This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After several months of delays, the Utah Board of Education voted Friday to release a proposed update to social studies and history education standards for public review.
The new standards would affect grades seven through 12, encompassing courses on Utah, U.S. and world history.
Members of the public are encouraged to review the standards, which are available on the state school board website, and submit feedback and suggestions.
Following the 90-day review, the board is expected to either adopt the standards or refer them back to the board's teams for additional revisions.
Board members were originally scheduled to consider a public review in December, but the standards were withdrawn from the board's agenda to allow writing teams to complete a revised draft.
A committee of the board discussed the new standards in April, but approval of a public review period was delayed one month, until Friday's meeting.
If implemented, the new standards would encourage social studies and history teachers to emphasize analysis and debate of topics over memorizations of names, places and events.
Jennifer Johnson, second vice-chairwoman of the board, spoke against releasing the draft standards.
She said she had requested that specific items be included — dealing with boards, commissions, councils and county government — that were absent from the version being released for public input.
"It seems to be a really big hole of ignorance for the public at large," she said of those topics.
The public release was ultimately approved in a split 8-7 vote of the school board, with Chairman David Crandall casting the deciding vote.
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