A new national report from Just Equations, an independent organization focused on student success in mathematics, highlights Utah’s concurrent enrollment (CE) program as a leading model for college-level math preparation and for supporting students’ transition from high school to college. 

CE allows Utah high school students to take college-level courses for college credit, preparing them for postsecondary study while reducing the cost of higher education. In its December report, Aligned by Design, Just Equations points to Utah’s CE program as an example of cross-system alignment that has significantly expanded access to meaningful math pathways and improved student readiness for college coursework. 

The report notes that Utah’s CE program has considerably increased the number of high school seniors enrolled in math courses and has led to substantial growth in college-level math credit attainment prior to graduation. 

Utah’s Math Competency Initiative, established by the Utah Legislature in 2015, expanded CE math offerings beyond a single track to calculus, recognizing that many career paths require a foundation in statistics or quantitative literacy, rather than calculus alone. This expanded approach has proven successful. From 2016 to 2020, students earned 102% more math credits through CE.  

According to Steve Hood, USHE’s assistant commissioner of academic affairs, these students enter college better prepared for math coursework than students who did not take CE classes. 

Through statewide partnerships and the alignment of credentials with career paths, Utah is strengthening student outcomes by more closely aligning K-12 and higher education and expanding relevant pathways. 

Read Just Equations’ Utah highlight, along with examples from other states advancing CE.