Jun. 17, 9:00 AM
The Education Interim Committee of the State Legislature holds a public meeting.
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Feb. 23 - Mar. 22
Comcast Newsmakers interviews Robyn Bagley about www.Utah-EducationFacts.com
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Mar. 12
The 2009 Legislative Session concluded on Thursday, March 12th at midnight
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This year marks the 25th anniversary of the landmark report, A Nation at Risk.
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In the 2007-08 school year, Utah spent $8,224 per public school student.
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Charter schools are independent public schools run by parents or non-profits.
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The average class size in Utah is 22.2
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High school students can graduate with an associate's degree and a scholarship worth 75% of college tuition.
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Get the Facts Glossary/Index
Glossary terms are listed in alphabetical order. If we're missing a relevant education term or have an inaccurate definition, please let us know at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
AP (Advanced Placement): A program of advanced high school courses that allow students to earn college credit. Learn more>>
ATC (Applied Technology Center): These are campuses of the Utah College of Applied Technology where high school students may enroll and earn both high school credit for their coursework, as well as any certification that the college offers. Learn more>>
AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress): The minimum level of improvement in student achievement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year under No Child Left Behind. AYP is defined in terms of the percentage of students achieving “proficiency” or higher on state administered tests, with the requirement that this percentage increase by a certain amount each year so that all students achieve proficiency by 2014. Learn more>>
Achievement Gap: A significant and persistent disparity in educational achievement between groups of students within a school, district, state or country. Learn more>>
Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP): The minimum level of improvement in student achievement that states, school districts, and schools must achieve each year under No Child Left Behind. AYP is defined in terms of the percentage of students achieving “proficiency” or higher on state administered tests, with the requirement that this percentage increase by a certain amount each year so that all students achieve proficiency by 2014. Learn more>>
Advanced Placement (AP): A program of advanced high school courses that allow students to earn college credit. Learn more>>
Applied Technology Center (ATC): These are campuses of the Utah College of Applied Technology where high school students may enroll and earn both high school credit for their coursework, as well as any certification that the college offers. Learn more>>
Appropriation: taxpayer dollars allocated by the Utah State Legislature to fund a particular program. Related content>>
Assessment: An exercise, such as a written test, portfolio, performance, or experiment, that aims to measure a student's knowledge or skill in a given subject. Learn more>>
At Risk: Describes students with socioeconomic hardships, such as poverty or teen pregnancy, that could place them at an academic or social disadvantage. These students are considered "at risk" of failing or dropping out. Related content>>
Bilingual Education: An education program for non-native English speakers. Children spend part of the school day receiving instruction in their native language. The goal is to move them into mainstream English classes, normally within two or three years. Related content>>
CRT's (Criterion-Referenced Assessment/Test): An assessment that measures what a student understands, knows, or can accomplish in relation to specific performance objectives. It is used to identify a student's specific strengths and weaknesses in relation to skills defined as the goals of the instruction, but it does not compare students to other students. (Compare to norm-referenced assessment.) Learn more>>
CTE (Career and Technical Education): This is a program that allows high school students to enroll in classes at local campuses of the Utah College of Applied Technology and earn both high school credit for their coursework, as well as any certification that the college offers. Learn more>>
Career and Technical Education (CTE): This is a program that allows high school students to enroll in classes at local campuses of the Utah College of Applied Technology and earn both high school credit for their coursework, as well as any certification that the college offers. Learn more>>
Certified Teacher: A teacher who is licensed by the Utah State Office of Education to teach in a public school. Related content>>
Charter School: Charter Schools are public schools that are created by a group of parents, teachers, or community leaders. Charter Schools are governed by a charter or contract with the government rather than being operated by a school district. Charter schools have no boundaries and are open to any K-12 student in the state. Learn more>>
College Board: The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. The College Board administers the Scholastic Achievement Test (SAT), a college entrance-exam, and Advanced Placement (AP) courses. Visit the College Board website>>
Concurrent Enrollment: A program that provides high school juniors and seniors an opportunity to earn both high school and college credit for college-level courses and even graduate high school with an Associate's Degree. Learn more>>
Criterion-Referenced Assessment/Test (CRT's): An assessment that measures what a student understands, knows, or can accomplish in relation to specific performance objectives. It is used to identify a student's specific strengths and weaknesses in relation to skills defined as the goals of the instruction, but it does not compare students to other students. (Compare to norm-referenced assessment.) Learn more>>
Compulsory Education: Laws requiring that children under a certain age be enrolled in school, usually a government school. The theory behind compulsory education is that mandatory attendance benefits society as a whole by forcing all children to be educated.
