School Curriculum Amendments

20
53E-3-1002
53E-3-1004
53E-4-204
53E-4-205
53E-4-205.3
0
School Curriculum Amendments
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Doug Welton
Senate Sponsor: John D. Johnson
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill modifies requirements for social studies education in elementary and secondary
schools.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
requires American constitutional government and citizenship to be taught as two distinct
semester courses;
requires United States history to be taught as two distinct semester courses;
prohibits students from taking the same semester course twice to meet graduation
requirements;
requires literacy coaches to support the integration of social studies content into literacy
instruction;
requires regular social studies instruction for elementary grades;
allows social studies instruction to be delivered through integrated instruction with
English language arts and mathematics;
requires implementation by July 1, 2031;
repeals an adult education citizenship test;
defines terms; and
makes technical changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53E-3-1002
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 285
53E-3-1004
, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 285
53E-4-204
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 142
ENACTS:
53E-4-205.3
, Utah Code Annotated 1953
REPEALS:
53E-4-205
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2025, Chapter 142
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53E-3-1002
is amended to read:
53E-3-1002
. Literacy coaching -- Professional learning.
(1)
Subject to legislative appropriations, the state board shall provide, train, and assign
literacy coaches to schools with low literacy achievement performance to provide early
literacy coaching to teachers in kindergarten through grade 3, in accordance with this
section.
(2)
The state board shall make rules, in accordance with
Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
Administrative Rulemaking Act
, to:
(a)
establish criteria to determine which schools qualify for early literacy coaching,
prioritizing coaching among:
(i)
schools that participate in partnerships that receive grants under
Title 53F, Chapter
5, Part 4, Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program
; and
(ii)
schools that fall within the bottom 25% of all schools in literacy achievement
performance, as the state board further defines;
(b)
establish minimum qualifications for early literacy coach positions to ensure
adequate preparation with necessary expertise;
(c)
define roles and responsibilities for a literacy coach, including:
(i)
assisting educators in analyzing data to inform instructional adjustments;
(ii)
engaging in instructional coaching cycles with educators to build capacity for
improved classroom instructional practices;
(iii)
using principles of adult learning to effectively partner with educators to
integrate professional learning into classroom practice;
(iv)
leveraging knowledge of the science of reading and evidence-based practices to
support educators in maximizing student learning;
(v)
partnering with a school's leader to support school-wide literacy goals to provide
a team of support for educators to embed the state-wide goals into instructional
plans and practice;
(vi)
delivering consistent and frequent job-embedded professional learning;
(vii)
participating actively in professional learning experiences to deepen knowledge
and skills for coaching;
and
(viii)
designing and facilitating relevant and cohesive professional learning sessions
to strengthen the implementation of these evidence-based practices with
educators; and
(ix)
supporting the integration of social studies content into literacy instruction to
enhance both reading comprehension and content knowledge, in alignment with
the requirements of Section
53E-4-205.3
;
(d)
establish parameters for the relationship between a literacy coach and school or LEA,
including ensuring that coaches do not engage in activities or duties unrelated to
literacy coaching, including:
(i)
serving as an evaluator, substitute teacher, clerical aid, recess or lunch aid,
behavioral therapist, tester, guidance counselor, interventionist, program manager,
or contest leader; or
(ii)
any other assignment that frequently disrupts the coach's ability to support
educators in improving instructional practice.
(3)
The state board shall:
(a)
ensure that one staff position supervises early literacy coaches statewide;
(b)
select the pool of candidates for literacy coaching positions and coordinate with
LEAs regarding interviews, final selection, and placement; and
(c)
annually review coaching placements and adjust placements as necessary, based on
the school's literacy achievement performance and the criteria established under
Subsection
(2)
.
(4)
The state board shall provide professional learning support in early literacy by:
(a)
facilitating professional learning opportunities to support literacy coaches statewide
that includes knowledge and skill development in adult learning practices,
job-embedded coaching, and family engagement;
(b)
providing professional learning regional consultants to:
(i)
support LEAs and regional education service agencies in designing, facilitating,
monitoring, and adjusting professional learning in early literacy that aligns with
the professional learning standards described in Section
53G-11-303
; and
(ii)
serve a cohort of LEAs within a geographic region of the state; and
(c)
providing statewide professional learning to support the use of collective efficacy,
including the implementation of professional learning communities and school
leadership teams through 2027.
Section 2. Section
53E-3-1004
is amended to read:
53E-3-1004
. Community engagement for early literacy.
(1)
The state board shall:
(a)
partner with a private business or nonprofit organization to annually provide
personal, home-use, age-appropriate printed books or digital books with
accompanying electronic reading devices to students:
(i)
who attend:
(A)
a school that participates in partnerships that receive grants under
Title 53F,
Chapter 5, Part 4, Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program
; or
(B)
a Title I school, as that term is defined in Section
53F-2-523
; and
(ii)
at a minimum, in kindergarten through grade 3; and
(b)
provide students a choice of language where possible.
(2)
The state board shall develop and promote a website that provides resources for teachers
and other educational support personnel to
:

