The state lifted three charter schools out of the low-performing category of its new accountability system after correcting data errors.

The schools had been dinged for poor graduation rates, hitting a trigger that automatically placed them in “priority” status for dipping below a 70 percent rate for three consecutive years. Priority schools represent the bottom 5 percent of schools on the state Department of Education’s Strive HI performance system.

The new system largely replaces federal mandates of the No Child Left Behind law that required schools to meet rising reading and math proficiency targets or face sanctions. In addition to test scores, it credits schools for attendance, graduation and college-going rates, and closing the achievement gap between high-needs students — English-language learners or those who are economically disadvantaged or have disabilities — and their peers.

The Department of Education said on Friday that it erred by using only two years of graduation rates when calculating the first round of Strive HI results released last month.

As a result, the Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science in Pahoa, Hawaii Technology Academy
in Waipahu and Kihei Charter School on Maui are now in the “focus” category, one step above the priority level.

Steve Hirakami, school director at Hawaii Academy of Arts and Science, said he challenged his school’s initial rating.

“I found our school in the bottom 5 percent of all schools in Hawaii. I’ve never considered our school a low-performing school. Our test scores have always been sufficient,” Hirakami said, adding that the school has met reading proficiency targets the past six years.

After learning of the trigger, he said he pulled the school’s graduation rates for the past three years: 94 percent, 61 percent and 68 percent last year.

“I’m really glad we’re not labeled at the bottom anymore, but this caused a lot of unnecessary anxiety and negativity. We lost some enrollment at the beginning of the year; it really affected morale among the teachers,” Hirakami said.

But he said now the school can focus on improving its graduation rate.

“When you have a small graduating class (34 students last year), every kid amounts to 3 or 4 percentage points. And in Pahoa, there are socioeconomic issues where some students say they can’t afford to stay in school and need to work instead,” Hirakami said. “But now we can forge ahead and focus on the deficiency.”

Under Strive HI, schools are assigned a score out of a possible 400 points that generally determines where they place on one of five category “steps.”
 

Fourteen elementary schools earned spots in the top “recognition” category. The bulk of the state’s 286 schools, or about 80 percent, ranked in the second-highest category, “continuous improvement.”

The remaining 15 percent of schools were designated as “focus” or “priority” schools. No schools were placed in the bottom category, “superintendent’s zone,” for the initial ratings.

In all, the department adjusted the Strive HI results of nine schools on Friday.

Puna charter school Kua O Ka La was bumped up to “continuous improvement” from focus. Olomana School and Hakipu‘u Learning Center, both in Windward Oahu, remain priority schools, but each had their automatic trigger changed to “low performance” from low graduation rate.

Kualapuu, Lanikai and Waialae elementary charter schools had new attendance data added to their scores, but kept their continuous improvement status.