​​​​​​​​​​​​​“Approval to move forward with the Strive HI Performance System validates our strategic direction and allows us to build on Hawaii’s successes,” stated Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi. “With the new system, we are more focused on college- and career-readiness, rewarding high-performing schools and customizing support to students, educators and schools with strategies proven in the Zones of School Innovation.”

Winning a Race to the Top grant in 2010, the Department established two Zones of School Innovation (ZSI) that targeted support for struggling schools in rural or remote, hard-to-staff areas serving the largest population of native Hawaiian and economically-disadvantaged students in the state.

​The Strive HI Performance System is a culmination of work by Hawaii educators, parents, community groups, and higher education. It replaces NCLB’s most ineffective and outdated components with meaningful benchmarks aligned with goals of the Department/Board of Education State Strategic Plan:​​​

	No Child Left Behind (2002-2012)	Strive HI Performance System (2013 - )
Who designed the system?	The federal government designed the system based on an outdated approach to school reform	Hawaii stakeholders designed the system to align to the BOE/DOE State Strategic Plan’s 2012 vision of success
What is the system’s focus?	Proficiency in reading and math	Readiness for college and careers
How is school performance measured?	Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) measures school performance based mostly on one test, the Hawaii State Assessment (HSA) reading and math scores in grades 3-10	The Strive HI Index measures school performance and progress, using multiple measures of student achievement, growth and readiness for success after high school, including: HSA reading and math scores; end-of-course science assessments; chronic absenteeism; 8th and 11th grade ACT scores in reading, English, math and science; high school graduation rates; and college enrollment
How are school performance targets set?	All schools are held accountable to meeting one national, aspirational target, regardless of current challenges	Each school is held accountable to meeting ambitious and attainable goals that are customized to each school complex (a high school and its feeder schools), based on current performance
Which students are schools held accountable for?	All schools are held accountable for the performance of student subgroups that do not fully reflect Hawaii’s student population	All schools are held accountable for the performance of all of Hawaii’s students and student subgroups that reflect the state’s student population
How are schools supported for improvement?	Schools are required to use federally-designed, one-size- fits-all interventions	Based on the 5 Strive HI Steps, schools receive customized rewards, support and interventions that have proven successful in Hawaii’s schools

The Strive HI Performance System not only reflects the State Strategic Plan, it aligns and connects with state education policies and initiatives including Common Core State Standards, updated assessments, more rigorous diploma and graduation requirements, successful school improvement strategies in the ZSI and robust teacher and principal evaluation and support systems.

“We are proud of the work happening at every level of Hawaii’s public education system to prepare students for real-world demands and provide better data, tools and support to students, educators and schools,” Deputy Superintendent Ronn Nozoe noted. “Now, with the approval of the Strive HI Performance System, we’ve unlocked the potential of all these efforts to work together in a coherent way to support success.”

The Department will work closely with Complex Area Superintendents and principals this summer to ensure school leaders and educators are positioned for successful implementation of the Strive HI Performance System in the coming school year. For more information, visit the Department's Strive HI Performance System​ page.