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SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah State Board of Education voted Friday to adopt a set of new education standards in reading and mathematics.
- Make expectations for students clear to parents, teachers, and the general public;
- Encourage the development of textbooks, digital media, and other teaching materials aligned to the standards;
- Develop and implement comprehensive assessment systems to measure student performance against the common core state standards that will replace the existing testing systems that too often are inconsistent, burdensome and confusing; and
- Evaluate policy changes needed to help students and educators meet the standards.
Common Core State Standards Initiative
The standards align with other states across the country to ultimately help students prepare for college and careers.
The benchmarks, called the Common Core State Standards, will be implemented in public schools kindergarten through 12th grade.
"They are the standards of what students should be able to know and do as they walk out of that 12th-grade year to be college and career ready," said Debra Roberts, chair of the Utah State Board of Education.
Utah joins more than 30 other states in adopting the standards. The initiative, led by the National Governors Association, creates a more unified set of education goals throughout the country.
The standards also offer teachers a road map in the classroom.
"We have the most incredible teachers in the world here in Utah, and I think this will be a tool to help them improve their instruction," Roberts said.
The new standards do not mandate curriculum -- something a few members of the board feel strongly about.
"I believe it's important to the people of Utah that we maintain our independence as a state in control of public education," said education board member Craig Coleman.
Utah State Superintendent Larry Shumway said there will be changes in how students are tested on the material they learn in school. Student assessments will align with the new core standards and give teachers the tools to monitor student progress more frequently.
"It's sometimes said that our assessments tend to be autopsies rather than sort of a diagnosis that could help with treatment," Shumway said. "Information that will give teachers what they need today to determine what they teach tomorrow will be very helpful in our classrooms."
The new standards won't change what happens in a couple of weeks when school starts. The board says it will take four to five years for the core standards to be worked into the curriculum.
E-mail: aforester@ksl.com
