The Hawai'i Charter School Review Panel has approved Hawaii Technology Academy as the newest public charter school.

The school will be open to residents of O'ahu for students kindergarten to 10th grade for the 2008-09 school year.

Students in the Hawaii Technology Academy will learn outside a traditional school building and will use the Internet to access lessons and connect to their teachers and schoolmates.

7,500 TO TAKE ALGEBRA II EXAM

Some 7,000 public high school students and 500 University of Hawai'i students are taking the American Diploma Project's Algebra II end-of-course exam this week.

The exam will be scored based on a set of common criteria, which will be determined by the 14 states participating in the Algebra II exam pilot project. This will ensure consistency of expectations regardless of where a student attends school.

Education leaders believe the exam will help ensure a consistent level of content and rigor in classes across the country.

The exam is part of the American Diploma Project, a network of 32 states that are working toward rigorous standards for high school graduation and diplomas.

COMMENCEMENT AT MANOA MAY 18

Some 3,000 students will receive degrees and certificates during the University of Hawai'i-Manoa's spring commencement ceremony May 18 at the Stan Sheriff Center.

More than 1,800 students are eligible to receive bachelor's degrees at the undergraduate ceremony, scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. At 3 p.m., master's and doctoral degrees and post-baccalaureate certificates in secondary education will be awarded to nearly 1,200 graduate degree candidates.

Kamehameha Schools CEO Dee Jay Mailer will be the featured speaker during the morning ceremony. Rita Colwell, former director of the National Science Foundation, will speak at the afternoon ceremony.

For more information, visit www.manoa.hawaii.edu/commencement.

CHAMINADE TO GIVE 400 DEGREES

About 400 students will receive their degrees at Chaminade University's spring commencement ceremony at 7 p.m. Monday at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena.

Leslie Wilcox, chief executive officer and president of PBS Hawaii, will be the special guest commencement speaker.

For more information, visit www.chaminade.edu or call 808-735-4711.

DUAL ADMISSION, ENROLLMENT PLAN

A new dual-enrollment, dual-admission program called Mananawai will allow University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu and Kapi'olani Community College students to complete their university degree more quickly and more affordably, the schools announced.

The partnership between the two institutions allows students to enroll at both campuses and work toward a baccalaureate degree. Once admitted to this program, students may enroll in courses at either campus, paying the applicable tuition rate.

A similar agreement, named Ka'ie'ie, was established with UH-Manoa last year.

For more information, contact KCC interim vice chancellor for academic affairs Louise Pagotto at 734-9517 or the UH-West O'ahu Student Services Office at 454-4700 or toll free at 866-299-8656.