Tutoring in Utah
Kolu is software. Nobody from Kolu will drive to your house in Utah, and we have no office there. If you want a person, this page says how we would look for one. If the question is which skill is missing, we can help with that part.
Utah testing changes in spring 2027. Utah Aspire Plus, the old grade 9 and 10 test, was given for the last time in spring 2026, and RISE now runs from grade 3 into high school. In grades 3 to 8 it covers English language arts and math, with science added from grade 4. In grades 9 and 10 the test follows the course and not the grade, so a student sits the RISE test for Secondary Math I or Secondary Math II depending on which class is on the schedule, and the same goes for English and science. Juniors take the ACT at school in March or April, paid for by the state.
What Utah tests, and when
| Grade | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and writing | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | Not tested | Not tested | ACT | Not tested |
| Math | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | RISE | Not tested | Not tested | ACT | Not tested |
| Science | Not tested | RISE Science | RISE Science | RISE Science | RISE Science | RISE Science | Not tested | Not tested | ACT | Not tested |
- RISE (Readiness, Improvement, Success, Empowerment): reading and writing, math, grades 3 through 8
- RISE Science: science, grades 4 through 8
- ACT: reading and writing, math, science, grade 11
- Main testing window
- early April to late May, ending mid-May in high school
- Standards
- Utah Core Standards
- Paid for by the state
- ACT, grade 11, on a school day
- Exams tied to a course
- English Language Arts 9, English Language Arts 10, Secondary Math I and Secondary Math II (RISE (grades 9 and 10, by course))
The first course-based RISE tests in grades 9 and 10 are in spring 2027, and the high school window closes May 14, two weeks before the grade 7 and 8 window. A ninth grader in an advanced math class takes the test for that class, not a grade 9 test.
Is there a graduation test in Utah?
No. Utah does not require a passing score on RISE or the ACT for a diploma.
Kolu finds the missing skill and goes back to it
It starts with a skill check, a short test that gets harder or easier depending on the last answer. The result is a map of the subject broken into skills with their prerequisites drawn in, each one marked as solid, still being learned, or a gap.
After that, each session is a handful of activities picked for that student, usually something due for review, a gap to repair and one new skill. When an answer is wrong, Kolu looks at which earlier skill the mistake points to and goes back to it. Here is what that looks like for a sixth grader who can't divide fractions.
The problem on the page
3/4 ÷ 2/5
Dividing fractions
Grade 6
Multiplying fractions
Grade 5 · rests on the one below
Equivalent fractions
Grade 4 · usually where it started
Multiplication facts
Grade 3
Kolu does not call a skill mastered after one right answer. That takes correct work on different kinds of problems on different days, and a skill that fades gets brought back.
Kolu is not test prep for RISE. It has no bank of released questions. It teaches the skills the test draws on, and it will not do tonight's homework.
When to hire a person instead
Some students need a person, and software is the wrong purchase for them. That includes a child who shuts down when the work gets hard, a student with a learning disability who needs someone trained in it, and anyone with an exam in ten days.
Ask the school first. Teachers know who tutors, and a counselor can tell you what the district already offers at no cost. A nearby college is the next place to look, since students there took these courses recently and usually charge less than an agency.
Whoever you hire, ask one question before the first session: how will you find out what my child doesn't know? If the answer is that they will go over the homework, keep looking.
Free for one subject, $15 a month for 5
Kolu is free for one subject at a time, with one full skill check every 30 days and up to 4 sessions a day. Plus is $15 a month, or $120 for a year, and covers 5 subjects at once with unlimited skill checks. A learner under 13 needs a parent or guardian to set up the account.