As used in this part:

1. (1) "Blended learning" means a formal education program in which a student learns:

   1. (a) at least in part, through online learning with some element of student control over time, place, path, and pace;
   2. (b) at least in part, in a supervised brick-and-mortar location away from home; and
   3. (c) in a program in which the modalities along each student's learning path within a course or subject are connected to provide an integrated learning experience.

2. (2) "Extended learning" means learning opportunities outside of a traditional school structure, including:

   1. (a) online learning available anywhere, anytime;
   2. (b) career-based experiences, including internships and job shadowing;
   3. (c) community-based projects; and
   4. (d) off-site postsecondary learning.
3. (3) "Grant program" means the Personalized, Competency-Based Learning Grants Program created in this part.
4. (4) "Institution of higher education" means an institution listed in Section 53H-1-102.

5. (5) "Personalized, competency-based learning" means a system of learning in which the following principles influence the daily actions of the educational community:

   1. (a) students are empowered daily to make important decisions about the students' learning experiences, how the students will create and apply knowledge, and how students will demonstrate the students' learning;
   2. (b) assessment is a meaningful, positive, and empowering learning experience for students that yields timely, relevant, and actionable evidence;
   3. (c) students receive timely, differentiated support based on the students' individual learning needs;
   4. (d) students progress based on evidence of mastery rather than by hours of attendance;
   5. (e) students learn actively using different pathways and varied pacing;
   6. (f) strategies to ensure equity for all students are embedded in the culture, structure, and pedagogy of schools and education systems; and
   7. (g) rigorous, common expectations for learning, including knowledge, skills, and dispositions, are explicit, transparent, measurable, and transferable.
6. (6) "Review committee" means the committee established under Section 53F-5-502.
7. (7) "STEM" means science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Amended by Chapter 9, 2025 Special Session 1