For the past five years, the South Summit School District has had the Wasatch Back’s lowest combined proficiency for grades 3-8 in math, science and English language arts.
Overall competence in the core subjects also did not increase from 2019 to 2025, unlike other area districts. That’s according to a Utah audit released Sept. 15.
Superintendent Greg Maughan said he requested the audit after around a decade of waning student performance.
“I requested the audit because we want to get better; we want to improve our practices, our systems, and everything else,” he said.
The audit says weak student performance is largely due to a lack of clear, data-driven goals. Auditors outlined steps for improvement from the district boardroom to the classroom.
Board of education changes
The audit found South Summit’s board of education can better prioritize student achievement in two ways. First, by regularly looking at student learning data and second, by creating a strategic plan with clear targets.
The audit said of all board discussions, student learning and accountability are mentioned the least.
The audit recommends the board start looking at data on how kids are doing in core subjects to keep the rest of the district accountable.
Audit Supervisor Tanner Cox said during a legislative audit subcommittee meeting that his team also found the district’s current strategic plan lacks quantifiable objectives.
“We saw a lot of goals, a lot of objectives, but we didn't see a lot of clear performance targets, especially when it came to student learning,” he said. “So it makes it difficult for the board to understand: Is the district doing well?”
The audit recommends the board work with the superintendent to include clear, measurable goals in its new strategic plan.
Teacher evaluation system
Auditors also looked into why some teachers received positive performance reviews, even if their students weren’t doing well on state tests. The Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment, or RISE, test for grades 3-8, specifically.
Audit staffer Brody Bailey said the team again found issues with goal setting. Almost 20 out of 60 teacher goals did not have a way to track progress.
“There weren't quantifiable measures that were included in some of those goals, and in some cases, when there were quantifiable measures, it wasn't tied to student learning,” he said.
During interviews, auditors said one teacher described the goal-setting process as “going through the hoops,” but with no follow-up. Another said the process was not as useful as it could be.
Auditors said goals should be informed by data, with teachers identifying a gap in student understanding and setting a goal to remedy it.
The audit also said the evaluation process was cumbersome, with multiple forms needed to complete a single evaluation. That led to a documentation disconnect; principals did observations but did not always log them.
Auditors recommend the district use a more user-friendly system. They also say principals should be doing more regular observations to help teachers improve their skills.
Using data to improve student learning
The audit consistently points to a lack of data-driven goals in the district and recommends leaders develop a system to find which students need support.
Bailey said a first step would be to test student knowledge at least three times a year. The results will help teachers understand what students do know compared to what they should know.
The district already uses a platform called Performance Matters to conduct assessments. Former and current teachers have raised concerns over the platform for months.
Some principals told auditors they had “received little to no formal training” on how to use the platform’s data features.
“The district does have a pretty robust data set and a data monitoring system, but it can be better utilized to find those students that may be struggling and get them the help that they need,” Bailey said.
Auditors recommend school administrators establish guidelines on when students need academic, behavioral or social-emotional support.
When interventions do happen, the audit said the district should provide support in smaller groups. The district has historically had larger groups that focus on finishing homework rather than helping students understand topics better.
The report also found data could be used in teacher meetings.
Cox said those meetings are meant to improve instruction in various subjects, but the audit found they were often used for training or even to express frustration.
“The meetings were — they were okay, but sometimes they're often focused on administration or training. It wasn't clearly focused on student learning and academic achievement,” he said.
The team recommended district and school leadership set clearer expectations for how teacher collaboration should work.
Looking ahead
Maughan said the audit didn’t have major surprises as the district has been working on improvements. Still, he said the feedback will help the district prioritize changes.
As part of the audit, the district has included a timeline for implementing various recommendations. First on the list is a proposed data-review schedule for the board.
“We're looking at data that leads to improvement as well as data that shows whether those improvement efforts are fruitful or not,” Maughan said.
The board will discuss the audit and vote on recommendations at its Oct. 12 meeting.
The state and South Summit leadership also agreed to partner for the next three years to ensure it is implementing recommendations.
