DAVID Y. IGE
GOVERNOR

DR. CHRISTINA M. KISHIMOTO
SUPERINTENDENT

Janette Snelling
COMPLEX AREA SUPERINTENDENT

STATE OF HAWAI’I
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
KEALAKEHE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
74-5118 KEALAKA’A STREET
KAILUA-KONA, HAWAI’I 96740
PHONE (808) 313-7900 – FAX (808) 327-4347

August 23, 2020
Aloha Kealakehe Ohana!
Kealakehe Elementary and the West Hawaii Complex administration have been made aware of the
allegations circulating online regarding the credibility and the background of Acellus, the distance
learning platform that our school has selected this year. According to Acellus, the claims have been tied
to a competitor and have not been substantiated, therefore we are unable to speculate.
Our school is using the Acellus Learning Accelerator program to help support our curriculum. The
program is used by Acellus Academy which is accredited by the Western Association of Schools &
Colleges (WASC). The Acellus Learning Accelerator program has been used by Hawaii schools for the
past ten years. Approximately 120 Hawaii schools are part of the 5,000 schools nationwide that utilize
this program.
The Acellus Learning Accelerator program was used this past summer by the Hawai’i State Department
of Education (HIDOE) for credit recovery and many schools utilized this as a tool to support their summer
distance learning option. Other schools decided to explore this tool as a resourceful option with practical
implementation to distance learning plans this school year. HIDOE has secured a data sharing
agreement to ensure the platform meets requirements to safely house student information.
Through the Acellus Prism Diagnostic, specific deficiencies in students’ understanding of core concepts
are identified and instruction is customized with personal instruction videos for that precise deficit. It has
been utilized effectively in fully-self contained classes all the way to advanced placement (AP) classes.
We have a teacher assigned to each student to monitor and provide supplemental instruction to meet the
academic needs of your child.
There are unprecedented and challenging times. Our teachers and staff have been working tirelessly to
implement the best possible learning opportunities under the given conditions with the resource that we
have available.
If you still have concerns about this platform that you would like to discuss, please contact me at 808313-7900 or email nancy.matsukawa@k12.hi.us
Sincerely,
Nancy Matsukawa

Principal