R277-700-5. Middle School Education Requirements

  (1) The Core Standards and a General Core for middle school students are described in this section.

  (2) A student in grades 7-8 is required to complete the courses described in Subsection (3) to be properly prepared for instruction in grades 9-12.

  (3) The following are the Grades 7-8 General Core Requirements:

  (a) Grade 7 Language Arts;

  (b) Grade 8 Language Arts;

  (c) Grade 7 Mathematics;

  (d) Grade 8 Mathematics;

  (e) Grade 7 Integrated Science;

  (f) Grade 8 Integrated Science;

  (g) United States History;

  (h) Utah History; and

  (i) at least one course in each of the following in grades 7 or 8:

  (A) Health Education;

  (B) College and Career Awareness;

  (C) Digital Literacy;

  (D) the Arts; and

  (E) Physical Education.

  (4) An LEA shall use evidence-based best practices, technology, and other instructional media in middle school curricula to increase the relevance and quality of instruction.

  (5) An LEA shall use Board-approved summative adaptive assessments to assess student mastery of the following:

  (a) reading;

  (b) language arts;

  (c) mathematics; and

  (d) science.

  (6) At the discretion of the LEA board, an LEA board may:

  (a) offer additional elective courses;

  (b) require a student to complete additional courses; or

  (c) set minimum credit requirements.

  (7) Upon parental or student request, an LEA may, with parental consent, substitute a course requirement described in Subsection (3) with a course, extracurricular activity, or experience that is:

  (a) similar to the course requirement; or

  (b) consistent with the student's plan for college and career readiness.

  (8)(a) An LEA shall establish a policy governing the substitution of a course requirement as described in Subsection (7).

  (b) An LEA's policy described in Subsection (8)(a) shall include a process for a parent to appeal an LEA's denial of a request for a substitution described in Subsection (7) to the LEA board or the LEA board designee.