Math and language arts standards likely will become more rigorous in Utah schools.
As part of a widespread movement toward common academic goals, the Utah Board of Education gave preliminary approval Friday to a new set of language arts and mathematics standards for children in grades K-12, developed for a group of 48 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. If the plan gains final approval in August, state officials plan to overhaul Utah’s language arts and math curricula over the next five years to reflect the new goals, which are more ambitious in some ways than Utah’s current ones, said Brenda Hales, state associate superintendent.
“They are high standards,” said state Superintendent Larry Shumway. “They are high and they are rigorous. I don’t have any doubt they will be a step forward for us as a state.”