Education

Each year since 1990, Utah public school students in grades 5, 8, and 11 have been given an achievement test designed to measure student performance relative to a national norm.Overall, the various tests taken by Utah students show that some Utah schools and students are doing well in comparison to national standards. There are, however, areas of the curriculum, like writing, which need more attention. Some schools, particularly those working with many at-risk students, also … Continued

Since a Nation at Risk was published in 1983, U.S. presidents, congress, governors, legislators, business people, parents and educators have been debating, passing laws, revising curriculum, raising graduation requirements, and testing students in hopes of improving the performance of the nation’s public school children. During this period of reform, school accountability became a popular term. Many reformers argue that improvement in public education cannot be expected unless schools and students are held accountable.