53A-1-409 - Competency-based education -- Recommendations -- Coordination. - Utah Statutes

53A-1-409. Competency-based education -- Recommendations -- Coordination.
(1) As used in this section:
(a) "Competency" means a demonstrable acquisition of a specified knowledge, skill, orability that has been organized into a hierarchical arrangement leading to higher levels ofknowledge, skill, or ability.
(b) "Competency-based education" means an education approach that requires students toacquire a competency and includes a classroom structure and operation that aid and facilitate theacquisition of specified competencies on an individual basis wherein students are allowed tomaster and demonstrate competencies as fast as they are able.
(c) "Gain score" means the measured difference of a student's score at the beginning andend of a time period that may be aggregated at the class, grade, school, and school district levels.
(2) The State Board of Education shall:
(a) provide expertise to and consult with local school boards and school districts relatingto competency-based education and progress-based assessments;
(b) make recommendations to the Public Education Appropriations Subcommittee,including the amount and allocation of public education money, based upon both new publiceducation money and the reallocation of money required to develop and implement:
(i) competency-based education and progress-based assessments;
(ii) a weighted competency unit that distributes public education money based on studentachievement resulting from competency-based program objectives, strategies, and standards;
(iii) a plan to assist students, teachers, schools, and districts that need remediation basedupon Subsections (2)(b)(i) and (ii);
(iv) the reallocation of teaching resources from noncore electives into grades 1-3, 7-12math, and 7-12 English; and
(v) a teacher development program focused on achieving progress in core academics,including instruction in explicit, systematic, and intensive phonics for teachers in gradeskindergarten through 3;
(c) assist school districts and charter schools to develop and implement:
(i) competency-based education; and
(ii) the use of gain scores; and
(d) develop and use monetary and nonmonetary incentives, tools, and rewards toencourage school districts and charter schools to accomplish the items described underSubsections (2)(a) through (c).

Amended by Chapter 19, 2004 General Session