Aloha State News

Hawaii’s Board of Education superintendent issued a statement in support of an online program that she says affirms the commitment to high standards of teaching for students after parent concerns related to content.

Christina Kishimoto, superintendent of the Hawaii State Board of Education, praised the Acellus Learning Accelerator in a press statement, saying the BOE has vetted the program and chose it to aid schools, teachers and students in distance learning forced by COVID-19.

However, some schools agreeing to use Acellus have now pulled out of the program due to complaints from parents about inappropriate content, the Star Advertiser reported. Laie Elementary School and Aliamanu Elementary school both reversed their decisions on using Acellus.

"As the designers of learning, our teachers evaluate all curriculum materials and use professional discretion in determining what is appropriate," Kishimoto said in the release. "If there is any content that educators deem inappropriate or that fails to meet standards, our existing academic review process should be initiated. That is true for all curriculum materials in alignment with the value we place on equity, student agency, and empowered teacher voice."

Kishimoto said that any students or parents who come across concerning content should report it to the teacher or principal. 

"This has been and continues to be the process for any issues relating to HIDOE instructional materials," she said. "We caution against broad internet searches for controversial content that may capture material that is not part of our curriculum or that is outdated or manipulated."

The Acellus Learning Accelerator is just one of the many learning curriculums available for schools in the state. The BOE, said Kisimoto, has used it in the past and she pointed out that anyone can read about the program and how it was selected for distance learning on the BOE website.

Kishimoto said that teachers and staff have been “working diligently to design and implement the best possible learning opportunities for our students. This work has involved transitioning an education system that for decades has been designed exclusively for in-person learning to one that supports distance learning.”

According to Kishimoto, nearly 70% of the state’s schools have chosen the Acellus Learning Accelerator, which is comprised of online curriculum and instructional materials for distance learning programs.

“Feedback from schools and teachers with first-hand experience using the program has included praise for its ease of use for students and the ability to automatically adjust to support struggling learners,” said Kishimoto.