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  3. ECA- Curriculum: Required Instruction

ECA- Curriculum: Required Instruction

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Adopted: November 2022

ECA- Curriculum:
Required Instruction

Required Core Curriculum

The District’s curriculum shall at least meet the minimum requirements of state law and State Board rules. Those minimum requirements are to contain the essential elements of each subject at appropriate grade levels. The essential elements represent the core knowledge, skills, and competencies all students should learn to be effective and productive members of society. The District may add elements at its discretion but shall not delete or omit instruction in the essential elements.

In addition, the District shall provide character education in connection with regular schoolwork, through an integrated curriculum approach. Instruction in this area shall emphasize honesty, temperance, morality, courtesy, obedience to law, respect for and an understanding of the constitutions of the United States and the state of Utah, the essentials and benefits of the free enterprise system, respect for parents and home, and the dignity and necessity of honest labor and other skills, habits, and qualities of character which will promote an upright and desirable citizenry and better prepare students for a richer, happier life.

Utah Code § 53G-10-204 (2022)

K-6 core curriculum

The K-6 core subject requirements are:

  1. English Language Arts
  2. Mathematics
  3. Science
  4. Social Studies
  5. Arts:
    1. Visual Arts
    2. Music
    3. Dance
    4. Theater
  6. Health Education
  7. Physical Education
  8. Educational Technology;
  9. Library Media skills, integrated into the core subject areas; and
  10. Civics and character education, integrated into the core subject areas.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-4(2) (August 12, 2021)

Formative assessment will occur on a regular basis to ensure continual student progress. State-approved summative adaptive assessments will be used to assess student mastery of language arts, mathematics, science and (in grade five) effectiveness of written expression.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-4(5), (6), (7) (August 12, 2021)

Grades 7-8 Core Requirements—

In grades 7-8, students shall complete the following courses:

  1. Grade 7 Language Arts
  2. Grade 8 Language Arts
  3. Grade 7 Mathematics
  4. Grade 8 Mathematics
  5. Grade 7 Integrated Science
  6. Grade 8 Integrated Science
  7. United States History
  8. Utah History
  9. At least one course in each of the following in grades 7 or 8:
    1. Health Education
    2. College and Career Awareness
    3. The Arts
    4. Physical Education

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-5(2), (3) (August 12, 2021)

In addition to the foregoing requirements, the Board of Education may, as it determines appropriate, require a student to complete additional courses, may offer additional elective courses, and may set minimum credit requirements.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-5(6) (August 12, 2021)

State-approved summative adaptive assessments will be used to assess student mastery of language arts, mathematics, writing (in grade eight) and science.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-5(5) (August 12, 2021)

The District may, upon request of a student or parent and with parental consent, substitute a course requirement set out above with a course, extracurricular activity, or experience that is either similar to the course requirement or consistent with the student’s plan for college and career readiness. The request shall:

  • Be made in writing
  • Include a parent’s signature
  • Identify the proposed substitution
  • Explain how the proposed substitution meets the foregoing standard

This request shall be initially evaluated by the counselor responsible for the student, who shall determine whether the request contains the required elements and shall make a recommendation regarding whether the request should be approved or denied. This recommendation shall be submitted to the principal or the principal’s designee, who shall grant or deny the request. If the student or parent is dissatisfied with the determination of the principal, the decision can be appealed to the Superintendent, who shall review the decision and determine whether it should be changed. The decision of the Superintendent is final.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-5(7), (8) (August 12, 2021)

Grades 9-12 Core Curriculum

The minimum number of credits required for students in grades 9-12 shall be 27, as follows: English 4.0 credits

  • 1.0 credit English 9
  • 1.0 credit English 10
  • 1.0 credit English 11
  • 1.0 credit English 12

World Languages 1.0 credit

Mathematics 3.0 credits

  • Secondary Math I
  • Secondary Math II
  • Secondary Math III or 1.0 credit from the Advanced, Applied, or Foundation course list

Science 3.0 credits

  • 2.0 credits from the four foundation areas: Earth Systems, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics
  • 1.0 credit from the foundation courses or the applied/advanced science core list

Social Studies 3.0 credits

  • 0.5 credit Geography
  • 1.0 credit World History
  • 1.0 credit U.S. History
  • 0.5 credit US Government and Citizenship

Financial Literacy 0.5 credits

  • 0.5 credit Financial Literacy or BUSN 1021

Health 0.5 credit

P.E. 1.5 credits

  • 0.5 Fitness for Life
  • 0.5 Lifetime Activities
  • 0.5 Participation Skills & Techniques

Fine Arts 1.5 credits

  • 1.5 credits Fine Arts Electives

CTE (Career/Technology Education) 1.0 credit

Digital Literacy 0.5 credit

  • 0.5 Business Office Applications, 0.5 Computer Science Principles, or 0.5 Computer Programming

Electives 7.5 credits

The District may modify a student’s graduation requirements:

  1. To meet the unique educational needs of the student if the student has a disability and the modifications to graduation requirements are made through the student’s IEP.
    Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-6(24) (August 12, 2021)
  2. To allow for extenuating circumstances in the student’s life situation (such as a student moving from another high school where the course schedule does not allow for 27 credits to be earned). This requires a recommendation from the school administration, and subsequent approval by the Board.

College and Career Readiness Mathematics Competency

A student who is pursuing a college degree after graduation is encouraged to take a full year mathematics course during the student’s senior year unless the student has, before the beginning of the senior year, met one of the following requirements:

  1. A score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) calculus AB or BC exam;
  2. A score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) statistics exam;
  3. A score of 5 or higher on an International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level math exam;
  4. A score of 50 or higher on a College Level Exam Program (CLEP) pre-calculus or calculus exam;
  5. A score of 26 or higher on the mathematics portion of the American College Test (ACT) exam;
  6. A score of 640 or higher on the mathematics portion of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) exam; or
  7. A “C” grade or higher in a concurrent enrollment mathematics course that satisfies a state system of higher education quantitative literacy requirement.

A non-college degree seeking student shall complete appropriate math competencies for the student’s career goals as described in the student’s Plan for College and Career Readiness.

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-9 (August 12, 2021)

Assessment of Student Mastery of Core Standards

The Board of Education is responsible to provide students with access to courses in the basic academic subjects of the core standards for Utah public schools established by the State Board of Education and for students’ mastery of those standards. The Board of Education shall use evidence-based best practices, technology, and other instructional media to increase the relevance and quality of instruction. Student mastery of the core standards shall be evaluated through District participation in statewide assessments as directed by the State Board of Education. Students who have not achieved mastery of the core standards will be provided intervention as provided for by State statute and State Board of Education regulations. The Board of Education is responsible to ensure statewide assessments are administered in compliance with the requirements of Utah Code Title 53E, Chapter 9 (“Student Privacy and Data Protection”).

Utah Admin. Rules R277-700 (August 12, 2021)
Utah Code § 53E-4-302 (2020)
Utah Code § 53G-9-803 (2019)