The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) makes annual accountability determinations for schools based on student academic outcomes and growth. As a state, we are also committed to using fair accountability models to accurately differentiate the performance of schools.
Refer to the Utah Accountability Technical Manual for detailed information on the indicators of school accountability, method for calculation, and business rules for Utah's School Accountability System.
Schools Identified under the Utah State Legislature Title 53E-5-3: School Turnaround and Leadership Development.
Performance Thresholds for School Grades
School Grading Exemption Request Form
Draft Methodology for Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) English Language Proficiency (ELP) Indicator
Utah ESEA Flexibility Approved Plan
Utah ESEA Flexibility Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Student Growth Percentiles (SGP) | Student Growth Target (SGT) Explainer
YouTube
2021-2022 Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) School List
2021-2022 All Schools Rank List
2021-2022 Title I Schools Rank List
Title 53E-5-3: School Turnaround and Leadership Development
Utah State Legislature
Ann-Michelle Neal
Education Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7651 | E-mail
We are currently accepting applications from schools to participate in our next cohort of the state's Assessment to Achievement (A2A) project. Within this project, schools receive all expenses paid targeted support related to collaboration, effective data use, and evidence-based instructional practices via professional learning sessions and on-site visits. Space for participation in this upcoming cohort is limited and applications are due by December 31, 2022. For additional information, reach out to Whitney Grant at whitney.grant@schools.utah.gov or Megan Lopez at megan.lopez@schools.utah.gov.
Assessment to Achievement Application
Google Docs
The Assessment to Achievement (A2A) project provides implementation support in using data, creating collaborative structures, and engaging in evidence-based instructional practices to increase student achievement. Using content tailored to schools’ needs, the Assessment to Achievement project leverages evidence-based strategies in combination with implementation science to improve student outcomes. School and district teams who participate in this four-year project increase their own expertise in collaboratively analyzing multiple data points and using the analysis to inform instructional and program decisions that positively influence students and schools.
In addition to A2A, Assessment to Achievement Plus (A2A+), launched during the 2021-2022 schoolyear, uses these project objectives to focus specifically on achieving growth for multilingual learners. Participants report looking forward to engaging in professional learning and coaching centering on multilingual learner needs: "A2A+ will provide a structured approach for our school to address the linguistic and academic needs of our multilingual learners at the classroom and grade-level team levels."
Since 2015, as many as 100 schools have participated in the program. Cohort 3 began the program during the 2019-2020 school year and will participate through the 2022-2023 school year. Cohort 4 began the program during the 2020-2021 school year and will participate through the 2023-2024 school year. Applications will be available and accepted in the summer of 2022.
Within the Assessment to Achievement and Assessment to Achievement Plus projects, student learning is at the heart of the program.
According to data collected from previous cohorts after three years of participation in A2A, these schools’ student proficiency grew to be almost four times higher than non-A2A schools in Utah.
In the current cohorts of A2A schools, we see promising feedback from teachers and administrators. 92% of teacher respondents indicate that their own instruction is more effective as a result of the A2A project, and both school leader and teacher participants report strong levels of agreement that their school now has a culture that prioritizes student growth.
According to one teacher respondent from December 2021, "I am seeing a lot of student growth in math. I am also becoming more comfortable with analyzing data and knowing how to take next steps to help student learning." Some school leaders report high levels of collaboration, data-use, and instructional growth; "Collaboration among teachers, quality classroom instruction, levels of student engagement, and student achievement results have increased as a result of our participation in Assessment to Achievement.".
Assessment to Achievement (Full Version) | Assessment to Achievement (Short Version)
YouTube
In addition, across 81 schools and 16 Local Education Agencies (LEAs) completing this 4-year partnership with the Utah State Board of Education (USBE):
The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) Administrative Rules R277-404-9: Requirements for Assessments of Student Achievement - Data Exchanges requires the USBE to provide direction to Local Education Agencies (LEAs) detailing the data exchange requirements for each assessment. This section is intended to give Assessment Directors access to resources, trainings, documentation, and tools in order to manage data for each assessment.
