Student Achievement Backpack

4
53E-3-511
0
Student Achievement Backpack
2026 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Lincoln Fillmore
House Sponsor:
LONG TITLE
General Description:
This bill amends provisions regarding the Student Achievement Backpack.
Highlighted Provisions:
This bill:
defines terms;
adds specific requirements and criteria for the Student Achievement Backpack, including:
data transfer or storage;
system and vendor interoperability;
data visibility;
data contents; and
authorized users who may access the data; and
makes technical and conforming changes.
Money Appropriated in this Bill:
None
Other Special Clauses:
This bill provides a special effective date.
Utah Code Sections Affected:
AMENDS:
53E-3-511
, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapters 164, 381
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
Section 1. Section
53E-3-511
is amended to read:
53E-3-511
. Student Achievement Backpack -- Utah Student Record Store.
(1)
As used in this section:
(a)
"Authorized LEA user" means
a
an administrator,
teacher
,
or other person who is:
(i)
employed by an LEA that provides instruction to a student; and
(ii)
authorized to access data in a Student Achievement Backpack through the Utah
Student Record Store
.
or an educational student achievement record system.
(b)
"Authorized user" means:
(i)
the relevant student, if the student is or has been enrolled in the LEA;
(ii)
the student's parent or legal guardian, while the student is enrolled in an LEA;
(iii)
an authorized LEA user; or
(iv)
a user that the state board authorizes to access data in a Student Achievement
Backpack through the Utah Student Record Store or an educational student
achievement record system, including local and state policymakers, subject to
state and federal privacy laws, including:
(A)
Chapter 9, Student Privacy and Data Protection;
(B)
the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act and related provisions under 20
U.S.C. Secs. 1232g and 1232h; and
(C)
the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, 15 U.S.C. Sec. 6501 et seq.
(c)
"Multi-institutional, longitudinal learner visibility" means that an educational student
achievement record system enables a continuous learner-centric view of Student
Achievement Backpack information across multiple LEAs, programs, and
participating postsecondary institutions.
(b)
(d)
"Statewide assessment" means the same as that term is defined in Section
53E-4-301
.
(c)
(e)
"Student Achievement Backpack" means, for a student from kindergarten
through grade 12, a complete learner profile that:
(i)
is in electronic format;
(ii)
is a state-provided, federated connectivity, access, and visualization layer that
enables authorized users to view student information across multiple sources,
systems, and institutions that:
(A)
does not replace or serve as an LEA or state system of record; and
(B)
provides multi-institutional, longitudinal learner visibility of student academic
progress, zero data transfer or storage, and system- and vendor-agnostic
interoperability;
(ii)
(iii)
follows the student from grade to grade and school to school
, including LEA
to LEA and other enrollment choices including a state scholarship program, home
schooling, and online programs
; and
(iii)
(iv)
is accessible by
the student,
the student's parent
,
or an authorized LEA user.
(f)
"System- and vendor-agnostic interoperability" means that the educational student
achievement record system:
(i)
interoperates with education data systems regardless of vendor or platform; and
(ii)
provides no preference, exclusivity, or technical advantage to any vendor or
system.
(d)
(g)
"Utah Student Record Store" means a repository of student data collected from
LEAs as part of the state's longitudinal data system that is:
(i)
managed by the state board;
(ii)
cloud-based; and
(iii)
accessible via a web browser to authorized LEA users.
(h)
"Visualization-only interface" means a secure display of student data sourced
directly from an authoritative system of record without copying, transferring, or
centrally storing the underlying student data.
(i)
"Zero data transfer or storage" means that:
(i)
student data and documents that already exist in an authorized LEA or state
system of record remain in the system of record; and
(ii)
the educational student achievement record system does not transfer or
persistently store, unless the state board expressly authorizes minimal transient
processing or limited storage solely to render Student Achievement Backpack
information available where no authorized LEA or state system of record exists.