Curriculum: The subject matter that teachers and students cover in class. (Plural: curricula.) Learn more about Utah's curriculum>>
District System: A school organization design in which the local geographical unit or district is the legal authority responsible for the funding, curriculum, and maintenance of a school or schools. Utah has 41 school districts that operate public schools across the state. Learn more>>
ELL (English-Language Learners): Students enrolled in U.S. schools who speak a language other than English and haven't yet mastered English. They are also known as limited-English-proficient students. Each state has a different way of determining whether a child is an English-language learner. Usually such students receive bilingual education or English-as-a-second-language. Related content>>
English-Language Learners (ELL): Students enrolled in U.S. schools who speak a language other than English and haven't yet mastered English. They are also known as limited-English-proficient students. Each state has a different way of determining whether a child is an English-language learner. Usually such students receive bilingual education or English-as-a-second-language. Related content>>
Enrollment Cap: A limit on the number of students who can attend a school in a given year.
FY (Fiscal Year): refers to the fiscal year for Utah government budgets. In Utah, the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2008 and ending on June 30, 2009 is referred to as Fiscal Year 2009 or FY2009. Related content>>
Fiscal Year (FY): refers to the fiscal year for Utah government budgets. In Utah, the fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The fiscal year beginning on July 1, 2008 and ending on June 30, 2009 is referred to as Fiscal Year 2009 or FY2009. Related content>>
Gifted Students: Pupils who have the ability to achieve beyond the norm—either because of their IQ scores, their demonstrated skill in the classroom, or both. Related content>>
Gifted and Talented: School programs provided for students considered gifted and talented. Learn more>>
Home Schooling: The practice of parents teaching their children at home rather than sending them to school. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, an estimated 1.1 million children are home-schooled in the U.S. Learn more>>
IB (International Baccalaureate): A series of rigorous K-12 programs that offer an international curriculum and allow high school students to graduate with college credit. Several Utah public schools offer IB programs. Learn more>>
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act): A landmark 1975 federal law, originally known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. In exchange for federal money, schools must guarantee that all children with disabilities receive a "free, appropriate public education." The law has been amended several times, but originally addressed children with disabilities who were kept out of the public schools and taught either in institutions or at home. RELATED CONTENT: Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
IEP (Individualized Education Program): Under the Individuals with Disabilities Eudcation Act (IDEA), each public school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP must be designed for one student. To create an effective IEP, parents, teachers, other school staff--and often the student--must come together to look closely at the student’s unique needs. These individuals pool knowledge, experience, and commitment to design an educational program that will help the student be involved in, and progress in, the general curriculum. The IEP guides the delivery of special education supports and services for the student with a disability. RELATED CONTENT: Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
Individualized Education Plan/Program (IEP): Under the Individuals with Disabilities Eudcation Act (IDEA), each public school child who receives special education and related services must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each IEP must be designed for one student. To create an effective IEP, parents, teachers, other school staff--and often the student--must come together to look closely at the student’s unique needs. These individuals pool knowledge, experience, and commitment to design an educational program that will help the student be involved in, and progress in, the general curriculum. The IEP guides the delivery of special education supports and services for the student with a disability. RELATED CONTENT: Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): A landmark 1975 federal law, originally known as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act. In exchange for federal money, schools must guarantee that all children with disabilities receive a "free, appropriate public education." The law has been amended several times, but originally addressed children with disabilities who were kept out of the public schools and taught either in institutions or at home. RELATED CONTENT: Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
International Baccalaureate (IB): A series of rigorous K-12 programs that offer an international curriculum and allow high school students to graduate with college credit. Several Utah public schools offer IB programs. Learn more>>
Learning Disabilities (LD): Refers to a wide range of learning difficulties. The criteria for having a learning disability varies from state to state. In general, however, a learning disability describes a discrepancy between a person's intelligence and academic achievement. Some children have learning disabilities in only specific areas, such as reading or math. RELATED CONTENT: Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
Magnet school: District-operated government schools designed to "attract" a racially diverse student body from a variety of attendance areas. Most magnet schools are designed around a specific theme or method of instruction and have a select student population and teaching staff.
