Hawaii State Board of Education Packet Summary — 2026-08-13
Meeting: Student Achievement Committee
Scheduled: August 13, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.
Public meeting location: Queen Liliʻuokalani Building, 1390 Miller Street, Room 404, Honolulu, Hawaiʻi
The Student Achievement Committee agenda centers on three substantive education issues: statewide implementation of sexual violence prevention education, a proposed review of the Board's General Learner Outcomes, and a proposed review of high school graduation requirements. The committee is also scheduled to consider approval of its April 9, 2026 meeting minutes.
Key Items on the Agenda
Sexual Violence Prevention Education Moving to Statewide Implementation
The Department of Education is scheduled to update the committee on its Sexual Violence Prevention Program and the transition from phased implementation in School Year 2025-2026 to statewide requirements in School Year 2026-2027.
The program combines age-appropriate student instruction, employee training, family education, early identification and reporting of abuse, and student support services. The packet reports:
- 257 of 258 schools distributed the program's parent and legal guardian brochure during SY 2025-2026.
- 248 of 258 schools received Sexual Violence Prevention 101 training.
- 66 of 258 schools implemented sexual violence prevention instruction across all grade levels. The Department's SY 2025-2026 goal was implementation at 30% of schools within each complex area.
- Beginning in SY 2026-2027, all Department schools are expected to provide annual sexual violence prevention instruction to students in grades K-12.
- All Department staff will be required to complete annual Department of Human Services Mandated Reporter Training, replacing SVP 101.
- Schools with Kaiapuni programs will receive additional time to review and select culturally and linguistically appropriate instructional materials.
The student curriculum addresses bodily autonomy, recognizing and reporting sexual abuse, available resources, and online safety at designated grade levels. Schools are responsible for providing parents and legal guardians with information about the curriculum and an opt-out process.
The packet also cites 2023 Hawaiʻi Youth Risk Behavior Survey data reporting that 7.8% of middle school students and 11.0% of high school students experienced sexual violence by anyone during the preceding 12 months.
The Department describes student supports as extending beyond prevention instruction to mandated reporting procedures, counseling and behavioral health services, coordination with families and outside agencies, and individualized planning intended to support safety, well-being, and continued access to learning.
Policy / Governance Items
Proposed Review of Board Policy 101-15 — General Learner Outcomes
The Department recommends that the Board formally initiate a review of Board Policy 101-15, Focus on Students, following the policy-review process established by Board Policy 400-2.
Policy 101-15 establishes six General Learner Outcomes, or GLOs, covering:
- Responsibility for one's own learning.
- Working effectively with others.
- Critical thinking and problem solving.
- Producing quality performance and products.
- Effective communication.
- Effective and ethical use of technology.
The Department proposes reviewing whether these outcomes remain aligned with the recently approved Vision of a Hawaiʻi Public School Graduate and current technological, social, and economic conditions. Proposed work includes research, comparison with learner-outcome approaches elsewhere in the United States and globally, and statewide listening sessions involving students, graduates, families, educators, administrators, support staff, higher education, employers, the armed forces, and the public.
The review does not itself revise the GLOs. Findings would first determine whether changes should be recommended. If revisions are warranted, the Department would develop draft GLOs, gather internal and external feedback, update the proposal as appropriate, and return proposed policy revisions to the Student Achievement Committee.
The packet identifies potentially significant implementation effects if the GLOs ultimately change. The existing outcomes are incorporated into school Academic Plans, data tracking, accreditation measures, student evaluations, and other Department systems. Revisions could therefore require changes to Academic Plans, reporting systems and report-card templates, along with communication and possible professional development.
No new funding is being requested for this review. The Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design would use existing personnel to lead the work.
The presentation materials identify the start of SY 2028-29 as the proposed effective date for eventual changes, allowing schools time to prepare. That date relates to possible future policy changes; the action before the committee is whether to initiate the review process.
Proposed Review of Board Policy 102-15 — High School Graduation Requirements
The Department also recommends formally initiating a review of Board Policy 102-15, High School Graduation Requirements and Commencement, using the Board Policy 400-2 review process.
The existing policy establishes a 24-credit Hawaii High School Diploma requirement. The Department says a review is needed to examine whether graduation requirements remain aligned with the new Vision of a Hawaiʻi Public School Graduate and adequately prepare students for workforce and postsecondary opportunities.
The proposed review would include:
- Research on graduation requirements.
- Analysis of requirements elsewhere in the United States and globally.
- Examination of what Hawaiʻi students should know and be able to do before graduation.
- Consideration of potential course requirements, examinations, and ways students could demonstrate skills and knowledge.
- Statewide listening sessions involving students, recent graduates, families, educators, administrators, school support staff, higher education, employers, the armed forces, and the public.
The Department reports that a statewide graduation-requirements survey received more than 850 responses and that it has already met with more than 80 stakeholder groups. Additional stakeholder engagement is planned through Summer and Fall 2026.
The Department expects the findings to inform draft graduation requirements, followed by additional internal and external feedback. The packet says proposed policy revisions are expected to return to the Student Achievement Committee for consideration in Spring 2027.
Potential concerns identified in the packet include the possibility that changed subject-credit requirements could create staffing, facility, or scheduling challenges for some schools. The Department anticipates public interest in an inclusive process based on statewide surveys, community forums, and listening sessions.
The Department's Office of Curriculum and Instructional Design would use existing personnel for the review. The Department is receiving funding support from the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation for collaboration with the Education Strategy Group and states that additional funding is not being sought at this time.
As with the GLO review, presentation materials identify SY 2028-29 as the proposed effective date for eventual changes so schools would have time to prepare. The committee's scheduled action is to consider initiating the review, not to approve new graduation requirements at this meeting.
The committee is scheduled to accept public testimony with each agenda item. Written testimony included in the packet addresses all three substantive topics.
For the proposed Policy 101-15 review, submitted testimony opposes initiating revisions and argues that the six existing General Learner Outcomes remain relevant and are already embedded in school planning, data tracking, and accreditation processes.
For the proposed Policy 102-15 review, submitted testimony opposes the proposal and asks what measurable indicators support the recommendation and whether recent graduates are considered insufficiently prepared for life after high school.
Testimony regarding sexual violence prevention education emphasizes identifying gaps that could leave students without support, mandated reporting by school personnel, helping students identify trusted adults, and individualized supports for student safety and well-being.
What to Watch at the Meeting
The two policy items are process decisions rather than final policy revisions. A key question is whether the committee supports beginning formal reviews that could eventually reshape statewide expectations for student learning and high school graduation.
For Policy 101-15, the review could affect a framework already embedded in student evaluation, school planning, accreditation, and other Department operations. For Policy 102-15, the review could eventually affect the specific courses, credits, assessments, or other demonstrations students need for graduation, although the packet does not present a final replacement set of requirements.
The sexual violence prevention update is further along operationally: statewide K-12 student instruction and annual employee mandated-reporter training are planned for SY 2026-2027. The committee is expected to receive progress information as the Department moves from partial implementation toward systemwide requirements.
Civic Translator summarized publicly available meeting materials from the Hawaii State Board of Education.