(2)
(a)
The state board shall
use the state board's robust, comprehensive data collection
system, which collects longitudinal student transcript data from LEAs
, using
existing LEA and state data systems
and the unique student identifiers as described in
Section
53E-4-308
,
to
allow the following to access a student's Student
Achievement Backpack:
(i)
the student;
(i)
(ii)
the student's parent; and
(ii)
(iii)
each LEA that provides instruction to the student.
(b)
The state board shall ensure that a Student Achievement Backpack:
(i)
provides a uniform, transparent reporting mechanism for individual student
progress;
(ii)
provides a complete learner history for postsecondary planning;
(ii)
uses a visualization-only interface;
(iii)
provides an unofficial, continuously updated transcript view reflecting
multi-institutional progress toward diplomas, certifications, and postsecondary
credentials;
(iii)
(iv)
provides a teacher with visibility into a student's complete learner profile to
better inform instruction and personalize education;
(iv)
(v)
assists a teacher or administrator in diagnosing a student's learning needs
through the use of
data already collected by the state board
existing LEA and
state data authorized for viewing under this section
;
(v)
(vi)
facilitates a student's parent taking an active role in the student's education
by simplifying access to the student's complete learner profile;
and
(vi)
(vii)
serves as additional disaster mitigation for LEAs by using a cloud-based
data storage and collection system.
supports continuity of access to Student
Achievement Backpack information consistent with zero data transfer or storage
principles;
(viii)
is provided for informational and student-support purposes without modifying
LEA or state board reporting obligations under state or federal law;
(ix)
does not:
(A)
serve as a system of record for student data; or
(B)
replace or duplicate an LEA's student information system; and
(x)
relies on the originating system of record for data accuracy, maintenance, and
correction.
(3)
(a)
Using existing information collected and stored
in the state board's data
warehouse
through LEA and state board systems
, the state board shall create
and
maintain
the Utah Student Record Store
where an authorized LEA user may:
in
support of Student Achievement Backpack availability and LEA-to-LEA record
exchange.
(a)
access data in a Student Achievement Backpack relevant to the user's LEA or
school; or
(b)
request student records to be transferred from one LEA to another.
(b)
An authorized user may, as applicable:
(i)
access Student Achievement Backpack information relevant to the user's role
through the Student Achievement Backpack; and
(ii)
request the transfer of student records from one LEA to another LEA through the
Utah Student Record Store.
(4)
The state board shall implement security
and privacy
measures to ensure that:
(a)
student data stored
or
,
transmitted
to or from
, or visualized as part of a Student
Achievement Backpack or through
the Utah Student Record Store is secure and
confidential
pursuant to the requirements of
in accordance with
the Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g;
(b)
an authorized LEA user may only access student data that is relevant to the user's
LEA or school; and
role and lawful purpose under this section;
(c)
except as provided in Section
53E-9-308
, an authorized
LEA
user shares only
aggregate or de-identified data
.
accessed through the Student Achievement
Backpack outside the context of the Student Achievement Backpack; and
(d)
the secure and confidential system supporting the Student Achievement Backpack
does not replace or supersede the role of the Utah Student Record Store in
LEA-to-LEA transfers.
(5)
(a)
A student's parent may
request
access
the student's Student Achievement
Backpack
from the LEA or the school in which
while
the student is enrolled
in an
LEA
.
(b)
The LEA or school in which a student is enrolled shall assist the parent described in
Subsection
(5)(a)
in obtaining access upon request.
(6)
An authorized LEA user may access student data in a Student Achievement Backpack,
which shall include the following data
, or request that the data be transferred from one
LEA to another
and information, at a minimum, organized into the following sections
:
(a)
enrollment, including:
(a)
(i)
student demographics;
(ii)
student contact information;
(iii)
parent information;
(iv)
current and previous schools and LEAs of enrollment; and
(v)
school performance information reported in accordance with Chapter 5, Part 2,
School Accountability System;
(b)
attendance, including:
(i)
an attendance alert indicator, in accordance with Section
53E-5-210
;
(ii)
current attendance status;
(iii)
an attendance summary;
(iv)
section attendance; and
(v)
recent absences identified as excused or unexcused;
(c)
academics, including:
(i)
an academic performance alert indicator, in accordance with Section
53E-5-210
;
(ii)
an academic overview, including current grade point average where available;
(iii)
current enrolled courses, including the teacher name and teacher qualifications,
where available;
(b)
(iv)
current
course grades
or progress
;
(v)
current assignments with grades, where available;
(vi)
past-due assignments with due dates, where available;
(c)
(vii)
course history
, including teacher name, where available
;
and
(d)
(viii)
results of a statewide assessment
.
