Utah Core Standards

The Utah State Board of Education approved new P-12 English Language Arts Standards in April of 2023. These standards identify the essential literacy skills in speaking & listening, reading, and writing.

Utah State Standards for P-12 English Language Arts

English Language Arts Standards Resources

English Language Arts Standards-Digitized

Speech Progression Chart

Google Docs

ELA Standards Overview Slides

English Language Arts Standards - Elementary (P-5) Best Practices

English Language Arts Standards FAQs

Reading Strand Breakdown

Core Guides

The English Language Arts Standards are created to provide guidance for developing effective instruction aligned to the Utah State Standards for P-12 English Language Arts. They are intended to support teachers, administrators, English Language Arts specialists, instructional coaches, parents, and other stakeholders as they plan instruction at a local level.

The Core Guides are not intended to be read from cover to cover. They are meant as a resource document to be used, when needed, to support teacher professional learning and curriculum decisions. They are not meant to be used by students, and therefore they may not be written in student-friendly language. The Core Guides are meant to inform teachers and leaders as they make English Language Arts curriculum decisions.

ELA Core Guide Preschool Age 3

ELA Core Guide Preschool Age 4

ELA Core Guide Kindergarten

ELA Core Guide 1st Grade

ELA Core Guide 2nd Grade

ELA Core Guide 3rd Grade

ELA Core Guide 4th Grade

ELA Core Guide 5th Grade

ELA Core Guide 6th Grade

Educator Endorsements

Applications Effective July 1, 2021

Literacy Specialist K-12 Endorsement

Literacy Specialist K-12 Endorsment SPECS

Applications Retiring June 30, 2023

Reading Endorsement Level 1 (Retiring) | Reading Endorsement Level 2 (Retiring) | Reading Interventionist Endorsement (Retiring)

Learning Opportunities for Teachers

Reading

There are many quality programs in the state that offer the required courses. The following contact list is not comprehensive but you can e-mail the contact person to ask about their availability of classes, schedule, etc.

Sylvia Read
Utah State University (USU)

Dr. Jan Dole
University of Utah

John Allen
Utah Valley University (UVU)

Dr. Kristi Jones
Westminster College

Resources

Northeastern Utah Educational Services (NUES)

Southwest Educational Development Center (SEDC)

Level 1

The Utah Reading Endorsement offers practicing elementary and secondary teachers an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and skills in the area of literacy. The purpose of this program is to strengthen reading achievement of Utah's school children by providing their teachers with the strategies, processes, and structures for augmenting classroom reading instruction in grades K-12.

The Level 1 Reading Endorsement requires a passing score on a Praxis content knowledge test and seven (7) graduate-level courses taken within the last eight (8) years.

Courses

The following seven course frameworks demonstrate the depth and breadth of the expected curriculum within a course meeting that requirement. Reading endorsement courses are aligned to Utah's instructional goals and Core Standards as well as to the International Literacy Association (ILA) Standards.

Note: All course frameworks updated in 2015-2016.

1. Foundations of Literacy Instruction: Theories and Models
2. Reading and Writing Across the Disciplines
3. Reading Assessment and Instructional Interventions
4. K-12 Literacy Practices and Processes: Instructional Implications
5. Reading Comprehension Instruction
6. Writing Instruction
7. Instruction with Literature and Informational Texts for Children and Young Adults

If you are an institution that would like to demonstrate your alignment to the Utah Level 1 Reading Endorsement Frameworks, please submit the following via e-mail to the K-12 Literacy Coordinator, Sara Wiebke.

1. Contact information for the person submitting the information.
2. Official university course description, including course level designation.
3. Current syllabus for the course being taught.
4. Written summary of the alignment between the Utah Framework and the proposed class, including documentation or artifacts as needed.
5. List of instructors for the course and current curriculum vita (Utah requires a minimum of a Master's degree and Level 2 reading endorsement for course instructors).

Level 2

Teachers who have obtained a Level I Endorsement and who want to work as school- or district-level literacy coaches will want to complete the Level 2 Endorsement. This endorsement provides a systems-level perspective on literacy instruction and program design and will deepen the candidate's knowledge of literacy instruction and implementation.

Courses

The following course frameworks demonstrate the depth and breadth of the expected curriculum within a course meeting that requirement. Reading endorsement courses are aligned to Utah's instructional goals and Core Standards as well as to the International Reading Association Standards.

Note: Course frameworks updated in 2015-2016.

