By Abigail Norton
Capital West News
SALT LAKE CITY – More advanced classes are on the horizon for students after a bill expanding online education was passed this week.
HB282 expands online education programs to include public universities, giving students a wider range of options in selecting an online school and classes. The change opens up doors to more advanced classes.
The bill passed out of committee with a favorable recommendation, had a second reading on the Senate floor March 9, and is currently awaiting assignment by the Senate Rules Committee.
According to Rep. Brad Daw, R-Orem, having access to advanced courses is the way to get students motivated in taking science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses in college.
Daw has high hopes for Utah’s students, who he says have the aptitude and desire to take STEM classes in high school.
Daw, said the bill takes him back to his high school days where he and his friends first experimented with coding. “That ignited me,” Daw said. After that experience, he said he was motivated to learn more.
The bill’s purpose is to sparking that same excitement for learning in students across the state.
Utah was the first state to receive an A on Jeb Bush’s Digital Learning Now Report Card, which measures state policies on digital learning include quality, funding and delivery.