Merit Pay: A plan to pay teachers on the basis of their demonstrated competence in teaching. Learn more>>
NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress): Known as "the nation's report card," NAEP is a national testing program administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. Since 1969, NAEP tests have been conducted periodically in reading, math, science, writing, history, and geography to students in the fourth, eighth, and twelfth grades. The assessment allows for regional and state-by-state comparisons. Learn more>>
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB): On January, 8, 2002, President Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The Act is the most sweeping reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) since it was enacted in 1965. It redefines the federal role in K–12 education in an effort to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged and minority students and their peers. It is based on four basic principles: stronger accountability for results, increased flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents, and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work. Learn more>>
Nonsectarian school: Nonsectarian schools are schools without any particular religious affiliation. Modern government schools would be considered nonsectarian, whereas parochial schools may espouse the doctrine of a particular denomination or religion, making them sectarian.
Normed Score: A score that compares the performance of an individual student to the performance of a nationally representative group of students. RELATED CONTENT: IOWA Test of Basic Skills>>
Open Enrollment: This is a program that allows Utah K-12 students to attend any public school in the state regardless of where they live so long as there is space at the school as defined by building capacity or the district's average class size. Learn more>>
PTA (Parent-Teacher Association): PTA's are public school parent organizations that belong to the National PTA and must abide by PTA regulations and pay 55% of their dues to the Utah and National PTA. 70% of Utah public schools have a PTA. Learn more>>
PTO (Parents-Teacher Organization): This is a generic term for any public school parent organization that operates at the local school level, independent of the National PTA. 75% of public schools in the U.S. have a PTO instead of a PTA. Learn more>>
Parent-Teacher Association (PTA): PTA's are public school parent organizations that belong to the National PTA and must abide by PTA regulations and pay 55% of their dues to the Utah and National PTA. 70% of Utah public schools have a PTA. Learn more>>
Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO): This is a generic term for any public school parent organization that operates at the local school level, independent of the National PTA. 75% of public schools in the U.S. have a PTO instead of a PTA. Learn more>>
Pedagogy: The art or profession of teaching. Also refers to the curricula of teacher-training institutions with respect to education theory and methodology.
Per pupil spending: the amount of funding spent on an individual child in Utah's public schools. In the 2008-09 school year, it is estimated that Utah public schools will spend $7,700 per student. Learn more>>
Personal Tax Credits and Deductions: Parents are given a tax credit or tax deduction from state income taxes for approved educational expenses. This usually includes private-school tuition as well as books, supplies, computers, tutors and transportation. Even when tuition is not eligible for the credit or deduction, these programs still make school choice easier for parents because they relieve the burden of non-tuition expenses at private schools. Some programs restrict the income level of eligible recipients or the amount they can claim.
