Principal: Eleanor Fujioka

Frank Fujii Erik Soderholm

Craig Matsuda Peggy Chock

Karen Sakamoto Senator Rod Tam

The Nuuanu School process of the Standards Implementation Design (SID) System incorporates the Comprehensive Student Support System (CSSS) model.

Since we greeted the new millennium and celebrated our 40^th anniversary in the year 2000, we continue to applaud the Nuuanu Elementary School community of learners for working together in pursuit of school excellence. In our search for excellence, we believe that an effective school continues to set high expectations for student achievement, monitors its performance, and adjusts classroom practices through an assessment and evaluation system that measures how effectively all students are learning. The Hawaii Department of Education is in the process of implementing such a system through its Standards Implementation Design (SID). This system incorporates high expectations for our students, quality instruction, assessment, and evaluation that will provide the best opportunities for our students to attain the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS).

The Standards Implementation Design is a tool that involves a collaborative learning and teaming process for all stakeholders to help our students attain the standards and to plan for improvement and maintenance of effective practices and services. This self-study process is only a beginning. Data for this document were obtained from many sources and we are grateful for input from our faculty and staff as well as from our School/Community Based Management Council (SCBM), Aikane O Nuuanu, and our Parent-Community Networking Center (PCNC). We also express our appreciation to Milli Asari, our Roosevelt Complex School Renewal Specialist, and to Rose Yamada, retired State Curriculum Director, in guiding our school and community members through this process. This journey towards school renewal is a sincere and ongoing engagement that will continue every year to ensure that all children are given opportunities to achieve the standards that have been established for them and be assured of quality support and assistance. Through this effort, we continue to live our vision of: "At Nuuanu School, We are Learners for Life."

Eleanor Fujioka, Principal Date

Our school profile was developed using data from many sources. Some of the data were directly from the School Status and Improvement Reports and results of the annual statewide Stanford Achievement Testing. Other information came from children’s classwork, report cards, emergency cards, autobiographies, teacher observation, parent perceptions, anecdotal notes, student survey and self-assessment reports. In this section of our School Profile, we generally describe student performance, characteristics of the students and the community we serve, the organization of the school, and the perceptions of our stakeholders. Critical data sets are provided for these categories in Section B.

The primary measure of student progress and performance is the Stanford Achievement Tests administered statewide by the Hawaii State Department of Education. Although there have been changes in test administration over the five (5) years we reviewed, the data have consistently indicated that the students at Nuuanu Elementary School are highly proficient in both reading and mathematics. The distribution of scores each year has been better than both the statewide distribution and the national norm; that is, a significantly greater proportion of students score in the above average stanines and a significantly smaller proportion score in the below average stanines.

More specifically, over 90% of the students tested each year score in the above average and average stanines in reading. Further, of this large group, 35% or more are in stanines 7—9. The math distributions are similarly high with approximately 45% to more than 67% of the students annually scoring in stanines 7—9.

Over the past five years, the enrollment at Nuuanu Elementary School has averaged about 400. Of this number today, more than 50% of the students are on Geographic Exception. Some of the factors that make Nuuanu School a sought after choice for attendance include: 1) a strong and established academic core program; 2) convenient location for parents working in the metropolitan Honolulu area; 3) grandparents reside in the school district and provide before and after school care; and 4) language schools, YMCA and YWCA programs at nearby locations.

The children, in general, are not characterized by special, high-risk needs. For example, the statewide average of students eligible for the free or reduced lunch program is about 44%, whereas the average at Nuuanu Elementary is less than 5%. Similarly, the average proportions of special education students and students with limited English proficiency are significantly lower than those of the State.

Behaviorally, the children are model students. Their average daily attendance rates over the five years have all been above 96%. While students statewide averaged 10 days absence per year, Nuuanu Elementary students averaged only six days absence. Serious disciplinary action (resulting in suspension) is nonexistent. The rate of movement of children (in and/or out) has been very low over the years, ranging from 0.5% to 3%.

The largest single ethnic group represented in the student population is the Japanese. These children comprise approximately 45% of the population. The other ethnic groups are much smaller in proportion; those that together constitute over 40% of the population, in order of size, are: Hawaiian and Part-Hawaiian (13%), Chinese (11%), Whites (10%), and Filipino (8%). In addition, there are many other ethnic/cultural groups represented and embraced in the student population.

