Math & reading standards and testing in Utah
Updated June 2026
Utah uses its own Utah Core Standards for ELA and math, revised away from Common Core. Students in grades 3-8 take the RISE assessment each spring.
Does Utah hold kids back in 3rd grade for reading?
No. Utah has no 3rd-grade retention gate; it emphasizes early-literacy screening and intervention, with promotion local.
Standards
Utah Core Standards
Utah sets its own grade-level expectations rather than using Common Core, though the core math and reading skills are similar grade to grade.
The key test
The Utah state test
RISE covers both math and reading in grades 3-8.
Reading the results
Spring.
Four levels: Below, Approaching, Proficient, Highly Proficient.
On grade level means Proficient or Highly Proficient on RISE ELA.
What's distinctive about Utah
RISE is a computer-adaptive criterion-referenced system, and Utah funds intervention through its Early Interventions Reading program.
Practice the skills, by grade
Whatever Utah calls its test, the underlying math and reading skills are grade-level. Practice them directly:
Practice the skills behind the test
Utah writes its own standards. What a third grader has to do does not change: multiply, find the main idea, read a paragraph and say what it meant. KangarooKiddo drills those skills in daily sessions of a handful of questions that end on their own. You see where your kid actually stands, they earn rewards you set up and approve.
Source: Utah Department of Education. Verified for the 2025-26 school year; policies can change, so confirm with your school.
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