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See the memo for this new assessment and how to help your teachers get started with test administration.

DATE: Thursday, August 18, 2022
TO: All School Administrators
FROM: Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning, Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability, Brandee Bergum, Consultant, Secondary Language Arts
SUBJECT: New Reading Assessment Growth Measures Replaces Reading Inventory

Beginning with the 2022-23 school year, Jordan School District will be moving to a new reading assessment called Growth Measure.  This new reading test is the replacement for Reading Inventory, which has been discontinued by Houghton-Mifflin-Harcourt (HMH).  Growth Measure is similar in many ways to Reading Inventory.  Growth Measure will take around 30 minutes for students to complete and it will be available to students in grades 4-12.  Scores will still be reported as Lexiles.  Growth Measure will still be required for 6th graders for reading placement as they transition into 7th grade.  Growth Measure will remain optional for grades 4-5 and 7-12.

Growth Measure should be administered to students three times a year:

  • Beginning-of-year window: August 17 – October 14
  • Middle-of-year window: December 1 – February 15
  • End-of-year window: April 3 – June 30

After each testing window HMH will set up meetings with each school's administration to review the school data for the previous testing window. HMH has also set up online office hours to answer any questions about Growth Measure and its reports.  Teachers and administrators are invited to attend and ask questions.  Here are the office hours with HMH personnel:

  • September 2: 8:00-9:00 am
  • October 7: 8:00 – 9:00 am

Each school has been assigned an admin account. To login and view scores for your school, administrators will need to follow these steps:

Look for an invitation email sent to school principals:

  • Click on this link: https://www.hmhco.com/ui/login
  • Enter your school's Username: gmadmin[your school’s number](For example, Aspen's Username is gmadmin179)
  • Click Forgot Password to set up your new password

If you need someone else at your school to have an admin account, please contact Kira Jensen in Evaluation, Research & Accountability and let her know who needs access at your school. Grades 4-6 teachers, secondary language arts teachers, and students in grades 4-12 are already rostered and set up with accounts in the assessment management system.  Here are the login credentials they will need to use:

Teacher Login Information

  • Username: firstname.lastname
  • Password: Click on “Forgot Password” to create a new password

Student Login Information

  • Username: Student Skyward ID #
  • Password: Student Skyward ID #

For more information on the assessment, please visit our Growth Measure page. We will be adding instructional videos and FAQs in the next few weeks. Teachers will need to visit this page for instructions on how to login and how to assign the test to their students.

Please contact Kira Jensen in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions you may have or to arrange a training for your teachers.

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Students who are registered to a District school and have not attended (or been marked absent with a valid excuse) for ten consecutive school days at any point in the school year must be withdrawn from membership. This is particularly important during the first ten days of the school year so that our enrollment calculations and reporting is accurate.

Accurate enrollment counts are used to generate future projections. Projection totals are needed very soon after ten-day adjustments are completed. To assist in preparing projections, we are asking all schools to report the completion of their 10-day drops on a Google Sheet as soon as these drops are processed. Only the staff member responsible for processing the drops should indicate completion status. The Google Sheet is available at this link and will be emailed to attendance staff again close to the 10th day of school.

10 day drops for high schools may be processed at the end of the day on August 30, 2022. Elementary (Grades 1-6) and middle school may process drops at the end of the day on August 31, 2022. Kindergarten drops may be processed at the end of the day on September 8, 2022.

Guidelines for how to process these drops are available in the Information Systems documentation folder in Google Drive and at this link.

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Beginning the 2022-23 academic year, all Beverly Taylor Sorenson (BTS) educators will be evaluated using the UETS-based JPAS tool.

BTS Full Evaluation

  • Two classroom observations
  • Educator uploads required evidence into Perform (stakeholder input, student growth with data)
  • Professional development meeting with goal setting

BTS Interim Evaluation

  • Beginning of the year
    • Self-evaluation
    • Three required goals
    • Evaluator approval
  • End of the year
    • Reflection on three goals
    • BTS educator uploads stakeholder input and student growth with data
    • Evaluator and educator signatures

Action Required: Please let all BTS educators know of the change to their evaluation type so they may be prepared. Contact the JES office with any questions at (801) 567-8369 or rebecca.lee@jordandistrict.org.

