7/1/2026Amended by Chapter 413, 2026 General Session2026Standards and graduation requirements.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:are consistent with state law and federal regulations;use competency-based standards and assessments;include instruction that stresses general financial literacy from basic budgeting to financial investments, including bankruptcy education and a general financial literacy test-out option;include graduation requirements in language arts, mathematics, and science that exceed:3.0 units in language arts including up to 0.5 units emphasizing verbal communication completed in a course or a school sponsored activity;2.0 units in mathematics; andand 2.0 units in science;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, consisting of two distinct semester courses that may not be duplicated to satisfy the requirement; andat least 1.0 unit in United States history, consisting of two distinct semester courses that may not be duplicated to satisfy the requirement; andensure up to 0.5 units of the 1.0 unit in American constitutional government and citizenship described in Subsection (1)(e)(i) may be earned by: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:policy analysis;governmental systems; andcivic engagement; orparticipation in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps described in 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2031.The state board shall establish competency-based standards and assessments for elective courses.The state board shall study requiring all LEAs to issue a high school diploma to students who receive:an associate's degree with at least 60 credit hours from an accredited post-secondary institution; oran 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.