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State board rejects ban on measuring students' nonacademic "skills" but orders review of data backpack elements
Summary
The Utah State Board of Education rejected a motion to prohibit the board from measuring students’ nonacademic knowledge, skills and dispositions but voted to ask staff to work with the legislature to review and update the statutory list of elements required in the student achievement backpack.
The Utah State Board of Education voted down a proposal to bar the board from measuring students’ nonacademic knowledge, skills and dispositions but approved a separate request that staff work with the Legislature to review and update what the code requires in the student achievement backpack.
The failed motion, introduced by Member Boggess, asked staff to “work with the legislature to amend section 53-3-511 to prohibit the board from measuring student nonacademic knowledge, skills, and dispositions as part of the board’s student achievement backpack data collection system.” Member Boggess said, "I don't think we should be measuring or storing non academic data in centralized databases." The motion failed on a recorded voice vote the board announced as 7 in favor and 6 opposed.
Why it matters: Board members debated where state authority begins and ends and how the student achievement backpack — an electronic, student-following learner profile required by statute — interacts with locally held Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and other LEA data. Several members warned that ambiguity in statutory definitions could produce unintended consequences if the board or Legislature later defines ‘‘nonacademic’’ elements differently.
Board action and context: After the failed ban, Vice Chair Hart moved and the board approved a broader request directing staff to work with the Legislature “to review the list of required elements of the student data backpack in 53-3-511 and any other applicable sections of code and bring any new proposed language to the board.” That motion passed 12–1. The board clarified the new request is intended to ask legislators to reexamine what items should be required in the backpack rather than to substitute the board’s definitions on its own.
On technical scope, Leah Voorhees, interim deputy superintendent, told the board that the state agency “does not collect IEPs. We don't have access, at the state level, to IEPs. We have to go to LEAs, and generally to schools actually to be able to access IEPs.” Deputy Superintendent Scott Jones and other staff explained that the data gateway currently stores disaggregated data and that some LEAs have digitized elements of students’ service data that can be transferred when a student moves.
Board members disagreed over definitions. Member Davis asked whether data that appear in IEPs or LEA records (attendance, service minutes, behavior incidents) would fall under the motion; Member Boggess and others said the original proposal would have limited the board’s ability to measure those specific “knowledge, skill, or disposition” items but would not prevent LEAs from collecting or storing information locally.
Next steps: Staff will compile the statutory elements currently listed in code and work with a legislator or committee to review and, if appropriate, propose updated statutory language to the board for consideration.
Ending: Board members said they expect continued discussion during the legislature’s session and in upcoming board legislative meetings; the board scheduled further work on related items for an overflow session the following day.
