R277-717. High School Course Grading Requirements

R277.  Education, Administration.

R277-717.  High School Course Grading Requirements.

R277-717-1.  Authority and Purpose.

          (1)  This rule is authorized by:

          (a)  Utah Constitution Article X, Section 3, which vests general control and supervision over public education in the Board;

          (b)  Subsection 53E-3-401(4), which allows the Board to make rules to execute the Board's duties and responsibilities under the Utah Constitution and state law; and

          (c)  Section 53E-4-208, which directs the Board to establish standards for citizenship grading policies.

          (2)  The purpose of this rule is to establish requirements for awarding credit when a student repeats a course or takes a comparable course and earns a higher grade.

 

R277-717-2.  Definitions.

          (1)  "Citizenship grade" has the same meaning as defined in Section 53E-4-208.

          (2)  "Comparable course" means a teacher led course that:

          (a)  fulfills the same graduation credit requirements as the original course; and

          (b)  aligns with a majority of the same Core Standards, strands, or essential learning objectives as the course for which a student seeks to improve a grade.

          (3)  "Course" means a course that a student:

          (a)  is enrolled in; and

          (b)(i)  completes; or

          (ii)  withdraws from but still receives a grade.

          (4)  "Course Component" means a quarter, term, or other defined grading interval within a course.

          (5)  "Durable skills" means behaviors and habits associated with college and career readiness, including responsibility, participation, engagement, timeliness, and effective communication.

          (6)  "Highest grade" means a grade that reflects the higher grade of:

          (a)  a course and a repeat of the course; or

          (b)  a course and a comparable course.

          (7)  "LEA" includes the Utah Schools for the Deaf and the Blind for purposes of this rule.

          (8)  "Observable behavior" means a documented student action or omission that may be consistently measured using clearly disclosed criteria.

          (9)  "Packet" has the same meaning as defined in Subsection R277-705-2(9).

          (10)  "Packet Method" has the same meaning as defined in Subsection R277-705-2(10).

          (11)  "Recurring course" means a course that a student takes more than once to:

          (a)  further the student's understanding and skills in the course subject, such as journalism or band; or

          (b)  satisfy a different credit requirement that the course may fulfill, such as an art class that fulfills an elective requirement and an art requirement.

          (12)  "Student" means an individual enrolled in an LEA in grade 9, 10, 11, or 12.

          (13)  "Teacher led" means a course led by a licensed educator:

          (a)  directs the instructional process and manages the delivery of the Core Standards: and

          (b)  provides direct feedback and assessment of student mastery.

 

R277-717-3.  Grade Replacement.

          (1)(a)  A student may, to improve a course grade received by the student:

          (i)  repeat the course one or more times; or

          (ii)  enroll in and complete a comparable course.

          (b)  A grade for an additional unit of a recurring course does not change a student's original course grade for purposes of this section.

          (2)  If a student repeats a course, the student's LEA:

          (a)  shall adjust, if necessary, the student's course grade and grade point average to reflect the student's highest grade and exclude a lower grade;

          (b)  shall exclude from the student's permanent record the course grade that is not the highest grade; and

          (c)  may not otherwise show on the student's current record that the student repeated the course.

          (3)(a)  If a student enrolls in a comparable course, the student shall, at the time of enrolling in the comparable course, inform the student's LEA of the student's intent to enroll in the course for improving a course grade.

          (b)  If a student enrolls in a comparable course, the student's LEA:

          (i)  shall confirm, when the student enrolls in the comparable course, that the comparable course fulfills the same credit requirements as the course that the student intends to replace with the comparable course grade;

          (ii)  shall update the student's current record and grade point average to reflect the highest grade between the course and the comparable course and exclude the lower grade and corresponding course; and

          (iii)  may not otherwise show the course or comparable course for which the student did not receive the highest grade on the student's record.

          (c)  An LEA may not approve a course for grade replacement if the replacement course is in a different subject area or instructional discipline than the original course, regardless or whether both courses satisfy elective credit requirements.

          (d)  For the purposes of this rule, a course is only "comparable" if it is housed within the same department or CTE cluster as the original course.

          (4)  An LEA may not use the packet method, or classify a packet as original credit, to improve a previous course grade of a high school student as described in Subsection R277-705-3(9).

          (5)  An LEA shall allow a student to repeat an individual course component to improve a grade for that specific period, provided the course structure allows for such separation.

          (a)  If a student repeats an individual course component:

          (i)  the LEA shall replace the original grade earned for that component with the higher grade; and

          (ii)  the LEA shall; recalculate the final grade of the course to reflect improvement.

          (6)  An LEA may not require a student to repeat portions of a course in which the student has already demonstrated mastery, as evidenced by earning a passing grade, as a condition for grade replacement of a failed term or component.

 

R277-717-4.  Citizenship Grading Standards.

          (1)  Beginning with the 2027-2028 school year, a teacher assigning citizenship grades independent of an LEA-adopted citizenship grading policy, in accordance with Section 53E-4-208, shall ensure that citizenship grades:

          (a)  are based on clearly defined and observable behaviors;

          (b)  use consistent criteria;

          (c)  are communicated to students and parents at the beginning of a course or grading period;

          (d)  remain separate from measures of academic content mastery; and

          (e)  comply with state and federal nondiscrimination and disability accommodation requirements.

          (2)  Citizenship grading standards under Subsection R277-717-4(1) shall include criteria related to durable skills, including:

          (a)  attendance;

          (b)  meeting deadlines;

          (c)  respectfully listening, interacting, and cooperating in classroom activities; and

          (d)  effective communication including proactively communicating with the teacher regarding missed classroom time due to parent-excused or school-excused absences.

          (3)  A teacher may not assign or reduce a citizenship grade based on:

          (a)  a student's disability or documented accommodation need;

          (b)  a valid excused absence as defined in Section 53G-6-201; and

          (c)  a religious belief or right of conscience assertion made pursuant to Section 53G-10-205.

          (4)  An LEA that adopts citizenship grading policies in accordance with Section 53E-4-208 shall:

          (a)  establish LEA-wide citizenship grading standards consistent with Subsections R277-717-4(1) through (3);

          (b)  annually notify parents and students regarding:

          (i)  the citizenship grading policy;

          (ii)  the criteria used to determine citizenship grades; and

          (iii)  the parent's right to opt a student out of citizenship grading in accordance with Subsection 53E-4-208(6);

          (c)  establish procedures for parent opt-out requests; and

          (d)  ensure that a student who opts out receives grades based solely on academic content mastery.

 

KEY:  students, grades, credits

Date of Last Change:  October 8, 2026

Notice of Continuation:  January 13, 2022

Authorizing, and Implemented or Interpreted Law:  Art X Sec 3; 53E-3-401(4); 53E-4-208

Status of Rule

Effective October 8, 2026

Five-year review January 13, 2027

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Related Utah Law

Public Education Statutes
None

Other Statutes
None

USBE Administrative Rules
R277-100, Definitions for USBE Rules

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Related Federal Law

None

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Resources

None

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Contact Information

Primary Contact:
Cathy Grey
cathy.grey@schools.utah.gov
GATEways to Success

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