1. Literacy Research
2. Instructional Leadership of Literacy Programs
3. Literacy Specialist Internship

International Literacy Association (ILA)

Reading Interventionist Endorsement

The purpose of the Reading Interventionist Endorsement is to provide educators with academic and field-based opportunities to learn best practices for meeting the instructional needs of students who a struggling to learn to read. The nine credit endorsement will focus on Tier II and Tier III instructional methods, strategies, assessment, and curricula that improve student outcomes. The Level I Reading Endorsement is a prerequisite to earning this endorsement.

Course Framework

Tier II Small Group Reading Intervention Clinical Practicum

Tier III Reading Intervention Clinical Practicum

Interventionist Capstone

For vendors interested in applying to become an approved vendor for either Tier II or Tier II intervention programs, please review and submit the application below. The program must meet the requirements describe in the application to become qualified.

Vendor Application

Tier II Small Group Intervention Practicum

Tier III Reading Intervention Practicum

Course Offerings

The University of Utah is currently offering the Tier II and Tier III courses for the endorsement. If you are interested, please contact:

Tier II

Julie Jaussi

Tier III

Wilson Language Training
University of Utah Reading Clinic (UURC)

Meetings

State Literacy Directors

Location: Virtual 
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

2024-2025 School Year

• September 11, 2024
• November 12, 2024
• January 14, 2025
• March 25, 2025

2025-2026 School Year

• September 16, 2025
• November 13, 2025
• January 13, 2026
• March 17, 2026

Resources

Building Readers Parent's Guide

Building Readers Parent's Guide

Building Readers Parent's Guide Spanish

Building Readers: A Parent's Guide, emphasizes the crucial role parents play in developing their children's reading skills, fostering a love of reading, and providing support throughout a child's educational journey. It highlights that reading ability significantly impacts a child's academic performance and future success. The guide provides age-appropriate suggestions for parents to encourage reading, from infancy to adolescence.

Early Learning Program

Early Learning Program Technical Manual

The purpose of the Early Learning Program is to improve the Early Literacy and Early Mathematics classroom instruction and student outcomes in kindergarten through grade 3. The Early Learning Program establishes an Early Learning Plan that includes early literacy, early mathematics, goals, and the Professional Learning Grant. This document is a resource for Local Education Agencies (LEAs) (Districts and Charters) to use to guide them in completing their Early Learning Plan.

Elementary Literacy Framework

Utah's K-12 Literacy Framework

Utah's K-12 Literacy Framework translates the research findings into advice and guidance to provide Educators with the knowledge, tools, and resources necessary to meet the instructional needs of all students in reading, writing, and listening and speaking. The purpose of the framework is to support districts, charters, and schools in evaluating, refining, and monitoring the essential systems, structures, and literacy practices necessary to achieve greater outcomes in the area of literacy for all students.

The Elementary Literacy Framework integrates five key elements that support literacy outcomes:

• Element 1: Culture of Learning
• Element 2: Learner Agency
• Element 3: Demonstrated Competency and Assessment
• Element 4: Customized Supports
• Element 5: Social and Emotional Learning

Instructional Approaches: Explicit and Inquiry-Based Instruction

Explicit and Inquiry-Based Instruction

Educators are constantly faced with the question of how we can best present material that is optimally “learnable” for the different students we are trying to reach. The instructional approach selected is based on the intention of the learning. In general, two main approaches are using in today’s instruction: explicit instruction (Effect Size 0.57) or inquiry-based instruction (Effect Size 0.31). This document defines those and provides guidance on when to use each instructional practice.

Utah's Science of Reading (SOR) Expert Panel

As legislated in the 2022 Legislative Session, Utah has created an expert panel to support the Science of Reading (SOR). The expert panelists have deep knowledge and a research background in the science of reading and the science of reading instruction as well as practical experience translating the science of reading into effective reading instructional practices.

Current SOR Panel Members

Janice A. Dole

Parker C. Fawson

Pati Montgomery

Ray Reutzel

Dr. Angela S. Rutherford

Core-Aligned Writing Resources

Achieve the Core
A national organization that has assembled a variety of resources to help support the shifts in instruction required in implementing the Core. They have complied an extensive selection of materials on writing that include samples of student writing with annotations to show how various Core Standards are met. Student samples are shown as they were transcribed, annotated with comments, and corrected for spelling and grammar for use as examples with students.

Other Resources

Utah State Board of Education Dyslexia Handbook
Special Education Effective Instruction and Inclusion Resources

The Dyslexia Handbook offers guidance, resources, and appropriate supports and interventions for readers with dyslexia. It is also a communication tool for teachers and parents to work together. Our hope is that both educators and parents will use the ideas and techniques in the handbook as a team. It is vitally important that struggling readers not give up on themselves; it is just as important that we as educators and parents assist and empower students with dyslexia to enter the world of reading feeling empowered and prepared for their future.

Grant