USBE adds AS exit code so adult‑education transfers won’t be counted as dropouts

Utah State Board of Education staff introduced a new exit code, AS, to mark students who transfer to adult education but remain the responsibility of their local education agency for special education services.

The new AS code differentiates students who transfer to adult education while still receiving special education supports from AE exit-coded students, who count as dropouts. USBE staff said AS will be treated as a continuing student for cohort graduation-rate calculations rather than as a dropout.

Why it matters: Staff described instances where districts reported students enrolled in adult education but still providing special education services; those students were sometimes counted as dropouts under the existing AE code. The AS code is intended to fix that reporting mismatch so federal special education exit data and cohort graduation calculations correctly reflect continuing service.

Specifications and rollout: USBE said UTREx already will accept the AS code and that the code will appear in the August publication of the UTREx specifications. Districts were advised to check with their SIS vendors and begin training staff to use the new code as soon as it is available. USBE said no immediate validation will be added on the AS code, but the adult education department will perform checks to confirm use is appropriate.

Staff emphasized that AS should be used for any student who transfers to adult education and is still receiving services from the LEA, including post‑high students, and that LEAs had previously reported such cases to USBE asking for a fix.