Math team presents survey: majority favor single model and AGA in Utah, but district results vary

Utah State Board of Education math specialists told the Standards & Assessment Committee that their recent survey of 3,990 stakeholders shows broad support for a single statewide secondary math model and that, overall, more respondents favored a traditional algebra–geometry–algebra (AGA) pathway than an integrated pathway — though preferences varied substantially by district and stakeholder group.

Mike Spencer (secondary math specialist) said roughly 70% of respondents favored a single statewide model rather than local choice, and about 67% of overall respondents favored an AGA structure; teachers were more split, with a noticeably higher share supporting the integrated model in some analyses.

Melissa Garber and Molly Basham summarized national comparisons: 10 states require an AGA-like structure, three (including Utah) require an integrated structure, and 37 states allow choice. Among states that allow choice, many still use a single end-of-sequence assessment; several states use course-specific assessments or ACT/SAT-based approaches at the end of secondary pathways.

Math staff also presented concurrent-enrollment trends showing expanded options (quantitative reasoning, statistics) since 2015 and a decline in first-year college remediation rates to about 12.5%; staff noted higher-ed institutions introduced co-requisite models that place students into credit-bearing courses with just-in-time supports.

"There’s a lot of variation by community," Spencer said, urging board members to review a district-level spreadsheet the team prepared. Staff suggested that if the board changes course structure, a phased transition with clear supports and timelines is typical and advisable to avoid the resource gaps experienced when Utah moved to integrated standards in 2016.

Next step: Math staff offered to provide deeper district-level analyses and to meet with board members or LEA leaders to discuss curriculum, assessment timing and implementation cost and supports.