The community served by Nuuanu Elementary School is a residential district in Nuuanu Valley bordered by Laimi Road and Ahi Place on the makai end of the valley and extending into the upper regions bounded by Nuuanu Pali Lookout. The demographics, primarily based on the 1990 U.S. Census, show a highly educated community where approximately 73% of the adults are college graduates or have some college education. The average family size is less than 3, with approximately one of four households having school age children. The 1990 data indicate a median household income of $67,088 and a per capita income of $28,082. Both these statistics are expected increase with the more recent census results. With the large proportion of students from geographic exceptions, our families are of varied socio-economic and multi-ethnic backgrounds and come from many areas, the majority being from Kailua and Kaneohe.

The location of Nuuanu Elementary School is steeped in Hawaiian history and traditions. This area was the battlefield where Kamehameha the Great routed his enemies over the boulder strewn valley into defeat over the Pali. Queen Emma Park and the Queen’s summer home, which is now a museum, are situated nearby. The residential community is further dignified by the foreign consulates and churches of different denominations. The Boy Scouts of America Headquarters lies at the foot of the school, while across the highway is the lush Country Club Golf Course.

Nuuanu Elementary School was founded in September, 1960. The school is unique in design with multi-unit one-story redwood buildings. It is nestled in Nuuanu Valley amid the rising cliffs of the Koolau Mountains, and commands a view of Honolulu Harbor to the south and the summit of the Pali to the north. The physical setting makes the school appealing, safe, and wholesome – the perfect environment for learning.

In school year 2000-2001, there were 20 regular teachers at Nuuanu Elementary and thirteen of these teachers have been at the school for more than five years. The faculty is in its prime with an average of about fourteen years of teaching experience. The teachers receive assistance from 16 part-time teachers and five half-time educational assistants. Leadership is provided through an administration consisting of a principal who has been at the school for more than ten years. Support for the students and faculty comes from a full-time librarian, counselor and student services coordinator.

Our school is also unique in its continuous commitment towards improvement and development. Our faculty has worked hard to maintain the school’s reputation of providing quality instruction for the students. This commitment has been evident in the school’s selection as a Success Compact Literacy school in 1995. During the 1995—97 school years, Nuuanu and nine other schools in the Roosevelt Complex initiated a collaborative inquiry-based learning project using technology and telecommunications, a major effort funded by the Federal Goals 2000 Program. In 1996-98, a partnership grant between Apple Computer, Inc. (Partners in Education — PIE) and the Hawaii Education and Research Network (HERN), University of Hawaii, enabled our students to pursue an interdisciplinary study on the importance of water.

The effects of our faculty’s commitment are evident in the products of the children. In 1996, the third graders under the direction of Mrs. Cori Tanimura contributed to a grandparents’ appreciation project that received a Compaq grant award. In 1997, Mrs. Marjorie Tupper, fourth grade teacher, partnered with Ms. Leila Hayashida, Technology teacher at Holomua Elementary School, in a collaborative learning "Hawaiian Navigation" Thinkquest Junior project that focused on making Hawaiian cultural values a concrete learning experience for the students. Second grade teacher, Mrs. Julie Shimonishi, was awarded in 1998 a Public School Foundation Grant for a schoolwide astronomy project that helped our children develop an ongoing understanding and appreciation of the universe that culminated with a Star Night activity with members of the Hawaii Astronomical Society. Our enrichment students under the guidance of Mrs. Linda Mitchell made the finalist level in the 1999 Thinkquest Junior Contest with the website of their model cities project. An Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) grant enabled special and regular education students, assisted by Mrs. Gwen Yoshizawa and Mrs. Jinny Aki, to develop a video project incorporating character development and career awareness principles. Mrs. Linda Kato and Ms. Jill Ishibashi, kindergarten teachers, pursued a multi-cultural awareness project, "Around the World in a 100 Days," funded by the Public Schools of Hawaii Grant. First grade teacher Ms. Jill Akagi, coordinated in 1999 a schoolwide writing endeavor by initiating a Nuuanu Postal Service funded by the Public Schools of Hawaii Grant. Since 1998, our classroom projects have been archived on three CD-roms titled, "From Crayons to Computers." Most recently, our technology teacher, Mr. Kelvin Chun, was honored as a 1999 Disney American Teacher Honoree, the Year 2000 Honolulu District Teacher of the Year and USA TODAY All-USA 2000 First Teacher Team.

