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Each year, thousands of Utah students take advantage of the many schooling options the state has to offer. Whether it is a traditional public school, charter school, online education, private or even home school, Utah has a wide variety of options for each child and his or her individual circumstance.
And while most are aware of the different schooling options, many students and parents may not be aware of the many things, by way of programs and other benefits, that Utah schools have to offer.
Here are some things you may not know about the Utah school system:
Free ACT testing.
Utah is one of 13 states that offers free ACT testing to 11th grade students in public high schools. According to a recent article published in the Washington Post, the availability of free testing has nudged many students onto the college track who may not have otherwise been.
Gifted services.
For many academically gifted students, being challenged in the classroom can often be just that: a challenge. Many schools and school districts offer programs catered to the gifted student. As stated on the “Gifted Services” tab on the Alpine School District website, “Gifted Programs and Services is to advocate for appropriate educational opportunities for the diverse population of high ability students.”
Online courses.More and more Utah students are taking online courses. With the choice to take classes part-time or full-time, these courses have options for many diverse learners. According to the director of utahonline.org, Laura Belnap, online schools are beneficial because students can customize their own learning without repeating concepts they already know. They also can work at their own pace without having a traditional Monday - Friday schedule.
Student advocacy.
With Utah’s culturally and economically diverse population, programs advocating for students and families offer resources that prove invaluable. The Canyons School District offers family literacy centers, translation services and migrant education funds, to name a few. On the website it states, “The purpose of these programs is to provide education and support services to children and they are specifically designed to meet individual educational needs.”
Tutoring services.Many Utah students struggle in reading. In order to help bring these students up to grade level, the Utah State Office of Education offers the Student Tutoring Achievement for Reading program, or STAR, for these students. This program is for free one-on-one tutoring with adult volunteers or paraprofessionals.
Another tutoring service many may not be aware of is one offered to homeless students. According to the Granite School District website, there were 1,188 students in Granite School District that were identified as homeless in the 2013-2014 school year.
Language immersion programs.
Seeing the long-term benefits of learning a second language, the Utah State office of Education has recently begun offering Dual Language Immersion programs. With 118 schools in the state offering these programs, hundreds of Utah students are benefitting from this innovative program.
To learn what programs your school has to offer, contact your school administrator or go to schools.utah.gov. To learn more about online programs visit Utahonline.org.
