Statewide SAGE scores dipped slightly in 2017; opt-out rates on the rise

SALT LAKE CITY — Scores on statewide end-of-level Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence or SAGE tests dropped slightly in 2017; the first time in four years that the scores fell, according to data released Monday by the Utah State Board of Education.Numbers of students opting out of the test continued to increase, more than tripling since 2014, the first year of the testing program. In 2017, 69,685 tests in Utah were opted out compared to 2 percent or 22,077 tests in 2014. Utah law a