Welcome to Utah Core Standards

Overview

As described in the Utah State Legislatures Title 53E-4-202: Core Standards for Utah Public Schools, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) shall establish the core standards for Utah public schools that:

• Identify the basic knowledge, skills, and competencies­ each student is expected to acquire or master as the student advances through the public education system; and
• increase in depth and complexity from year to year and focus on consistent and continual progress within and between grade levels and courses.

In an effort for Utah to ensure high quality core content standards, the USBE has approved an internal process for review and revision. First and foremost, the USBE established a timeline for revision of core content standards for Social Studies, English Language Arts, World Languages, Library Media, Fine Arts, Mathematics, Physical Education, Driver Education, Health, Science, and Preschool. The revision timeline provides local education agencies with an expected timeline for when each of the core content standards will be up for review and potentially revision.

Standards Development Process

Core Standards Revision Process and Related Resources

Core Guide Development Process

Utah Core Standards Revision Timeline

Table 1: Utah Core Standards Revision Timeline

Review/Revision Checklist Process

At times, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) may need to consider reviewing/revising standards outside of the predetermined timeline. In order for that to occur, agency staff and the Board will consider specific cueing components to determine if a review/revision may be necessary earlier than anticipated. As part of determining whether to 1. maintain the current Utah Core standards or 2. engage in a review/revision and modify the Utah standards outside of the timeline, a cueing checklist will be utilized that includes consideration of the following components:

• Standards revision rubric threshold has been reached and recommends a revision is necessary
• New peer-reviewed or evidence-based research indicates a need for substantial revision of standards
• Changes in the labor market indicate a need for substantial revision to the standards
• Legislative statute requires a substantial revision
• Public feedback received demonstrates a need to change standards

In order for a review/revision to be cued, at least two of the components (above) must be present to proceed to the standards review process. One exception to this practice may occur if the legislative statute requires a substantial revision. In that case, then the statute would supersede the Utah State Board of Education's process.

Additionally, as part of this process, annual public feedback shall be sought for the core content standards. In order to be considered, any public feedback must be relevant and substantive in nature. While informative, impressions or general likes or dislikes concerning the standards or policies will not be assessed in the checklist comparison. If the received public input is assessed against the policy/content checklist and the current standards are found adequate, no revision shall be necessary.

Standards Revision Process

When core standards are up for review/revision, the Board has designated a standards revision eight step process. The process is informed by both Utah Administrative Code and the Utah State Board of Education Board Policy.

Utah State Board of Education Standards Revision Process

Governing Documents