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Herbert Favors More Comprehensive School Report Cards

Brian Grimmett
Utah Governor Gary Herbert

Utah Governor Gary Herbert says he supports school grading, but he says a single letter grade isn’t enough information to determine how well a school is performing. Herbert was speaking at his monthly televised news conference on KUED.

Governor Herbert says it’s important to have an accountability system that clearly illustrates a schools successes and weaknesses. He says his education advisor Tami Pyfer has come up with an alternative system that would do that.

“I’ve asked her to look at what can we do that will be inclusive with what the legislature has already done that will be compatible, complimentary and give us better information,” Herbert says.

Pyfer’s plan would replace the controversial letter grades and Utah’s Comprehensive Accountability System with a single report for each school. It would also require report cards for Utah’s public colleges and universities.

Pyfer says it will provide a comprehensive look into school performance. But it will also shine a light on the state’s progress on the governor’s goal of getting sixty-six percent of adult Utahns to have a postsecondary degree or professional certificate by 2020.

“It’s been a plan that’s been in place now for a couple of years,” Pyfer says. “And they have metrics that they set to measure that, but we’ve not really looked at okay, how are we doing?”

Pyfer told KUER on Thursday, she’s gotten positive responses from lawmakers. They would have to approve the changes before they take effect. 

Whittney Evans grew up southern Ohio and has worked in public radio since 2005. She has a communications degree from Morehead State University in Morehead, Kentucky, where she learned the ropes of reporting, producing and hosting. Whittney moved to Utah in 2009 where she became a reporter, producer and morning host at KCPW. Her reporting ranges from the hyper-local issues affecting Salt Lake City residents, to state-wide issues of national interest. Outside of work, she enjoys playing the guitar and getting to know the breathtaking landscape of the Mountain West.
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