Hawaiʻi State Assessment Lost In Translation

Hawaiʻi State Assessment Lost In Translation

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Hoʻomau aku nō ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao ʻo Hawaiʻi Mokuʻāina e unuhi i ka HSA ma hope o 10 makahiki.

ʻOiai ʻo Hawaiʻi mokuʻāina ka mokuʻāina hoʻokahi o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa me ʻelua ʻōlelo kūhelu, hoʻonaʻauao ʻia nā keiki ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi a ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia.  I ka wā i lilo ai ʻo NCLB he kānāwai ma ʻAmelika koi ʻia ka mokuʻāina e hoʻomohala i hōʻike kūhelu ma ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia a ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

Wahi a William H. Wilson, Ph.D. kekahi loea ma ke kālaiʻōlelo a me ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, “Ua hoʻomaka ka unuhi ʻana mai ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia a i ka Hawaiʻi ua hemahema loa ia unuhi mua ʻana ua unuhi ʻia me nā huaʻōlelo maopopo ʻole i nā kumu a me nā haumāna ua haku wale ka mea unuhi i kāna mau huaʻōlelo iho.  No laila ua ʻike ka ʻoihana hoʻonaʻauao ʻaʻole maikaʻi ka hōʻike unuhi, no laila ua hai ʻia kēia poʻe ʻo PREL kekahi hui hoʻonaʻauao ma Hawaiʻi e haku i kekahi kiʻina e hana ʻia ai he hōʻike ʻano kaulike …ua puka nā keiki me ka maikaʻi mai ia hōʻike.  Eia naʻe, manaʻo ihola ko ka pekelala, ʻaʻole i hoʻokō ʻia nā koina o ke kānāwai No Child Left Behind ma ia hōʻike hou.  No laila ua haʻi ʻia ka ʻoihana hoʻonaʻauao e hoʻi i ka unuhi.  A laila ua hai ʻia ka hui hoʻokahi e hana i ka hōʻike ʻōlelo Haole e hana pū ia hui i ka hōʻike Hawaiʻi a e unuhi…mai ka ʻōlelo Haole i ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi. A ua pilikia hou.  A ʻo ka hui i hai ʻia no ka hana i ka hōʻike ʻōlelo Pelekānia, he hui ma Wakinekona DC, ʻaʻole loaʻa ka poʻe ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi no laila ua hoʻolaha lākou ma ke Craigslist, a ua loaʻa kekahi poʻe hai ʻia me kēlā. Akā ʻaʻole lākou ʻike i ka poʻe mākaukau a mākaukau ʻole.  A ua unuhi ʻia a nui nā hemahema o ka ʻenehana, ka ʻokina a me ke kahakō, ua hewa a ua hoʻohui hewa ʻia nā huaʻōlelo, ʻo nā pākuhi aia ma ka ʻaoʻao hewa, nui ʻino nā hemahema. A i ka wā i hāʻawi ai i nā kula, ua haunaele lākou.”

Wahi a ke Poʻo o ka Hoʻokaʻaʻike no ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o Hawaiʻi Mokuʻāina,

“No ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o ka Mokuʻāina o Hawaiʻi, he mea nui ka hoʻomohala ʻana i hōʻike ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi i launa me nā koina o Nā Ana Loi O Ka Mokuʻāina ʻO Hawaiʻi me ke kākoʻo pū hoʻi i ka hōʻoia i ka mākaukau o nā haumāna no ka puka kula kiʻekiʻe, ka puka kulanui, a me ka hana ʻoihana…ʻO ka mea koʻikoʻi loa, ʻo ia nō ka puka lanakila o nā haumāna.”

A ma loko nō o ka pono e hai ʻia nā mea unuhi i mākaukau hoʻi ma ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, he kōkoʻolua ko ka ʻōlelo, a ʻo ke kuanaʻike ia kōkoʻolua.

