoha Kahalekapule ka wahine. Noho pū lāua a

hānau ‘ia ʻo Edwina Plunkett. ʻO Steven Keawe ke kāne, ʻo Edwina Plunkett ka wahine. Noho

pū lāua a hānau ‘ia ʻau ‘o Kaʻena Keawe he wahine. He ‘umikumamāhiku oʻu makahiki a aia

wau ma ka papa ‘umikumamālua ma ke Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ʻo Kahuku Academy. A eia koʻu

manaʻo:

My name is Kaʻena Keawe, I am seventeen years old, and I am a junior in the Kula

Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ʻo Kahuku Academy at Kahuku High and Intermediate School. And here are

my thoughts:

I, strongly, SUPPORT, the board approval of the Hawaiian Language Arts standards for

grades kindergarten to 12. First of all, it will not only prepare me, but also all kaiapuni students

to be college ready. Second, we, as kaiapuni students, have the opportunity to learn of the

different strategies of increasing our knowledge, to help us understand how the world works,

through the eyes of our kūpuna. And lastly, the bond between a kaiapuni student and their

kūpuna is sacred because of our history in Hawaiian and keeping the Hawaiian language alive.

Mahalo!

sjenkins

Late Testimony

MEMO

IĀ: Board Members, Hawaiʻi Board Of Education

MAIĀ: Brittni Kauakea Blake

KA PAPAHANA: SUPPORT Board Approval of Hawaiian Language Arts Standards

KA LĀ: Mei 2, 2017

Aloha e Na Lala o ka Papa Hoʻonaʻauo Hawaiʻi,

He wahi leka KAKOʻO keia i ke Ana Aʻo Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi no na papa Malaaʻo a hiki i ka papa 12.

1. E hoʻomakaukau ʻana e hele i ke kulanui a i ʻole a komo i ka ʻoihana e ponoʻai. 2. No ka hoʻonui ʻike ʻana ma ke ʻano he haumana Kaiapuni 3. No ka hoʻoikaika ʻana i ka pilina ma waena o makou a me na kupuna ma o ka

ʻolelo Hawaiʻi.

I am Brittni Kauakea Blake, the daughter of James and Bonnie Blake. I am in the 12th grade enrolled in the Kula Kaiapuni Hawaiʻi ʻo Kahuku Academy. A program at Kahuku High School that helps practice and perpetuate the Hawaiian Language. Although I am a senior and will not have the chance to experience these standards, I speak on behalf of the upcoming generations, who will have the opportunity to experience the Hawaiian Language Arts standards while enrolled in any Kaiapuni.

I strongly support the board approval of the Hawaiian Language Arts Standards for grades Kindergarten to 12:

1. The approval of the HLA Standards will provide and prepare all the students enrolled in Kaiapuni along with myself to go to college and acquire a career that is most suitable that will help us be successful in life.

2. It will also allow all Kaiapuni students to be comfortable and confident in learning the standards in a Hawaiian evolved environment. Due to difference between a Hawaiian Language-based and an English-based learning environment, English-based standards will not be beneficial to the Kaiapuni students. For instance, why should Kaiapuni students be taught about alliteration when alliteration in the Hawaiian language does not exist? In Kaiapuni, there is a unique way of learning our standards. We as Kaiapuni students strive to reach the level of expertise as our kupuna.

3. The Hawaiian Language Arts Standards is most appropriate as it provides all students in Kaiapuni as well as myself the opportunity to strengthen the physical and spiritual connection between my kupuna and myself through the Hawaiian Language.

Mahalo!

sjenkins

Late Testimony

Nalani Brun <[email protected]>

05/02/2017 11:45 AM


cc Leiana Pahulehua <[email protected]>

Subject Olelo testimony from Leiana Pahulehua Robinson on K-12 Hawaiian Language Arts Standards-May 2 meeting

Aloha Mai kakou,

I understand the concern you have for our children throughout all of Hawaii regarding the effect the standards have on their educational development. I too am concerned about how our children and teachers are impacted by these policies. It may seem that some of the concerns raised regarding these standards' impact on the Niihau community maybe selfish in nature but this is a misunderstanding. Niihau is part of the "lahui", who holds a precious gift, the language. As members of this "lahui" we also see our language as the language of the "lahui". So, my expectation would be that any standards seeking to assess Hawaiian language would be reflective of this gift we hold, and that which was left in the Hawaiian language newspapers of the 1800s and early 1900s.

After reading these standards it is evident that the language being used throughout it is not reflective of this gift left in the newspapers of that time period nor what we maintain within the Niihau community. So, my questions to the Office of Hawaiian Education are as follows: Were the people with this knowledge and expertise included in the formulation of these standards? If so, were they empowered to guide, revise or edit the document? My hope is to help our lahui achieve high levels of fluency in Hawaiian and not to encourage the departure of some of our people to create another version of Hawaiian mutually unintelligible with that which has been left to us.

Finally, I do appreciate the effort that has gone into bringing this document up to this point. But would like to remind everyone that Hawaiian language has not survived on Niihau by putting a time line on passing on knowledge but rather on the passing on of language correctly.

Language is a precious gift as it is the messenger of a peoples’ thoughts, hopes, dreams and memory of self. This precious gift has no other community left in which it resides other than Niihau. It is my hope that in the future more families and communities can reclaim this gift. My concern here is that during this process that there are individuals with great influence over the language outside of Niihau who seek to "reinvent" the language. I caution them against this as these words invented or given new meaning a merely a vail of Hawaiian looking words hiding English thought.

The language is meant to unite us. There has always been a language variety within the native speaking communities. However, the present standards are a reflective of invention and reinventions facilitated by outsiders' in their understanding of language and language creation.

sjenkins

Late Testimony

My hope is that the gift of Olelo Hawaii that we have, is something that unifies us as a people.

So do we unify under Standardized Hawaiian, Olelo Niihau, English or shall we be recognized as three different entities?

MAI AE I KA HEWA O AUAMO ANEI KA LEHULEHU I KA OLOLI O KE AWE MAKENA.

Leiana Pahulehua Robinson


Documents

Gmail Totestimony …boe.hawaii.gov/Meetings/Notices/Meeting Material Library...Gmail 04/28/2017 07:55 PM [email protected]