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We have money to assist at-risk students at your school. Each school needs to email the LCS Administrative Assistant, Nicole Woodburn, for your budget form. You will have to fill that form out before the funds appear in your 5336 account. Contact: nicole.woodburn@jordandistrict.org

At-Risk Students (EARS) Definition
“Students at risk are those students who are in an at-risk category such as: primary
language is other than English, poverty, homelessness, trauma, scores below proficient on state assessments, or has other adverse childhood experiences (ACE).

Please be responsible in budgeting this money. It is one-time and may not be available next year.

Published on

Utah Retirement Systems is offering free, one-hour individual retirement planning sessions.

Tuesday, April 19, 2022
ASB

Wednesday, April 20, 2022
District Office

Please see attached flyer for directions on how to sign up for the individual sessions on myURS.

Published on

It is time to swing into a Swig location in Jordan School District and receive your free menu item on us.

Swig week starts tomorrow and runs from February 11 – 17. Every JSD employee can receive one free menu item when you show your Employee ID badge at the location of your choice.

Superintendent Godfrey recommends the 44-ounce Endless Summer Swig!!!

Participating Locations:

  • Oquirrh - 11528 S 4000 W #101, South Jordan
  • Trail Crossing - 5462 W Daybreak Pkwy., Ste H1, South Jordan
  • South Jordan - 1573 W 11400 S, South Jordan
  • West Jordan - 7859 S 3200 W, West Jordan
Hours of operation for all four locations:
Mon. - Fri. 7:30 a.m - 9:30 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. - 10:30 p.m, Sunday - Closed

Substitutes may obtain a JSD Honorary ID badge from a receptionist at the District Office from 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Swig Flyer

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The COVID-19 vaccine will be available to all Jordan School District employees beginning in mid-January at locations throughout the district. After the winter break employees will receive a link to sign up for a vaccination time slot and location. COVID-19 vaccinations will be available to all employees, but are not required. More information will be forthcoming.

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Last night, after negotiations with JESPA and JEA, the Board of Education voted to approve changes to leave policies for all benefit-eligible employees. Below is a brief summary of what those changes mean, as well as a description of federal leave options available through December 31, 2020.

Changes to Leave Policy

  • 6 weeks of maternity leave is available to all benefit-eligible employees.
  • 2 weeks of paternity leave is available to all benefit-eligible employees (to be taken in the first year of the child’s life).
  • Instead of receiving sick, family sick, and personal leave, employees will receive an equal amount of “annual leave” that can be used for any purpose.
  • Any annual leave days that are not used by July 1 each year will convert to sick leave.
  • All personal and sick leave accrued before July 1 remains available and unchanged.

Federal Leave Assistance through FFCRA

  • The Families First Coronavirus Response Act entitles employees to the following leave above and beyond what is offered through policy:
    • 80 hours of leave for employees who cannot work because of quarantine.
    • 80 hours of leave at ⅔ pay to care for an individual who has been quarantined.
    • 10 weeks of leave at ⅔ pay to provide child care for a child whose school or daycare has closed because of COVID-19.

Additional Information

  • A moratorium has been placed on all low-absence or no-absence incentives.
  • Teachers may be able to teach from home virtually during quarantine, avoiding the need to take leave.
  • Individuals must be employed for at least 30 days to qualify for federal leave.
  • The deadline for using vacation leave accrued during the 2019-20 school year has been extended to December 31, 2020.

Employees should review the documents at the links below and/or consult with the Human Resources department or their supervisor before making decisions about leave. 

Policies - Licensed

Policies - ESP

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DATE:
July 9, 2020

TO:  
Jordan School District Administrators

FROM: 
District Administration

SUBJECT:   
2020-21 Annual Administrative Leadership Conference

You are invited to attend the annual Jordan School District Administrative Leadership Conference, “Be Curious, Be Intentional, Be United,” scheduled on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at Copper Mountain Middle, Elk Ridge Middle and Mountain Creek Middle.

We will begin in the auditorium at your scheduled time and location (see schedule below). A grab and go snack will be provided during the break. Space will be limited. If you have an intern you would like to have attend please talk with your AOS before inviting them.

It will be our privilege to hear from nationally recognized generational research consultant, Kim Lear, who will provide us with key insights about how we can all move forward together.

Plan on bringing an electronic device in order to access the agenda and conference materials.

Appropriate dress for the conference is business casual. We, respectfully, ask that everyone follow appropriate safety precautions, including facial coverings and spaced seating. We look forward to seeing everyone, in person, again!

