"The Regulatory Sandbox in Education" (S.B. 191, 2022) allows a school to implement an innovative education program and apply to the State Board of Education for a temporary waiver of state board rule to support an innovative education program. Under this program, local agencies approve proposed plans which are then reported to the State…

During its 2020 session, the Utah Legislature passed S.B. 111, "Higher Education Amendments"--a sweeping change to higher education structure and governance that merges the Utah System of Higher Education and the Utah System of Technical Colleges. While passing the legislation only took a matter of weeks, the process leading up to the…

This report identifies the statutory requirements, including programs, reports, evaluations, and accountability measures, impacted by the assessment waiver and describes how each statutory requirement is impacted by the assessment waiver. It discusses the data which the State Board has not collected or will not collect because of the assessment…

The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) released a Request for Proposals (RFP) during the summer of 2021 for a firm to support the redesign of Utah's School Accountability System so that it's more aligned with Personalized, Competency-Based Learning and Utah's Portrait of a Graduate, but still simple and transparent. The current Utah School…

Civic and character education are both essential pillars that support the mission of public schools. As defined in statute, civic education means the cultivation of informed, responsible participation in political life by competent citizens committed to the fundamental values and principles of representative democracy. Character education means…

The increasing need for highly-skilled employees in the workplace has policymakers and higher education leaders focused on innovative ways for students to access postsecondary education. These access points can include online programs, prior learning assessments and, the subject of this snapshot, competency-based education. The National Center for…

Civic and character education are both essential pillars that support the mission of public schools. Utah teachers and schools take this responsibility very seriously, and work diligently and creatively to provide content and pedagogy that supports effective civic and character education. This report is provided to the Utah State Legislature to…

It's not unusual for lawmakers to debate aspects of the American political system, but a recent discussion in Utah's House of Representatives wasn't merely theoretical. The bill under consideration, since signed into law, requires public schools to teach that the United States is a "compound constitutional republic." The curriculum also…

The West Comprehensive Center (WCC) is working with the Arizona Department of Education (ADE), the Nevada Department of Education (NDE), and the Utah State Office of Education (USOE) to assist districts and schools that are implementing activities to improve outcomes for Indian students. As a first step, WCC staff reviewed state and national law,…

The text of the Higher Education Act of 1969, which established the Utah System of Higher Education, is presented. To govern this system as a single governing board, the legislature established the new state board of regents, which is composed of 16 members. Institutional councils were established to assist in the government of the institutions.…

Discusses Utah's competency-based education bill (S.B. 154). Includes graduation requirements, role of local boards, task force charge, alternative teacher certification, state education summit, state board of education role in the bill's implementation. (PKP)

Many states have begun to use independent or outside hearing officers in public educator termination efforts, curtailing the exclusive role of local school boards as fact finders and judges. This paper reports the findings of a two-part study that: (1) investigated the statutory codes of all 50 states to determine the current procedural methods…

The general policies followed by the Utah Board of Regents are compiled by the former state commissioner of higher education. Specific actions taken with regard to academic programs and related matters at individual institutions are not included, but statutory provisions that affect board policies are noted in the text. Contents cover: the system…

As part of a foundation for a multilevel analysis of career ladder reform among educational employees in Utah, this paper focuses on policymaking from the state perspective. Career ladder policy decisions are determined primarily through state legislative action, which are executed by the state board of education. This paper describes policy…