Private scholarships: Private scholarships provide qualified students—often from lower-income families—with privately funded financial assistance to help them attend tuition-charging schools-of-choice. Most private scholarships cover only a portion of private school tuition and therefore require parents to pay part of the cost. Private scholarship programs began on a large scale in 1991 and are growing in popularity as a way to provide disadvantaged families with greater educational choice. RELATED CONTENT: Children First Utah>>
Private/Non-government school: Private, or non-government, schools are schools that operate independently from government (they are, however, subject to the same basic health and safety laws as are government schools). Typically, private schools are voluntarily funded through tuition payments from families who enroll their children. Parochial schools are also often subsidized by their respective church or denomination. Private schools serve approximately 11 percent of all students in the United States; the majority of them are Catholic schools. Learn more>>
Public/Government school: "Public" schools can rightfully be called government schools because they are supported entirely through tax dollars and are governed through the state and smaller, local governmental entities at the district level. Learn more>>
Regents' Scholarship: A state-funded scholarship for college that encourages Utah high school students to prepare for college academically and financially by taking a rigorous course of study and saving for college. Learn more>>
Remedial Education: Instruction that aims to bring students deficient in basic skills up to standard levels in writing, reading, and math. RELATED CONTENT: Basic Skills Education Program/UBSCT Tutoring Voucher>> No Child Left Behind Remedial Options>>
SEOP (Student Education Occupation Plan): This is an individualized education plan for students in 7th through 12th grade. The SEOP is developed by the student and his/her educators and parents. It involves useful and timely data on student progress and goals. The SEOP is a process which continues from grade to grade and school to school. Student and parents meet with educators regularly to assess the student's progress in achieving the goals of his/her individual SEOP. RELATED CONTENT: Centennial Scholarship for Early Graduation>> Career & Technical Education Program>>
School choice: School choice is a fundamental education reform that proposes removing some or all of the government-erected barriers to families' ability to choose for their children the schools that best meet their educational needs. RELATED CONTENT: School Options/Programs>>
School District: An education agency at the local level created to operate public schools within a community or group of communities. Learn more>>
School employee labor union: Commonly called "teacher unions," school employee unions actually represent support staff including cooks, janitors, and bus drivers, as well as teachers. The union represents teachers for collective bargaining and other political purposes. The two largest school employee labor unions in the U.S. are the National Education Association, which has approximately 2.5 million members, and the American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, which has approximately 1 million members. In Utah, public school teachers do not have to belong to a teachers union. In addition, non-union organizations exsit to provide teachers with liability insurance and political representation. RELATED CONTENT: Teacher Associations & Liability Insurance>>
Sectarian school: Sectarian schools are schools affiliated with a specific religious denomination. "Sectarian" derives from the fact that early American schools were commonly established under the control of particular church groups or sects.
Site-Based Management: The shift of decision-making authority from centralized bureaucracies to local individual establishments. Such proposals vary, but they usually give control of an organization's operation to local administrators. Learn more>>
Special Needs: Refers to programs designed specifically for students who are evaluated as having a disability that affects their ability to make "effective progress" in regular classrooms without the help of specialists. RELATED CONTENT: Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
Standardized Tests: Assessments that are administered and scored in exactly the same way for all students. Usually, these are mass-produced and machine-scored tests created by private testing services. They are designed to measure skills and knowledge believed to be taught to all students in a fairly standardized way. RELATED CONTENT: Test Scores>>
Student Education Occupation Plan (SEOP): This is an individualized education plan for students in 7th through 12th grade. The SEOP is developed by the student and his/her educators and parents. It involves useful and timely data on student progress and goals. The SEOP is a process which continues from grade to grade and school to school. Student and parents meet with educators regularly to assess the student's progress in achieving the goals of his/her individual SEOP. RELATED CONTENT: Centennial Scholarship for Early Graduation>> Career & Technical Education Program>>
Tax-credit Scholarship: Several programs exist in the US that offer Individuals and/or corporations a tax credit for making donations to private charitable organizations, which use the money to fund scholarships for students. These scholarships can cover the cost of private-school tuition, tutoring and transportation. In some states, students must meet certain income criteria to be eligible for scholarships. Scholarship-granting organizations can be started by community groups, philanthropic organizations or any other group that wants to extend school choice to children. Participating private schools are required to meet standards for safety, fiscal soundness and non-discrimination.