Secondary Administrators                                       
Copper Mountain Middle
12106 Anthem Park Boulevard
Herriman
8:00 – 12:30 pm

Elementary Administrators & Special Schools
Elk Ridge Middle
3659 W 9800 S
South Jordan
8:00 – 12:30 pm

Department Administrators
Mountain Creek Middle
5325 W Bingham Rim Road
South Jordan
1:30 – 3:30 pm

 

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DATE:   
Thursday, July 9, 2020

TO:  
All Principals

FROM:    
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:   
ELL Assessment Profile Dashboard

An assessment profile for ELL students has been created with next year’s projected enrollment data included. Those with a Tableau Viewer account may look up individual EL students to see longitudinal WIDA, SAGE/RISE, Utah Aspire Plus, ACT, and Acadience Reading assessment data all based on next year’s enrollment at your school.

This dashboard will be useful as schools identify and target EL students for extra support, remediation and enrichment for the 2020-21 school year.

Tableau users may access this dashboard here:
https://10az.online.tableau.com/ - /site/benstableau/views/ALS_NextYear_Student_Profile/ALSNextYearStudentProfiles?:iid=1

Explore > Student Profiles > ALS Next Year Student Profile

Please contact Brooke Anderson or Ben Jameson with questions about understanding or using this dashboard.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, July 9, 2020

TO:   
All Principals

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:     
Formative Assessment Trainings as Preparation for Fall School Reopenings

Student's prior learning and current needs vary a lot in a good year; under current circumstances, those differences will likely be more profound. There are no pre-packaged tests that will figure out what each student needs, but teachers can use formative assessment processes to build responsive instruction. The Evaluation, Research, and Accountability Department is offering a course on building and using assessments. The Canvas course, JPLS course #101586 - Assessment for Learning, will be open for enrollment on July 17 with three modules to start with. Each module is designed as a stand-alone learning experience and they do not need to be completed in order:

  1. RISE Benchmarks: Teachers will learn how to select and administer these tests, as well as how to view the results. A protocol to help teachers use benchmarks to examine student learning gaps is included. Completion time should be 2-3 hours.
  2. Learning Progressions: Teachers will isolate an essential skill or concept from an essential standard, then develop a hierarchy of what must be learned first, next, last, etc. By the end of the module, teachers will produce an anchor chart for use with students, as well as formative assessment and enrichment opportunities that can be immediately implemented for fall instruction and remediation. Completion time should be 4-5 hours. This complements the information presented by Kim Rathke, formative assessment specialist at USBE, in her course:https://usbe.midaseducation.com/site.php?page_id=1210&subpage=1275&course_id=58224
  3. Pre-Assessment: Teachers will learn the various forms and purposes of pre-assessment, and follow steps to create a pre-assessment of their own. The emphasis of this module is using pre-assessments to see student needs and support differentiated instruction. Completion time should be 4-5 hours.

The self-enroll link for teachers is https://jordanpd.instructure.com/enroll/D4PT6K and the course number in JPLS is 101586. If you would like to arrange in-person or blended (recommended!) training for faculty, please email Brooke Anderson at brooke.anderson@jordandistrict.org with dates and times.

Principals may wish to consider allocating professional development funding to incentivize teachers to take these courses over the summer as they prepare to identify and fill learning gaps this fall.  Principals are encouraged to send this information to their teachers.

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, July 9, 2020

TO:  
All Principals

FROM:
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:    
Assignment Completion Dashboards

A new series of dashboards have been published to your Tableau Viewer accounts. Brooke Anderson mined assignment completion data for the 2019-20 school year. You will be able to see aggregate assignment completion percentages for all students as well as at-risk demographics, particularly for the months of March, April and May when instruction was provided remotely.

These dashboards are meant to help administrators view trends of student assignment completion and points earned from August 2019 to May 2020. Student demographic filters are included so viewers can explore varying outcomes between different student populations. An individual student profile is included, along with a sortable list of students with the highest missing assignment rates to aid school administrators in identifying students for learning support.

Secondary Assignment Completion dashboards may be found here:
https://10az.online.tableau.com/ - /site/benstableau/workbooks/1632219/views

Explore > Student Profiles > COVID_AssignmentCompletion_Gaps_Sec

 

Elementary Assignment Completion dashboards may be found here:
https://10az.online.tableau.com/ - /site/benstableau/workbooks/1637091/views

Explore > Student Profiles > COVID_AssignmentCompletion_Gaps_Elem

Brooke also created a screencast for the elementary and secondary dashboards that explains how they function and how school administrators might use them to target students for extra learning support as schools reopen this fall. Those screencasts are available on the Evaluation, Research & Accountability website under the tab entitled Tableau Dashboards or you may use the direct link here:  https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1tCzj7mfwlKVbVD7feamUhXqNkJrLJFNz?usp=sharing

Please contact Brooke Anderson at brooke.anderson@jordandistrict.org with any questions or to request additional information metrics added to the views.

