On the Utah Aspire Plus tests, Grade 9 ELA is reported on a scale from 100 to 300 (2025 and 2026), and each score falls into one of 4 performance levels. Reaching Proficient, at 204 or above, is the state's proficiency line.
The score ranges changed during these years, so each period has its own table below, newest first.
From 2025, ELA is the Reading test: Utah dropped the English test, so the ELA score before 2025 (the average of the English and Reading scores) has different ranges. Percentiles compare across the change, because each year is compared with its own students.
| Level | Score range | What it means | Statewide 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below Proficient | 100–165 | The lowest level, well below the state standard | 13% |
| Approaching Proficient | 166–203 | Approaching the state standard | 42% |
| Proficient | 204–230 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) | 33% |
| Highly Proficient | 231–300 | The highest level, above the state standard | 13% |
| Level | Score range | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Below Proficient | 100–165 | The lowest level, well below the state standard |
| Approaching Proficient | 166–202 | Approaching the state standard |
| Proficient | 203–236 | Meeting the state standard (the proficiency line) |
| Highly Proficient | 237–300 | The highest level, above the state standard |
Statewide in 2026, about 45% of the students counted for Grade 9 ELA reached Proficient or Highly Proficient. The bar above shows the share at each level (left = lowest).
These numbers are the students in grade 9 or grade 10 who took the Utah Aspire Plus test at their school. Utah publishes each group's results as shares, not counts, so the number tested is worked out from the shares and is approximate. Groups under 40 students are shown only as ranges and are left out.
More on who is counted, and how: see how we count.
A score's meaning depends on where it lands in the ranges above, and on how it compares to other students who took the same test. Our free tool turns a Grade 9 ELA score into an estimated percentile versus the school, district and the whole state, so you can see where a score stands, not just its level.
Look up a Grade 9 ELA percentile →