;
(ix)
student growth scores on statewide assessments, as applicable;
(x)
a student's writing sample written for a writing assessment administered in
accordance with Section
53E-4-303
;
(xi)
results of benchmark reading assessments administered in accordance with
Section
53E-4-307
; and
(xii)
a student's reading level at the end of grade 3, where applicable;
(d)
student support, including:
(i)
IEP status and classification, where applicable;
(ii)
Section 504 status and classification, where applicable;
(iii)
additional supports and classifications, where applicable;
(iv)
other student support indicators, in accordance with authorizations in law or rule;
and
(v)
generated summaries for easy viewing of IEP, Section 504, and other supports,
including accommodations, in accordance with authorizations in law or rule; and
(e)
transcript, including:
(i)
credits needed and credits earned toward high school graduation;
(ii)
completed diplomas and certifications, where applicable;
(iii)
enrollment in participating professional or postsecondary institutions and
programs outside of the public education system;
(iv)
progress toward credentials, certifications, and degrees, including concurrent
enrollment and college credits;
(v)
unofficial predicted transfer credit information, where available; and
(vi)
generated summaries of progress and recommendations for professional or
postsecondary opportunities.
(7)
An authorized LEA user may access student data in a Student Achievement Backpack,
which shall include the data listed in Subsections
(6)(a)
through
(d)
and the following
data
(e)
, or request that the data be transferred from one LEA to another
:
through the
Utah Student Record Store.
(a)
section attendance;
(b)
the name of a student's teacher for classes or courses the student takes;
(c)
teacher qualifications for a student's teacher, including years of experience, degree,
license, and endorsement;
(d)
results of statewide assessments;
(e)
a student's writing sample that is written for a writing assessment administered
pursuant to Section
53E-4-303
;
(f)
student growth scores on a statewide assessment, as applicable;
(g)
a school's performance as reported in accordance with
Chapter 5, Part 2, School
Accountability System
;
(h)
results of benchmark assessments of reading administered pursuant to Section
53E-4-307
; and
(i)
a student's reading level at the end of grade 3.
(8)
No later than July 1, 2024, the state board shall ensure that data collected in the Utah
Student Record Store for a Student Achievement Backpack is integrated into each LEA's
student information system and is made available to a student's parent and an authorized
LEA user in an easily accessible viewing format.
(8)
(a)
No later than July 1, 2027, the state board shall ensure that the Student
Achievement Backpack is available in an easily accessible viewing format for each
authorized user, using information sourced from LEA and state board systems.
(b)
Each LEA shall work with the state board to ensure that the Student Achievement
Backpack is available in accordance with Subsection
(8)(a)
for each student currently
enrolled in the LEA.
(9)
No later than July 1, 2027, the state board shall:
(a)
in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 6a, Utah Procurement Code, procure a
provider of an educational student achievement record system that provides the
Student Achievement Backpack statewide; and
(b)
ensure that the educational student achievement record system meets the
requirements of this section.
(10)
(a)
Student Achievement Backpack access and visualization under this section are
separate from and do not alter an LEA's reporting obligations to the state board under
state or federal law.
(b)
All student data displayed through the Student Achievement Backpack remains the
property of the originating local education agency.
(c)
A parent, student, or authorized LEA user who identifies a data error shall request
correction from the originating local education agency.
(d)
The state board may not modify, overwrite, or correct student data originating from a
local education agency's system of record.
Section 2.
Effective Date.
This bill takes effect on
July 1, 2027
.
2-13-26 1:09 PM