CURRICULUM/GRADUATION 4110
REQUIRED INSTRUCTION
1. Required core curriculum
1.1 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.
1.2 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.
1.3 As required by statute, the District shall report to the lieutenant governor and the Commission on Civic and Character Education each year by December 30 a report summarizing how civic and character education are achieved in the District through an integrated school curriculum and in the regular course of schoolwork.
Utah Code § 53G-10-204(6) (2018)
2 K-6 core curriculum
2.1 The general core curriculum in grades K-6 shall consist of:
2.1.1 Grades K-2:
2.1.2 Reading/Language Arts
2.1.3 Mathematics
2.1.4 Integrated Curriculum
2.2 Grades 3-6
2.2.1 Reading/Language Arts
2.2.2 Mathematics
2.2.3 Science
2.2.4 Social Studies
2.2.5 Arts;
2.2.6 Visual Arts;
2.2.7 Music;
2.2.8 Dance;
2.2.9 Theatre
2.2.10 Health Education
2.2.11 Physical Education
2.2.12 Educational Technology
2.2.13 Library Media
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-4.B (December 8, 2104)
2.3 Informal 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 reading, language arts, mathematics, science and (in grade five) effectiveness of written expression.
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-4.E, F (December 8, 2014)
3 Grades 7-8 core curriculum
3.1 In grades 7-8, students shall take a minimum of 12 total courses. The District shall teach, and each student shall take, the following units:
3.1.1 Language Arts – 2 courses.
3.1.2 Mathematics – 2 courses.
3.1.3 Science - 2 courses.
3.1.4 Social Studies – courses.
3.1.4.1 Ancient Civilization (6th)
3.1.4.2 Utah Studies (7th)
3.1.4.3 United States History (8th)
3.2 The Arts – 1.0 course.
3.2.1 Visual Arts
3.2.2 Music
3.2.3 Dance
3.2.4 Theatre
3.3 Physical Education – 1.0 course.
3.4 Health Education – 1.0 course.
3.5 Career and Technical Education, Life, and Careers – 1.0 course.
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-5.B (December 8, 2014)
3.5.1 State-approved summative adaptive assessments will be used to assess student mastery of reading, language arts, mathematics, effectiveness of written expression (in grade eight) and science (in grades seven and eight).
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-4.F (December 8, 2014)
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-5.F (December 8, 2014)
4 Grades 9-12 core curriculum
High School Requirements as described in USBE Board Rule (R277-700-6 (11))
4.1 The minimum number of core curriculum credits required for students in grades 9-12 shall be 19.5, as follows:
4.1.1 Language Arts – 4 units, including
4.1.1.1 Ninth grade level (1 unit);
4.1.1.2 Tenth grade level (1 unit);
4.1.1.3 Eleventh grade level (1 unit); and
4.1.1.4 Applied or advanced language arts credit (1 unit), consistent with the student’s SEOP or College and Career Readiness plan (CCR), from a list of courses approved by the Board of Education and the State Office of Education, which courses
4.1.1.4.1 Are within the field/discipline of language arts, with a significant portion of instruction aligned to language arts content, principles, knowledge, and skills.
4.1.1.4.2 Provide instruction that leads to student understanding of the nature and disposition of language arts;
4.1.1.4.3 Apply the fundamental concepts and skills of language arts;
4.1.1.4.4 Provide developmentally appropriate content; and
4.1.1.4.5 Develop skills in reading, writing, listening, speaking, and presentation.
4.2 Mathematics – 3 units.
4.2.1 This requirement shall be met minimally through successful completion of the foundation or foundation honors courses Secondary Mathematics I, Secondary Mathematics II, and Secondary Mathematics III.
4.2.1.1 With a written request from the student’s parent or guardian, a student may opt out of Secondary Mathematics III. In that case, the student shall successfully complete another mathematics course from among the advanced and applied mathematics courses on the State Board of Education’s list of approved mathematics courses.
4.2.1.2 Students who are gifted and students who are advanced may also
4.2.1.3 Take the honors courses at the appropriate grade level; and
4.2.1.4 Continue taking higher level mathematics courses in sequence through Grade 11, resulting in a higher level of mathematics proficiency and increased college and career readiness.
4.2.2 Students should consider taking additional credits during their senior year which align with their postsecondary career or college expectations. Those students who desire a four-year college degree in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) career area should take a calculus course.
4.3 A student in grades 9-12 is required to complete 3.0 units of science credit.
4.3.1 2.0 Credits must be met by completing 1.0 credits in two of the foundation science areas:
4.3.1.1 Earth Science
4.3.1.2 Biological Science
4.3.1.3 Chemistry
4.3.1.4 Physics
4.3.1.5 Computer Science (These course standards are controlled in CTE and not by the USBE Secondary Science Specialist)
4.3.2 1.0 Credits can be met by either:
4.3.2.1 taking an additional foundation science course from any area (described above)
4.3.2.2 Taking a course from the Applied or Advanced Science list (found on the USBE Website)
4.3.2.3 This requirement can be made through two different 0.5 credit hour classes
4.3.3 NOTE: There is no longer a requirement that a student earn one life science credit and one physical science credit. This requirement was removed years ago.
4.4 Social Studies – 3.0 units including:
4.4.1Geography for Life (9th) – 0.5 units
4.4.2 World Civilizations (10th – 12th) – 0.5 units
4.4.3U.S. History II (10th – 12th) – 1.0 units
4.4.4 Government and Citizenship (recommended for seniors) – 0.5 units
4.4.5 LEA Discretion – 0.5 units
4.5 Arts – 1.5 units from any of the following areas:
4.5.1 Visual Arts
4.5.2 Music
4.5.3 Dance
4.5.4 Theatre
4.6 Physical Education Health – 2.0 units including:
4.6.1 0.5 Credit (Health)
4.6.2 0.5 Credit (Participation Skills)
4.6.3 0.5 Credit (Fitness for Life)
4.6.4 0.5 Credit (Individualized Lifetime Activities)
4.6.5 Optional: 1.0 Credit Maximum (Team Sport/Athletic Participation) Can be used in place of Participation Skills or Individualized Lifetime Activities only.
4.7 Direct Course Work – 1.0 units from among the following areas:
4.7.1 0.5 units Digital Literacy from state approved list of courses
4.7.2 0.5 units General Financial Literacy
4.8 Career and Technical Education –2.0 units from among the following Career Clusters:
4.8.1 Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
4.8.2 Architecture and Construction
4.8.3 Arts, Audio/Visual Technology and Communications
4.8.4 Business, Finance and Marketing
4.8.5 Computer Science and Information Technology
4.8.6 Education and Training
4.8.7 Engineering and Technology
4.8.8 Health Science
4.8.9 Hospitality and Tourism
4.8.10 Human Services
4.8.11 Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security
4.8.12 Manufacturing
4.8.13 Transportation, Distribution and Logistics
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-7 (December 8, 2014)
5 Elective credits
5.1 Because students must earn at least 32 credits to graduate, they must earn at least 12.5 elective credits to go along with the 19.5 core curriculum credits.
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700-7E, F (December 8, 2014)
6 Assessment of student mastery of core standards
6.1 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. 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 remediation assistance 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 the Student Data Protection Act, Utah Code Title 53A Part 14.
Utah Admin. Rules R277-700 (December 8, 2014)
Utah Code § 53E-4-302 (2018)
Utah Code § 53G-9-803 (2018)
Approved: 06/16/16
Revised: 11/08/17
Revised 03/13/19
Revised: 01/12/22