Since 1999, an association was developed with the Disney Learning Partnership including the Disney Teacher Honorees and their principals to share innovative practices, to learn skills and strategies in building a collaborative school culture and to develop and nurture teacher instructional leadership.

Our teachers have partnered with other schools and organizations to integrate service learning in their curriculum. With a Learn and Serve grant, Mr. Steven Mun-Takata, Roosevelt High School’s Marine Science teacher, had his students serve as both teachers and mentors to the second graders in Mrs. Julie Shimonishi’s class in an investigative study of Kewalo Basin’s reef animals. Another Learn and Serve grant, "Kindergartners Caring with Aloha," involved the children working with their families and taking home "Banner Bags" to create their own art work to be displayed at various hospitals and convalescent sites. This project involved a partnership with the Mokichi Okada Association (MOA) whose members helped the kindergartners and their older buddy classes make flower arrangements to donate to several geriatric facilities. These efforts serve as evidence of our teachers’ continuously seeking new and innovative curriculum initiatives.

It takes many people to provide children with the best learning environment, and at Nuuanu this is indeed true. The custodial and food service staffs provide exemplary services and support. In a recent inspection of school facilities, the school received a total rating of 18 (16-18 = very good), with perfect ratings for grounds, interior and exterior of buildings, equipment/furnishings, health/safety, and sanitation. In addition to staff members, the school benefits from the involvement of parents, community members, and members of the higher education community. Aikane O Nuuanu, Inc., is a nonprofit organization of parents and faculty members that is dedicated to provide funds and volunteer assistance to enhance the quality of education at Nuuanu School. The Parent-Community Networking Center coordinates parent involvement and school support activities. The School/Community Based Management (SCBM) Council is actively involved in planning the parent education series and in improvement efforts such as in playground equipment safety and in our Standards Implementation Design.

With the support of groups such as Aikane O Nuuanu (established in the early 1980’s), unique services have been developed to serve the children. The Early Arrival Program, for example, provides adult supervision for children from 6:30 to 7:55 a.m. Activities such as guided study period, socializing, and quiet games help to ready the children for each school day. Other services include the Summer School Program that is open from 6:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and the After School Supplemental Program.

• Instructional Leadership
• Emphasis on Academics
• High Expectations
• Frequent Monitoring
• Learning Climate
• Home-School Relations.

The data from the two most recent administrations of the survey indicated that the staff consistently had increasing proportions of positive responses to each of the categories, except for Home-School Relations which was at the 98% level for both years. The positive staff responses were lowest for Instructional Leadership (58% and 76%, respectively); however, this category reflected the greatest increase in positive responses by staff. The increase is supported by other data from the School Culture Survey. Related indices from this latter survey showed positive responses for Experimentation (86%), Professional Respect (80%), and Reaching Out to the Knowledge Base (87%).

Interestingly, the students’ positive responses increased in all categories, the largest increase occurring in School Learning Climate (from 48% to 75%). The greatest proportion of positive student responses (80%) went for Academic Emphasis and High Expectations.

Parents’ positive responses dropped slightly for Academic Emphasis, High Expectations, Frequent Monitoring, and School Learning Climate. In an SCBM meeting in October, 2000, the parent role group provided the following input to the SID discussion. These suggestions appear related to the perceptions influencing the responses to the Effective Schools Survey:

• There needs to be increased articulation between grade levels/classes for continuity and consistency.
• Report cards should reflect the Standards; assessment should be according to the standards.
• It would be beneficial for parents to receive a copy of the Standards according to grade level at the beginning of each school year, which should identify clear/specific targets (performance standards clarified).

Each of the groups surveyed indicated positive responses overall.

The commitments that form the bases for Nuuanu Elementary School’s programs, activities, and decisions are reflected in our statements of beliefs, mission and vision.