“ʻOkoʻa ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, ʻokoʻa ka ʻōlelo Pelekānia.  Pono e hahai ka hōʻike Hawaiʻi i kekahi kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi a ka hōʻike Pelekānia i ke kuanaʻike Pelekānia.  A ʻo ia ka ʻīkoi o kēia pilikia.  ʻO kēia kumuhana o ka mālama kula ʻana ma ka ʻōlelo hawaiʻi, he koʻikoʻi no ka hōʻike ʻana o Hawaiʻi nei ma ke ʻano he mokuʻāina, i loko o ke kuanaʻike Hawaiʻi, i loko o ke ʻano hou o kēia manawa,” wahi a Wilson.

Hoʻomau aku nō ko ka ʻOihana Hoʻonaʻauao o Hawaiʻi Mokuʻāina a me nā koa wiwoʻole o ka papahana hoʻōla ʻōlelo a mauli ola Hawaiʻi i ka paʻu mau i ka hōʻoia i ka mākaukau o nā haumāna ma nā ʻōlelo kūhelu ʻelua o Hawaiʻi, ka welo hoʻi e kaulana ai ko Hawaiʻi a puni hoʻi o ʻAmelika, ka Pākīpika, a me ke ao holoʻokoʻa.

E ola mau ka ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi.

-na Nāhulu Maioho

Hawaiʻi State Department of Education continues to battle a 10 year long challenge to translate the Hawaiian State Assessment into the Hawaiian language.

With two official languages, compulsory education in the State of Hawaiʻi is offered in both Hawaiian and English.  When No Child Left Behind became law in 2001, the State had to develop standardized tests in English an in Hawaiian.

According to William H. Wilson, Ph.D., Hawaiian language and linguistic analyst at University of Hawaiʻi Hilo, “The initial tests were just translations of the English tests and the translations were horrendous; using random words not even used in school.  So the DOE turned from a direct translation approach and hired a local education research firm to develop a new, more appropriate, test from scratch. It was instituted and the keiki did extremely well on the test.  However, the federal government found that the new test didn’t meet NCLB requirements.  The DOE, after being told to return to a translation approach, hired the same company that produces the English test to develop the Hawaiian test, which presented yet another problem. This company is based in DC and obviously doesn’t employ Hawaiian-speaking test developers, so they put an ad in Craigslist to find help. People were found and hired but the company had no way to assess their competence in Hawaiian.   Again, the translation was riddled with language and grammar issues, resulting in an uproar from the community.”

According to Communications Director of the Hawaiʻi State DOE,

“The Hawaii State Department of Education is fully committed to creating statewide assessments in the Hawaiian language that are aligned to the Common Core State Standards and that are designed to help prepare students to graduate high school college- and career-ready…Ultimately, the success of this …will mean student success.”

“While this requires test developers who are competent in the Hawaiian language, it is not solely about language. Hawaiian and English are completely different languages, with their own unique contexts and perspectives. Addressing this perspective difference is the issue.  These schools, administered entirely in Hawaiian from a Hawaiian perspective, are important for Hawaiʻi,” Wilson says.

The State DOE and the Hawaiian Immersion community continue to work to ensure a quality educational experience in both of our state’s official languages; something ensuring our unique heritage.

-by Nāhulu Maioho 

ʻŌiwi TV reaches across generations, socio-economic statuses, and geographic locations as the sole media venue where the Hawaiian language, culture and perspective thrive. Through Digital Channel 326, ʻŌiwi TV reaches over 220,000 households across the entire State via Oceanic Time Warner Cable’s network. Through its website, mobile, and social media venues, ʻŌiwi TV is reaching Hawaiians everywhere and engaging a generation of Hawaiians that expect to access anything and everything from anywhere at anytime.

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  1. […] Hawaiian. In 2003, the state paid a Washington, D.C.–based nonprofit to translate its test—but the resultwas an exam containing words not used in the immersion schools and lacking local context. Then, for […]

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