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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Utah's graduation requirements for English, science and math are getting tougher, and some educators worry it may come at the expense of art, music and dance classes.
Students will have to take one more year of English, math and science to graduate, beginning with the class of 2011. State legislators pushed for the change to boost the state's lagging test scores.
The Utah Board of Education voted Friday to require four years of English and three years each of math and science. Some school districts already make their students take that many classes, so the effects would vary.
The state now requires three years of language arts, two of math and two of science for graduation.
The board also passed a resolution saying it will not let the new standards hurt students' ability to participate in other classes.
The resolution failed to ease arts supporters' angst.
"This decision was forced by the Legislature," said Shirley Ririe, representing the Utah Arts Council and arts groups who take outreach programs to public schools. "Its consequences are far-reaching, and damaging to our valuable arts courses and teachers. It's very disappointing."
The board will consider a list of elective classes to satisfy the requirements, such as school newspaper in lieu of English class, personal finance in place of math or wildlife management instead of science.
The new requirements could mean that students who take two years of foreign language -- recommended by many universities -- will have little time to take extra electives until their senior year.
A committee of educators and community members will take public comments and recommend ways to implement the requirements at the board's May meeting. Final decisions are expected in June.
The board's plan was prompted by House Bill 230, which would have required four classes each in math, science and English. The board opposed the bill, but agreed to increase graduation requirements if it was dropped.
Zan Burningham, an art teacher at Skyview High School in Smithfield, said elective programs at her school suffered after Cache School District instituted graduation requirements similar to those adopted by the state school board.
"We went from a marching band of 153 to 75, from 17 art classes to 14," Burningham said. "Drafting and woodworking classes are almost nonexistent now. It does affect what students can take."
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