Review of the school’s basic statements was part of our Standards Implementation Design Process. As such, all the role groups were involved in reviewing the Board of Education’s goals and expectations, analyzing the school data and needs, and aligning formal statements with an expressed philosophy.

All the school’s basic statements have been incorporated into the Faculty Handbook.

Selection of the desired results for student learning was primarily focused on the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards (HCPS) II directive. More specifically, the HCPS II directive states:

The General Learner Outcomes were then compared with the basic statements of commitment developed by stakeholders of Nuuanu Elementary School. The alignment appears comprehensive, with the General Learner Outcomes integral to and inherent in our efforts.

Adapted from Robert J. Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jay McTighe, Assessing Student Outcomes: Performance Assessment Using the Dimensions of Learning Model, 1993, ASCD.

In May, 2000, teachers were asked to describe their students in preparation for doing more intensive work on the SID. During February and March of 2001, teachers completed a more formal survey to identify the strengths of their students and their needs. The responses that were submitted were qualitatively analyzed and aligned with the four General Learner Outcomes. (Summary presented below.) In general, the survey results were consistent with the May impressions of the teachers.

The survey also requested that teachers identify how the needs of students were being addressed in their curriculum and instruction, including accommodations and interventions. Overall, the students appear to be progressing toward the Learning Outcomes within the experiences provided by the teachers. Where needs or difficulties have been identified, the teachers are providing a range of activities to support the development of the students.

There also are indications that some assistance from the home may be needed. This is in reference to observations that some students have so many extra curricular activities that these often have a negative impact on their school assignments. Evidence include students requiring reminders about assignments; failure to deliver school/class information to their parents; or attention to quality work is lower.

In addition to teachers’ observations, student learning needs relative to the desired learner outcomes were gleaned from students’ writing samples. The needs for expanded experiences in complex thinking and problem solving became evident as students were placed in situations that required their application of some of these skills.

Applying skills in organizing, arranging, and communicating information in a meaningful way appears to be a need area for the students. Of the writing samples scored with the Language Arts Rhetoric Standard, more than half did not meet the criteria for meaning (thoughts, observations, and/or statements of events woven together to express something true, important, unique, and powerful), and form/structure (writing organized, sequenced, logically arranged).

Data were collected using structures or forms provided during staff meetings and waiver days. The related support documents serve as evidence. These included:

• School Culture Survey
• WASC/SID Criteria for Effectiveness
• SID Reflective Questions
• Student Learning Indicators
• Classroom Profile
• Rubrics III. A to F: Assessing Instructional and Organizational Effectiveness

• General Performance Rating 3.1
• Standards-Based Learning 2.8
• Quality Student Support 3.2
• Professionalism and Capacity 3.1
• Coordinated Team Work 3.2
• Responsiveness of System 3.4
• Focused and Sustained Action 2.9

• The curriculum at Nuuanu is highly student-centered and primary materials (e.g., basal textbooks) have been selected to align with the standards.
• Alignment with HCPS has received emphasis in Language Arts and Mathematics.
• Teachers work in teams to articulate their curriculum and to ensure that students’ needs are being met.
• Differentiated curricula, strategies, and materials are used for the diverse student population.
• The General Learner Outcomes are integrated into the curriculum or lessons, particularly problem solving activities.
• Learning opportunities also extend into real-world situations, connecting students’ prior experiences with new knowledge and integrating career and technological explorations.

• Expanded articulation among and across grade level teams.
• Extended HCPS applications: in lessons for clarity and accountability, and across content areas.

• Students are engaged in active, hands-on, creative problem-based learning.
• Instruction is adapted to support differences in student development, learning styles, strengths, and needs.
• Lessons provide opportunities for students to use current technology, access resources, and use information to solve problems.

• Expanded development of thinking skills applications.
• Understanding by students of assessment in relation to performance criteria.

• Students are engaged in self-assessment and reflection of their performance and work, especially in writing and video projects.
• The principal and the leadership team generally know what occurs in the classrooms and support teachers in their efforts to gain assessment competencies.
• Assessment data are used for a variety of purposes, including the allocation of resources.