Principals may also contact Brooke or Ben Jameson if you would like to meet virtually to go over your school’s data and start developing support lists with one of them.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, July 9, 2020

TO:   
High School Principals

FROM:  
Shelley Nordick, Ph.D., Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Release of 2020 ACT 11th Grade Administration Tableau Dashboard

A new series of dashboards containing 2020 ACT 11th Grade Administration data have been pushed out to your Tableau Viewer accounts. These dashboards will provide visualizations for the following:

  • District level composite score and benchmark data
  • School level composite score and benchmark data
  • Reporting category performance for each subtest (English, Math, Reading and Science)
  • A school comparison of composite scores and benchmarks
  • Student level data

Each dashboard will contain the following additional information:

  • Data from 2016 to 2020
  • Filters for student groups (chronic absenteeism (absent 10+ days), economically disadvantaged, gender, ELL, race/ethnicity, and special education)
  • Full academic year students (enrolled in your school 160+ days)

Please contact Ben Jameson for questions or additional information about these data.

You may access your ACT dashboards here:
https://10az.online.tableau.com/ - /site/benstableau/workbooks/1638028?:origin=card_share_link

Explore > ACT 11th Grade Administration Analysis – ACT 11th Grade Administration, 2016-2020

Published on

DATE:
July 1, 2020

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Administrator of Schools
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment
Scott Festin, Consultant of Planning and Enrollment

SUBJECT:
Student Enrollment for June 2020

Please see document below.

Published on

The District is ordering the hanging Plexiglas sheets for your school submitted through the survey. The Facilities Department will pre-drill the holes in the glass to help expedite the installation process. Each piece of glass will come with the necessary hardware including a length of chain that can be cut to length, S links and ceiling grid clips. Building custodians will need to work with the administration and teachers to determine the desired location of each sheet and then install them. Instructions for installation are available through your custodial coordinator, should you have any questions. The Custodial Coordinators will also be available to answer any questions you might have.

We appreciate all of your hard work during these challenging times.

Steve Peart
Director of Custodial and Energy Services

Published on

DATE: 
June 25, 2020

TO:  
Secondary School Principals
Secondary School Financial Secretaries

FROM:  
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets and Audits
Jason Mott, Accountant/Internal Auditor

SUBJECT: 
School Bank Account Balances for June 30, 2020

Please send the following information for each bank account balance as of June 30, 2019 to Accounting by Thursday, July 23, 2020. If you have multiple bank accounts, please list each account separately.

School Name
Name of Bank
Type of Account (checking, savings, money market)
Account Balance

The balance requested is the balance from your June bank statements, not Skyward. This information is required annually and will be used to complete reporting requirements for Utah Money Management Council.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Jason Mott at (801)567-8388.

Thank you.

Cc:
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools

Published on

DATE: 
June 25, 2020

TO:  
Secondary School Principals
Secondary School Financial Secretaries

FROM:   
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting and Audits
Jason Mott, Accountant / Internal Auditor

SUBJECT:   
Quarterly School Financial Report for April, May, and June 2020

Each school is asked to report the quarter end account balance and transaction detail with the Apple Volume Purchase Program and return with your bank reconciliation. If your school has no Apple account, please so indicate and return.

Please include the account balance with Apple on the reconciliation sign off form and print a report or screen shot(s) of the balances and quarterly transactions from Apple’s website. If you need assistance, please contact your Curriculum Technology Specialist – Bonnie, Deanna, Nancy, Ross, and Beth.

Please photocopy the selected elements and send to Accounting by Thursday, July 23, 2020.

Please include:

  • The signed attached memo to Accounting
  • A copy of your April, May, and June 2020 Reconciliation Worksheets
  • A copy of your April, May, and June 2020 Bank Statements
  • A copy of your April, May, and June 2020 Skyward Balance Sheets
  • A copy of your April, May, and June 2020 Outstanding Check Reports
  • Screen shot(s) of your June 30, 2020 Apple Volume Purchase Program transaction history and balance, if applicable.

If you have questions or need assistance, please call Jason Mott at (801)567-8388.

Thank you.

Cc:
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Cody Curtis, Administrator of Schools