Hawai‘i DOE submits request to US Department of Education to amend data submission
The Hawaii State Department of Education has taken immediate steps to correct erroneous data that was submitted for the 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection. A comprehensive version of the revised data set will be released pending guidance from the Federal level as well as verification from the third-party vendor.
News Release from DoE, August 15, 2019
The Hawaii State Department of Education (HIDOE) has taken immediate steps to correct erroneous data that was submitted for the 2015-16 Civil Rights Data Collection. Upon discovering the discrepancy, HIDOE submitted a request to the US Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights on Aug. 8 to amend the data, and a third-party vendor was hired to verify the correction.
The data review for the 2015-16 submission resulted in the following preliminary changes (subject to confirmation by the third-party vendor):
- Suspended days per 100 students reduced by 41 percent.
- Total days suspended reduced by 40 percent.
- Number of Pacific Islander suspensions reduced by 45 percent.
- Number of IDEA students suspended reduced by 47 percent.
- 93 percent of suspensions are less than 10 days.
“The HIDOE values accurate data reporting to ensure equity and quality supports for our students. Our focus will continue to be on using data to inform the review and enhancements of our continuum of quality support services,” said Superintendent Dr. Christina Kishimoto in a letter to Department and school-level leadership on Aug. 9. Click here to view the letter in its entirety.
A comprehensive version of the revised data set will be released pending guidance from the Federal level as well as verification from the third-party vendor that it has been corrected.
| Complex Area |
Reported: Total Suspended Days (SY15-16) |
Revised: Total Suspended Days (SY15-16) |
| Nanakuli-Waianae |
12,891 |
6,566 |
| Pearl City-Waipahu |
11,155 |
5,069 |
| Baldwin-Kekaulike-Maui |
8,410 |
4,471 |
| Farrington-Kalani-Kaiser |
7,809 |
3,816 |
| Kau-Keaau-Pahoa |
4,577 |
3,445 |
| Kaimuki-McKinley-Roosevelt |
5,110 |
3,237 |
| Campbell-Kapolei |
5,899 |
3,036 |
| Kapaa-Kauai-Waimea |
4,619 |
2,986 |
| Aiea-Moanalua-Radford |
3,810 |
2,260 |
| Honokaa-Kealakehe-Kohala-Konawaena |
3,600 |
2,221 |
| Hilo-Waiakea |
3,547 |
2,052 |
| Kailua-Kalaheo |
2,971 |
1,892 |
| Leilehua-Mililani-Waialua |
2,176 |
1,536 |
| Hana-Lahainaluna-Lanai-Molokai |
1,982 |
1,302 |
| Castle-Kahuku |
2,253 |
1,213 |
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PDF: Letter to US DoE
CB: The total days of suspension in 2015-16 was only 40% of the number initially reported to the U.S. Department of Education as part of its Civil Rights Data Collection, while 93% of the suspensions were for less than 10 days, superintendent Christina Kishimoto said at a Board of Education meeting.
She said the DOE originally reported the latter in reverse….
In an August 8 letter to the U.S. DOE Office of Civil Rights requesting to amend data, Kishimoto said the state education department had counted the number of suspended days per school by each individual offense, even if a single contained incident included more than one offense, such as “fighting and (also) having contraband,” according to an example a DOE spokeswoman provided via email.
This caused duplication of counts, according to DOE.
Kishimoto also wrote in the letter that self-reported race designations were counted twice in the collection, such that suspensions for certain subgroups like Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, for instance, were inflated in the results.
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SA Editorial: Correcting suspension data