Utah Assessment Student Rostering Manual
Home School, Private School, and Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) School Assessment Rostering
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Enrollment
Acadience Math Core Code Priority List
Acadience Reading Core Code Priority List
Utah Core Standards Benchmarks English Language Arts (ELA) Core Codes 2022-2023
Utah Core Standards Benchmarks Mathematics Core Codes 2022-2023
Utah Core Standards Benchmarks Science Core Codes 2022-2023
RISE English Language Arts (ELA) Core Codes
Secure File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
Utah State Board of Education Moveit
Student Enrollment File Format
Maureen Rushing
Data Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7949 | E-mail
The page contains additional resources for analyzing and interpreting statewide assessment results.
Title 53E-4-311: Analysis of Results.Staff Professional Development
Utah State Legislature
Special Education Accessibility, Accommodations, and Assessment
Utah State Board of Education Special Education
Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has created a Formative Assessment Toolkit to support educators by increasing their capacity to leverage the formative assessment process to inform personalized instruction and more effectively work with students to build competency. This toolkit will help drive teachers' instruction based on the needs of their students. This is a great resource for classroom educators filled with ideas of how to leverage in the moment student responses to adjust and drive future instruction.
Formative Assessment Process Toolkit
Formative Assessment is a planned, ongoing process used by all students and teachers during learning and teaching to elicit and use evidence of student learning to give teachers and students the opportunity to identify strengths and weaknesses with specific knowledge, skills, and abilities outlined in the Utah Core Standards. It is often referred to as assessment for learning.
The formative assessment process requires students and teachers to integrate and embed the following key practices in a collaborative and respectful classroom environment:
Formative tools are provided to assist with this planned process including the RISE Benchmark modules, RISE Interims, High School Core Benchmarks, Acadience Reading Progress Monitoring, Utah Compose, and Utah Test Item Pool Service (UTIPS).
A learning progression is a carefully sequenced set of building blocks composed of the essential skills and knowledge that students must master as part of the path to achieving a learning goal. They are not standards or instructional objectives.
Creating a Learning Progression Framework
YouTube
Utah Compose is a formative assessment tool that is provided free of charge to all public school teachers and students in grades 3-12. It is a web-based writing program designed to help Utah public school students in grades 3-12 improve writing through practice, immediate feedback, and guided instructional support.
Educators can assign the pre-packaged prompts that include source material that provides students with the needed textual evidence required in effective writing; or teachers can write and add their own prompts and stimulus material to assign to students.
Prompts and lesson supports are provided in four genres: opinion-argument; informative/explanatory; narrative; and constructive-response/short answer; across multiple content areas. Reports are provided with detailed results that can be used to inform writing instruction across disciplines and to assist students in setting learning goals.
Utah Compose Formative Writing Tool
Measurement Incorporated (MI)
The Utah Test Item Pool Service (UTIPS) is a formative assessment tool provided to all Utah K-12 educators for use in any subject area (e.g. Career and Technical Education (CTE), Social Studies, Health Education, etc.) at any grade level.
Educators can use the UTIPS tool to write their own assessment items to assign to their students in a variety of formats including multiple-choice, multi-select, hot text, matching, and short-answer questions. An equation editor is provided for teachers and students. Automated scoring is available for all item types except writing. Assessments can be shared across classrooms, schools, and across Utah. Reports have been updated and provide detailed results that can be used to inform instruction and to assist students in setting learning goals.
UTIPS was launched in 2011 in a collaborative effort between the Utah State Board of Education and the Utah Education Network (UEN) and includes a Utah educator-created item bank for English Language Arts and Mathematics. The UTIPS item bank was realigned to the 2013 Utah Standards ELA and Mathematics. New items were added to the item bank in 2019 (math) and 2020 (ELA).
Students must contact their teacher(s) for UTIPS assistance. No Help Desk assistance is provided to students.
Kim Rathke, Masters of Education (M.Ed.); Nationally Board Certified Teacher (NBCT)
Test Administration and Data Coordinator
Phone: (801) 538-7876 | E-mail
Aliese Fry
Test Administration and Formative Assessment Specialist
Phone: (801) 538-7568 | E-mail
Assessment Literacy: Self-directed course.
Assessment Literacy for Facilitators: Resources for those who are facilitating the modules.
CANVAS