Curriculum Research & Development Group

10 Mar University Laboratory School

The University Laboratory School is operated by CRDG as a K–12 laboratory for researching, designing, testing, and evaluating effective approaches to improving learning, teaching, and assessment.

The student population is randomly selected from among applicants to represent a broad cross section reflecting the state population distribution of gender, school-level accomplishment, family income, and ethnicity.

All students are in school for seven and one-half hours each day, and take a challenging comprehensive curriculum that includes English, mathematics, science, social studies, art, music, performing arts, and foreign languages, as well as electives each year.

The school has no tracking of students. All students take the identical core program in non-segregated classes. All students graduate ready for college, work, and responsible citizenship. The school curriculum is built on multi-year sequences of learning emphasizing creativity, inquiry, problem solving, and active learning. In most cases, students and teachers use CRDG-developed programs and approaches. The school serves as a demonstration site for these programs, hosting observers, researchers, and educators-in-training.

The broad range of activities included in the school’s core curriculum allows its students to excel in state and national level programs in all areas. Approximately 80 percent of ULS students participate in activities outside of school in visual and performing arts, speech, mathematics, music, writing, and athletics.

The University Laboratory School was honored in 2005 as one of Hawai‘i’s distinguished schools. The twenty public schools that received this designation showed significant achievement in the areas of language arts and mathematics and consistently performed well on standardized tests.

While we are very proud of our students’ test scores, which continue to be among the highest in the state, we are equally proud of the many other indicators of success our students exhibit. A key statistic, often overlooked, but critical to so many other areas, is our 97 percent attendance rate and 100 percent graduation rate. Additionally, 97 percent of our graduates this year went on to some form of higher education.

Another set of statistics we feel demonstrates our student’s success is the high rate of participation in a wide range of activities. In addition to the standard ULS curriculum which includes awardwinning programs in English, mathematics, science, social studies, music, art, and computer education, approximately 80 percent of our students participated in extra-curricular activities including academic programs, performing arts, and athletics.

For over twenty years, ULS has maintained a sister school relationship with two Japanese high schools. This year, 155 students from Nishinippon High School visited ULS on December 1. Eight-eight students from Sohseikan High School visited on December 5. Both schools were hosted by our seniors and were treated to performances by the ULS Funk Band, the Hula and Chant class, and the ULS Select Chorus.

ULS students participated in the following programs:

• National Merit Scholarship Program
• 2004 National Scholastic Art Exhibition
• 2004 Hawai‘i Regional Scholastic Art Exhibition
• Kaha Ki‘i Congressional Art Exhibition
• Hawai‘i Education Association Essay Contest
• Hawai‘i Speech League Speech and Debate Championship Tournament
• Martin Luther King Speech Invitational Tournament
• American Mathematics Competition
• Hawai‘i State Math Bowl
• Oahu Mathematics League
• MathCounts
• Hawai‘i Regional Ocean Science Bowl
• O‘ahu Band Directors’ Association Select Band
• O‘ahu Band Directors’ Association High School Solo & Ensemble Competition
• Hawai‘i Youth Symphony
• Hawai‘i All-State High School Honor Choir
• First annual State Spanish Poetry Contest
• Hawai‘i History Day
• University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa Outreach College Summer Scholars program
• Interscholastic League of Honolulu
• Model United Nations
• Japan Bowl
• Japan Wizards Competition
• WorldQuest Competition
• Pacific and Asian Affairs Council South Korea Study Trip
• ULS Community Service Club
• Hawai‘i High School Mock Trial Tournament