(a)
support targeted activities and strategies for parents to support at-home reading
.
;
and
(b)
integrate social studies content with literacy instruction, supporting both early
literacy goals and social studies learning objectives described in Section
53E-4-205.3
.
(3)
The state board shall contract with one or more organizations that have expertise in
coordinating community resources to:
(a)
provide training and coaching to community, school, and parent engagement
coordinators; and
(b)
for a school that is not participating in a partnership that receives a grant under
Title
53F, Chapter 5, Part 4, Partnerships for Student Success Grant Program
:
(i)
assess the presence of existing community school infrastructure; and
(ii)
provide necessary supports for parent, community, and business engagement,
including services and coordination support.
Section 3. Section
53E-4-204
is amended to read:
53E-4-204
. Standards and graduation requirements.
(1)
The state board shall establish rigorous core standards for Utah public schools and
graduation requirements under Section
53E-3-501
for grades 9 through 12 that:
(a)
are consistent with state law and federal regulations;
(b)
use competency-based standards and assessments;
(c)
include instruction that stresses general financial literacy from basic budgeting to
financial investments, including bankruptcy education and a general financial literacy
test-out option;
(d)
include graduation requirements in language arts, mathematics, and science that
exceed:
(i)
3.0 units in language arts including up to 0.5 units emphasizing verbal
communication completed in a course or a school sponsored activity;
(ii)
2.0 units in mathematics; and
(iii)
and 2.0 units in science;
and
(e)
include a graduation requirement in social studies that is equal to or exceeds 3.5
units, including at least 1.0 unit in American constitutional government and
citizenship as described in Section
53E-4-205.2
;
(e)
include a graduation requirement in social studies that is equal to or exceeds 3.5
units, including:
(i)
at least 1.0 unit in American constitutional government and citizenship as
described in Section
53E-4-205.2
, consisting of two distinct semester courses that
may not be duplicated to satisfy the requirement; and
(ii)
at least 1.0 unit in United States history, consisting of two distinct semester
courses that may not be duplicated to satisfy the requirement; and
(f)
ensure up to 0.5 units
of the 1.0 unit in American constitutional government and
citizenship
described in Subsection
(1)(e)
(1)(e)(i)
may be earned by:
(i)
completing a course or a school sponsored activity emphasizing verbal
communication provided that a significant portion of the course or activity is
dedicated to civic education, including:
(A)
policy analysis;
(B)
governmental systems; and
(C)
civic engagement; or
(ii)
participation in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps described in 10 U.S.C
.

Sec. 2031.
(2)
The state board shall establish competency-based standards and assessments for elective
courses.
(3)
The state board shall study requiring all LEAs to issue a high school diploma to students
who receive:
(a)
an associate's degree with at least 60 credit hours from an accredited post-secondary
institution; or
(b)
an industry certification with at least 500 hours of instruction from a business, trade
association, or other industry group in accordance with Section
53E-3-501
.
Section 4. Section
53E-4-205.3
is enacted to read:
53E-4-205.3
. Elementary social studies e
ducation.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Elementary grades" or "elementary grade level" means kindergarten through grade 6.
(b)
"Integrated instruction" means teaching that purposefully connects social studies
content with other subject areas.
(c)
"Social studies" means the integrated study of history, geography, civics, and
economics as outlined in the state board's standards for social studies.
(2)
The board shall make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah
Administrative Rulemaking Act, establishing standards to ensure that LEAs provide
regular social studies instruction in each elementary grade level.
(3)
The board shall:
(a)
develop guidelines for integrating, where appropriate, social studies instruction with
English language arts and mathematics;
(b)
develop and maintain a repository of social studies instructional materials and
resources;
(c)
establish criteria for qualifying integrated instruction; and
(d)
develop methods to measure student progress in social studies learning.
(4)
An LEA shall:
(a)
ensure that students in elementary grades receive regular social studies instruction
required in Subsection
(2)
;
(b)
in accordance with Section
53G-10-304
, adopt social studies curricula that meet state
standards;
(c)
ensure all elementary students have access to appropriate social studies materials;
(d)
provide resources to support integrated instruction;
(e)
ensure that elementary teachers receive ongoing professional development in social
studies instruction, including integrated instruction;
(f)
provide time for collaborative planning to support integrated instruction;
(g)
regularly assess student progress in social studies;
(h)
use data to inform instruction and support; and
(i)
report social studies instructional time and student outcomes to the state board as
required.
(5)
An LEA shall implement all requirements of this section by July 1, 2031.
(6)
Upon request, the board shall report to the Education Interim Committee on
implementation progress and initial outcomes.
Section 5.
Repealer.
American civics education initiative for adult education.
Section 6.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2026
.
2-23-26 12:56 PM