Welcome to Assessment and Accountability

Program Menu

Overview

Our mission is to serve the public by providing measurable information about Utah students' core knowledge, skills, and abilities; acquired through high quality valid and reliable assessments. We strive to:

  • positively impact student learning and the public's understanding through quality assessment
  • provide meaningful assessment that is essential to assess the extent of student progress toward proficiency
  • provide accurate, understandable reporting that is essential so that all stakeholders in Utah education have the data needed for making effective decisions concerning school policies, programs and curricula
  • provide knowledge about use of accountability measures, resources/tools to support best practices in the area of assessment and support broad understandings
  • utilize innovative technologies that support valid and cost-effective indicators of student proficiency
  • accomplish all tasks through positive collaborative partnerships with districts and state agencies

Next Generation School Accountability

In the Summer of 2021, the Utah State Board of Education engaged in work to consider changes to the school accountability system. The result of this work is contained in the Utah School Accountability Redesign report and offers recommendations for the redesign of Utah’s School Accountability System. The overarching goal of this work is to create a school accountability system that is more aligned with Personalized, Competency-Based Learning practices and Utah’s Portrait of a Graduate competencies while maintaining an easy to compare, simple, and transparent school accountability system. Included in this work is a consideration of an accountability system that is balanced and holistic to the nature of learning, drives improvements and stimulates local accountability efforts.

Next Generation School Accountability in Utah: A Report of the Utah Accountability Redesign Advisory Committee to the Utah State Board of Education

Strategic Assessment Plan

In 2020, the Utah State Board of Education, through a group of key education stakeholders, engaged in the work of creating an Assessment Strategic Plan for the purpose of reimagining and developing a framework for state assessment that is aligned with the Board’s Strategic Direction.

The Future of Utah’s State Assessment System: Recommendations from the Utah Assessment Strategic Plan Work Group

R277-404: Requirements for Assessments of Student Achievement
Utah State Board of Education Administrative Rules

Assessment and Accountability YouTube Channel
YouTube

Assessment and Accountability Policy Advisory Committee (AAPAC)

The Utah State Board of Education has established the Assessment and Accountability Policy Advisory Committee. This committee was formally known as the Policy Advisory Committee (PAC). The purpose of this committee is to review current assessment and accountability policies, business rules, pending test administrations decisions and detailed accountability rules and implementation decisions. The committee will also assist the Board's Assessment and Accountability section to represent and inform the education communities about the Board's policies, programs, rules, and procedures. We will also be consulting on the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) Federal Education Law and how it pertains to Utah's students. The meetings will be held quarterly beginning in September and usually last 2-3 hours.

Data Gateway

Utah State Board of Education Data Gateway
Utah's Assessment and Accountability Reports

Accountability Redesign

How should we assess the quality of schools in Utah?

Join us for virtual and in-person sessions to make your voice heard!

The Utah State Legislature and the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) are partnering to reexamine the state’s school accountability system. The current Utah School Accountability System (Utah Accountability Technical Manual) was established through Senate Bill (S.B.) 220: Student Assessment and School Accountability Amendments during the 2017 legislative session, prior to the advancement of the Personalized, Competency-Based Learning (PCBL) and Utah's Portrait of a Graduate initiatives. The pandemic has highlighted the dependency of the school accountability system on access to state assessment results. The state is seeking to build a new accountability system to be:

  • Inclusive of the additional initiatives
  • More comprehensive in evaluation criteria
  • Aligned with and supportive of continuous school improvement efforts for all schools

For this work to be successful, the state needs to hear from the public on the information needed to better understand school quality. Please consider participating in the following sessions to provide your input on the future of school accountability in Utah.

Virtual Sessions - Key Areas of School Quality

These virtual sessions gathered information on the key areas the public feels should be included in the state’s redesigned system to understand the quality of schools. Thank you to those who joined.

March 1, 2022
Time: 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Utah School Accountability Redesign Public Engagement, March 1, 2022
YouTube

March 3, 2022
Time: 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Utah School Accountability Redesign Public Engagement, March 3, 2022
YouTube

If you are planning on attending one of these in-person sessions and need sign language translation, please contact Darin Nielsen at darin.nielsen@schools.utah.gov by April 1, 2022.