• Expanded assessments methods and tools to measure benchmarks.
• Enhancement of students’ understanding of assessment in relation to performance criteria.

Environment Promoting High Expectations: 3.25

• Exemplars of student work are displayed.
• Students have access to the necessary learning resources for learning.
• Support services are explicit through the CSSS system.

• Extended support for differentiated curriculum.

Array of Student Support Services: 3.2

• Teachers, parents, and students indicate that the school provides a safe place for everyone to learn, grow, and socialize.
• School inspection reports have been exemplary.
• Everyone is aware of his/her role, and there are many examples of collaboration and collegiality in problem solving.
• The Comprehensive Student Support System brings the various levels of support and resources to meet the needs of the students.

School-Based Services Review: 3.0

• Students participate in a variety of class and school activities that provide them with a range of learning experiences.
• Nuuanu School has valuable partnerships that contribute to providing school-based support such as before- and after-school enrichment programs.
• Professionalism and Capacity of the System: 3.1

• Employment and assignment practices are in keeping with the policies of the Department of Education.
• Faculty members are highly certified and involved in all aspects of the school operations.

Coordinated Team Work: 3.2

• Innovations and input are encouraged and considered in decision making.
• The principal provides for the development of leadership and the implementation of improvement activities in the school.
• The principal and the school leadership team work closely with the teachers in support of attaining the content and performance standards and the General Learner Outcomes.

Governance: Formal and Informal: 3.0

• We benefit from the support and input of all our stakeholders at Nuuanu. Particularly evident is the close working relationship established with parents and the community through SCBM, Aikane O Nuuanu, PCNC, and the University of Hawaii, College of Education.
• Formal and informal linkages are prominent with sister schools in the Roosevelt Complex and resources from the Honolulu District Office.
• Teachers have been working hard collaboratively on the Hawaii Content and Performance Standards, and they have participated in workshops and training sessions to familiarize themselves with the SID system.
• Teachers have spent many hours collecting and sharing data required for the SID analysis steps.

Resource Management and Development: 3.4

• There is proactive leadership and participation in seeking and creatively using resources to support the learning and achievement of the students.
• There is collaborative involvement of the stakeholders in resource planning and utilization.
• The physical facilities, material, and equipment resources are well maintained, and made conveniently available and accessible to staff.

Responsiveness of the System: 3.4

• Parent and community engagement is exemplary.
• Communication is continuous and involves a variety of modes, including the use of technology.

Focused and Sustained Action: 2.9

• Developing, periodic reviewing, and revising of core statements for the school are ongoing activities at the school.
• Involvement of stakeholders and continuous communication among groups are major efforts.

• Shift the purpose of assessment, monitoring, and evaluation to include school improvement as well as student achievement reporting.

The priorities for improvement for the coming three years are based on what we validated as our strengths, as well as areas of needs. In particular, we will apply our strengths in (1) continuous review and revision actions with optimum involvement and communication, and (2) expanding strategies in the classroom to address primary areas of need. The priorities then become an inter-relationship among actions, selected content areas, and focused student learning outcomes as depicted below.

As graphically presented in our SID School Process, planning occurs as a major step in our effort to improve our services to our students. More importantly, the process is continuous and cyclical, and it is integrated ("a part of") and interrelated ("connected to"). With this understanding, the activities involved in planning required relooking at our strengths and the current efforts that have been and are being successful, and insuring that they are retained as part of or connected to any new improvement activity.

Planning also necessitated reflecting on our earlier insights that were shared as we deliberated on situations, information, and observations. The comments documented as part of SID work and training sessions contained particularly valuable suggestions on what could/should be done to meet needs, as well as how we could undertake the change or improvement. These suggestions helped us to understand how one activity may have spillover effects on secondary and tertiary curricular aspects that are related (by virtue of "being a part of" or "being connected") to the target improvement area.

Within the standards-based learning construct, our improvement efforts will be on aligning with standards, articulating across grades, and expanding our assessment practices in the classroom. These efforts will be related to the content areas of Language Arts, Social Studies, Science, and Mathematics. The outcome focus of complex thinking, problem solving, and independence in learning will be integrated as they contribute to the overall development of students.