{"data":{"id":"us-ut/utah-code-53e-4-204","jurisdiction":"us-ut","citation":"Utah Code § 53E-4-204","heading":"Standards and graduation requirements.","body":"(1) 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:\n(a) are consistent with state law and federal regulations;\n(b) use competency-based standards and assessments;\n(c) include instruction that stresses general financial literacy from basic budgeting to financial investments, including bankruptcy education and a general financial literacy test-out option;\n(d) include graduation requirements in language arts, mathematics, and science that exceed:\n(i) 3.0 units in language arts including up to 0.5 units emphasizing verbal communication completed in a course or a school sponsored activity;\n(ii) 2.0 units in mathematics; and\n(iii) and 2.0 units in science;\n(e) include a graduation requirement in social studies that is equal to or exceeds 3.5 units, including:\n(i) 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; and\n(ii) at least 1.0 unit in United States history, consisting of two distinct semester courses that may not be duplicated to satisfy the requirement; and\n(f) ensure 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:\n(i) 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:\n(A) policy analysis;\n(B) governmental systems; and\n(C) civic engagement; or\n(ii) participation in the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps described in 10 U.S.C. Sec. 2031.\n(2) The state board shall establish competency-based standards and assessments for elective courses.\n(3) The state board shall study requiring all LEAs to issue a high school diploma to students who receive:\n(a) an associate's degree with at least 60 credit hours from an accredited post-secondary institution; or\n(b) an 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.","path":["Title 53E Public Education System -- State Administration","Chapter 53E-4 Academic Standards, Assessments, and Materials","Part 53E-4-2 Standards"],"source_url":"https://le.utah.gov/xcode/Title53E/Chapter4/53E-4-S204.html","current_through":"2026 General Session","vintage":"","retrieved_at":"2026-09-03T11:34:33Z","sha256":"462e4e583417b738e52818d98e970f756e773550888669794d11864c69812cd0","source_id":"us-ut","stale":false,"prev":"us-ut/utah-code-53e-4-203","next":"us-ut/utah-code-53e-4-205.2"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}