U.S. Utah Davis Area Pilot Program Increases Reading, Strengthens Testimonies

Seminary students around the world have been invited to elevate their learning experience by reading and studying the entire book of scripture as assigned for the current course of study. The results have benefitted students with greater spiritual strength and deeper testimonies. (See the related story "Seminary Students Rise to Challenge to Elevate Learning" on LDS.org.)

During the 2012–2013 school year, and before this invitation to read the book of study was implemented worldwide, seminaries in the U.S. Utah Davis Area implemented a pilot program that changed the way the area’s approximately 12,500 students recorded their daily scripture reading. Instead of allowing students to record reading from any of the standard works, the Ensign, or the New Era to fulfill daily reading assignments, students now had to read 10 minutes or more each day in the scriptures for that year’s course of study.

Many teachers and faculty members expected this change to result in a decrease in daily scripture reading; however, the average number of days students read actually increased from 15.44 days per month to 17.37 days. Student participation in class also improved, and students’ testimonies were strengthened as they learned about the Savior’s ministry in and out of the classroom.

The Bountiful Utah Viewmont Campus Seminary is one of many seminaries in the area that saw improvements thanks to the change. Mark Vallace, the principal at the Viewmont seminary, explained, “Having the students read in the New Testament helped them be more prepared for classroom discussion and have questions already.”

Each day in class, each teacher passed around a scripture reading chart on which his or her students could mark whether they had read the day before. The chart used code names to ensure that only the teacher would know who did and did not read. Recording scripture reading each day helped students remember to keep up on their daily reading in the area of study.

Peter Burgoyne, a student in one of Brother Vallace’s classes, described the chart as beneficial: “It really helps me see where I need to improve.”

Maddi Luczak, another student at the Viewmont seminary, said, “It definitely motivates you to read more.”

The improvement shown by students at the Viewmont seminary is consistent with counsel given by President Thomas S. Monson, who emphasized the benefits of measuring performance: “Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported back, the rate of improvement accelerates” (“The Bishop and the Spiritual and Temporal Well-Being of the Saints, Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jun. 19, 2004, 5).

In addition to having students record their scripture reading for the previous day, the teachers also set aside time at the beginning of each class for students to share what they learned from their personal study. “I asked them to come with a principle that they found, something they were excited about in their reading,” Brother Vallance explained, “and [to] be ready to share that with the class.”

This opportunity to share at the beginning of each class motivated students to prepare for the next day’s lesson, which improved their class participation.

“It was a lot easier to go to class and understand what was being talked about,” Peter explained. “The teacher didn’t have to do as much background and could just jump into the spiritual lessons.”

The emphasis on scripture study in a specific standard work helped students focus their efforts more on the New Testament, allowing them to get the most out of their seminary lessons for that semester.

“I liked learning more about Christ,” said Maddi. “When you learn about Him and His life you gain a stronger testimony of Him.”

Peter said, “It strengthened my testimony a lot because I believe so strongly in the Book of Mormon that it helped me see how many parallels there really are.”

Brother Vallace also spoke about the importance of scriptures in the lives of his students: “Scriptures will feed students spiritually [and] comfort them when they need comfort. They will know where to turn when they need answers.” He saw this come to pass in the lives of many of his students, including Peter, who said, “As my scripture reading improved, dealing with school in general was a lot easier. It would give me a lift as I went to school. Problems wouldn’t be as difficult to handle.”

The 2012–2013 scripture-reading pilot in the U.S. Utah Davis Area changed the lives of not only Maddi and Peter but also of other seminary students in the area. There is no doubt that teachers and administrators want to help students gain stronger testimonies of the holy scriptures, and sometimes making a small change can make a difference. As students worldwide are now invited and are accepting the invitation to read the scriptures as a requirement to graduate from seminary, similar blessings are being realized.