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Utah education officials report progress and remaining work on SB127 early-literacy measures
Summary
Utah State Board of Education staff updated the committee on implementation steps for 2022Senate Bill 127, reporting widespread LETRS training licenses issued, change-management cohorts for administrators underway, and pilot community engagement efforts; key deadlines and participation cutoffs were reiterated.
Julie Clark, literacy and early learning coordinator for the Utah State Board of Education, told the committee the board provided a quarterly information update on Senate Bill 127, the 2022 early-literacy law, and highlighted program activity from December 2024 through February 2025.
The update emphasized professional learning using LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling): the state issued a little more than 11,000 LETRS licenses and about 9,000 educators have completed the LETRS professional learning to date, Clark said. Educators who were in K-3 positions on Nov. 1, 2022, were identified as the cohort required to complete LETRS; the board and staff said the state-paid licenses were one-time funds and some LEAs will need to determine how to sustain training after grant-funded cohorts end.
Clark also described a change-management requirement for LEA administrators and literacy coaches. Cohort 1 (started in 2023) had about 60 participants; cohort 2 began in February 2024 with about 300 participants; the most recent cohort launched with over 400 participants. The committee was told administrators who complete the change-management cohort will have until 2027 to finish the requirement.
Clark said the board is adding a LETRS certificate to educator licenses so teachers who complete LETRS can show they are ‘‘LETRS certified’’; she stressed the certificate will appear like an endorsement on the license but will not carry the same weight as a full endorsement. She said LEAs and the licensing team are coordinating details so the certificate can be added to educator records.
The board has also given 48 "science-of-reading" awards over three years to principals, coaches and teachers nominated by LEAs and vetted against a rubric, Clark said. She said the board offers an optional community-engagement program to help families use books and at-home strategies to reinforce classroom literacy; the program is voluntary for LEAs and some districts have started cohort activities.
Committee members pressed for details on implementation and equity. One board member asked whether LETRS is required for every teacher; Clark replied it was required only for K-3 teachers who were in those positions by Nov. 1, 2022, and that LETRS training had been funded with one-time state money. Committee members asked how LEAs verify and sustain participation; Clark said staff track participants and that Denise (project manager) keeps a participation roster.
Committee members also asked whether the community-engagement contract had been reworked to better connect training to families; Clark said the community engagement specialist (named in discussion as Susie Estrada) would have more detail on how training reaches parents. The committee requested a short written follow-up describing how community-engagement contractors connect training to family outcomes.
On curriculum quality, Clark described a Utah curriculum checklist used to review materials submitted through USBE's RIMS process. The checklist evaluates alignment to science-of-reading components (phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, writing) and a review committee scores products against those criteria. LEAs using curricula that have not been reviewed are asked to submit a completed checklist so USBE can verify alignment.
Committee members noted the bill sets a statewide goal that 70% of third graders read on grade level by 2027 and asked whether the statute or program sunsets; staff said the 2027 goal is the target year and that the change-management requirement runs through 2027. Clark said USBE is focused on supporting implementation (coaching, administrator plans, and linking educator preparation programs to reading foundations) and that teacher-preparation programs now must ensure graduates pass the Utah Foundations of Reading Assessment to be licensed in elementary and related fields.
The presentation closed with board members asking for a status check at a later meeting and for an update on how LEAs are connecting training to family engagement and student outcomes. Clark offered to provide a short write-up on the community-engagement contract and to continue reporting implementation metrics.
