• K-12 academic standards on optimal sexual development were recently launched by Ascend, a nonprofit that works on getting information on sexual risk avoidance (SRA) to youth across the nation.
• Sexual risk avoidance is an approach to sexual activity focused on preventing and averting the risks of nonmarital sexual activity.
• These standards directly incorporate teaching about the impacts of achieving the milestones of the “success sequence” and offer standards that support it in other ways.
• These new standards ought to be considered a helpful resource for discussion by education leaders in bringing the success sequence to Utah students.

Sutherland Institute continues to seek ways to help education leaders identify opportunities to incorporate the “success sequence” in grades 6-12 though standards and instruction.

Recently, K-12 academic standards on optimal sexual development were launched by Ascend, a nonprofit that works on getting information on sexual risk avoidance (SRA) to youth across the nation. These standards both directly and indirectly include discussion of the milestones of the success sequence.

What follows is a deeper look at Ascend’s newly published Universal Standards for Optimal Sexual Development. 

What is Ascend?

Ascend is a 501(c)3 that works to equip leaders and advocates who can teach students about SRA, including SRA-specific instructors, parents, organizations, health professionals, youth programs, and school and community leaders.

Sexual risk avoidance, or SRA, as defined by Ascend’s materials, is an approach to sexual activity “focused on avoiding the physical, mental, and relational risks of nonmarital sexual activity.”

The approach is in contrast to what is called sexual risk reduction (SRR), which focuses on “reducing the physical, mental and relational risks of nonmarital sexual activity.”

SRA has become well-known across the nation. It may be telling that according to a 2022 report, 39 states and territories including the District of Columbia were recipients of Title V State and Community Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRAE) Grant Program (authorized and funded by Congress in 2018). State recipients include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Micronesia, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin.

Part of Ascend’s work includes professional development, even offering an SRA certification course. The group promotes awareness and support for SRA in the media, before Congress, in school and community environments and in a range of other venues. All of this makes Ascend a knowledgeable source for creating evidence-based academic standards on sexual development, which education leaders may find helpful as they seek ways to teach sexual development. Most of the success sequence (getting at least a high school education and getting/keeping full-time employment) is not related to sexual development. However, there is some crossover regarding the milestone of having children within marriage.

Fast facts about these new standards

The standards are developed for grades K-12 and are organized into four grade-level groupings: early elementary, late elementary, middle school and high school.

Because not all standards are appropriate for all ages, the document indicates how each standard could apply to one or more of these groupings.

Additionally, the standards are grouped into four key topics: positive character, healthy relationships, optimal sexual development, and sexual risks.

How do these new standards touch on elements of the success sequence?

Several of the standards either directly mention or allude to milestones of the success sequence, particularly the third step of having children only after marriage. They include:

Standard 2.D.4: That’s why the benefits of a healthy marriage, including a lifelong, committed, caring relationship for the couple; increased financial stability; personal happiness and life satisfaction; and a safe and stable environment for raising children and building healthy communities.

Standard 2.E.6: Discuss social science research about the optimal outcomes for children raised in the family structure headed by two married parents.

Standard 4.A.4: Describe the concept of the “Success Sequence” and how avoiding early sexual activity has the potential to protect against negative life outcomes, including maternal and child poverty.

Takeaways for Utah

When the state board of education next considers opportunities to incorporate the success sequence into our state academic standards, it could include the Universal Standards for Optimal Sexual Development in its discussion. Utah, of course, has its own set of priorities, values and preferences, which its standards ought to reflect. So, while the board could either directly adopt the standard on the success sequence or in a modified version, it could also adapt some of the language or concepts to existing Utah standards that have the potential to easily incorporate information on the success sequence, particularly those in Health I and II highlighted here.

Because the joint resolution only prompts the board to incorporate the success sequence in grades 6-12, it may find that these K-12 standards on sexual development offer far more than they need. However, it may prompt a discussion how about to foster a foundation in early years for living the success sequence.

Either way, these ought to be considered a helpful resource by education leaders in bringing the success sequence to Utah students.

Isabelle Steed contributed research to this article.