Teacher Licensure: The process by which teachers receive permission from the state to teach. States have minimum requirements, such as the completion of certain coursework and experience as a student teacher. Some states, faced with shortages of teachers in particular areas, grant teachers emergency licenses and allow them to take required courses while they are full-time teachers. RELATED CONTENT: Programs for Teachers: Alternative Teacher Certification>>
Teachers Union: These are labor unions that represent teachers for collective bargaining and other political purposes. Most teachers unions also represent support staff including cooks, janitors, and bus drivers. The two largest teachers unions in the U.S. are the National Education Association, which has approximately 2.5 million members, and the American Federation of Teachers, an affiliate of the AFL-CIO, which has approximately 1 million members. In Utah, public school teachers do not have to belong to a teachers union. In addition, non-union organizations exsit to provide teachers with liability insurance and political representation. RELATED CONTENT: Teacher Associations & Liability Insurance>>
Title I: Created in 1965 during the War on Poverty, Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) provides extra resources to schools and school districts with the highest concentrations of poverty. These are areas in which academic performance tends to be low and the obstacles to raising performance are the greatest. It is the nation's largest federal education program, with a current budget of $12 billion, serving 90% of the nation's school districts. As it is, however, Title I fully serves only about one-third of all eligible children. RELATED CONTENT: Remedial Options for failing Title I Schools>>
Title IX: Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 bars gender discrimination in education facilities that receive federal funding. Title IX cases, which historically have been filed at the college level, have increasingly been filed against K–12 schools for sex equity in extracurricular sports.
Title VII: Title VII of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) is a federal program to make limited-English speaking students proficient in English. Funding goes to alternative approaches to bilingual education, such as English immersion programs, as well as traditional instruction in a student's native language.
TOEFL: The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) measures the ability of nonnative speakers of English to use and understand North American English as it is used in college and university settings. Scores on the test are required by more than 4,300 two- and four-year colleges and universities, professional schools, and sponsoring institutions.
Tracking: A common instructional practice of clustering students according to their academic skills. Ability grouping allows a teacher to provide the same level of instruction to the entire group. Also called ability grouping.
Tuition Tax Credits: Several programs exist in the US that give parents a tax credit or tax deduction from state income taxes for approved educational expenses. This usually includes private school tuition as well as books, supplies, computers, tutors, and transportation. Some programs restrict the income level of eligible recipients or the amount they can claim.
UBSCT (Utah Basic Skills and Competency Test): All public high school students must pass the Utah Basic Skills & Competency Test (UBSCT) in order to receive a basic high school diploma. Students first take it in the 10th grade and have a total of 5 attempts to pass all three parts of the exam (math, reading, and writing). Learn more>>
Students who fail the UBSCT in 10th grade are eligible to receive a state-funded voucher to pay for tutoring services. Learn more>>
Utah Alternate Assessment: Utah’s Alternate Assessment (UAA) is one of six components of the Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS). UAA is designed to assess the achievement of students in grades 1 through 12 with significant cognitive disabilities. It was developed to fulfill two main purposes: (1) Address federal legislative mandates that all students participate in statewide testing in the areas of language arts and math, and (2) Provide valid information that can be used to improve educational outcomes for students with significant cognitive disabilities in Utah’s public schools. RELATED CONTENT: Utah Performance Assessment System for Students (U-PASS)>> Carson Smith Special Needs Scholarship>> Parent Organizations for Parents of Children with Disabilities>>
Utah Basic Skills and Competency Test (UBSCT): All public high school students must pass the Utah Basic Skills & Competency Test (UBSCT) in order to receive a basic high school diploma. Students first take it in the 10th grade and have a total of 5 attempts to pass all three parts of the exam (math, reading, and writing). Learn more>>
Students who fail the UBSCT in 10th grade are eligible to receive a state-funded voucher to pay for tutoring services. Learn more>>
Vouchers: programs that allow parents to use all or part of the government funding set aside for their children’s education to send their children to the public or private school of their choice. In effect, this separates government financing of education from government operation of schools. Most programs allow parents to send their children to either religious or non-religious private schools. Participating private schools are required to meet standards for safety, fiscal soundness and non-discrimination; some programs also impose additional restrictions.
Year-Round Education: A modified school calendar that offers short breaks throughout the year, rather than a long summer vacation. Some schools stagger the schedules to relieve crowding. Others think the three-month break allows students to forget much of the material covered in the previous year. Several public schools in Utah employ year-round education.
