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Author: npage

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, June 9, 2022

TO:   
All School Administrators

FROM:   
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research & Accountability

SUBJECT: 
WIDA Access Analysis to Support EL Students in Your School

Now that 2022 WIDA Access results have been released, it’s time to use this assessment data to determine next steps to better support EL students in your school. While any school administrators are invited to attend, we strongly encourage principals and assistant principals of schools that have been or potentially will be identified for Targeted School Improvement (TSI) for EL students to attend this workshop.

In this workshop, school administrators will:

  • Learn about how the WIDA Access assesses students’ academic language ability to better understand how to interpret the assessment’s results.
  • Take a deep dive into the most current and longitudinal WIDA Access data for their school.
  • Understand how to interpret and use WIDA Access Individual Student Reports to benefit both EL students and their teachers.
  • Learn how to use Tableau to create targeted lists of students for things like academic mentoring and goal setting, assisting your teachers in knowing what EL students CAN do, and identifying specific areas to target for additional instructional support.
  • Participate in a group forum to brainstorm additional ways to support EL students in your schools.

The workshop will be offered on two separate dates to accommodate summer schedules, but school administrators need only attend one of the sessions. School administrative teams are encouraged to attend together. Principals may also choose to bring ELD leads, instructional coaches or members of their school leadership team, though there is no funding to compensate teachers for attending.

Date Time Location JPLS Course #
 

Tuesday, June 21st

 

  

 

9-12 pm

  

 

ASB – PDC 101

  

Participants are invited to register in JPLS using course # 101902
 

Tuesday, July 12th

 

For questions about the workshop, please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

Published on

There has been a change in legislation regarding early intervention software programs (EISP) for next year. Software programs have been reviewed by USBE and assigned to a Level 1 or a Level 2 status. If a program was assigned a Level 1 status, it MAY NOT be used for literacy instruction by students who are below level or well below level as measured by Acadience data. Programs that have been assigned a Level 2 status may be used by all students. The following programs are currently being used in Jordan School District:

Level 1 Programs:
i-Ready
Imagine Learning
*i-Ready and Imagine Learning are Level 1 status programs and may not be used with students who are below or well below level as measured by Acadience. If your school is currently using one of these programs and the program is selected to be used again for the 2022-23 school year, please note that students who are below or well below level as measured by Acadience cannot be placed in these programs. These programs would only be for students who are above or well above level as measured by Acadience. 

Level 2 Programs:
Lexia
*Lexia is a Level 2 status program and it may be used by all students. Please note that all students who are placed in this program must meet the time requirements with fidelity as assigned through the program as a requirement of the grant. 

Please note that schools are NOT REQUIRED to use a software program. If a school chooses not to use a software program this year, it does not affect their ability to receive the grant in future years. 

Please contact Michelle Lovell by June 25th with your software request or to decline the use of a software program for the 2022-2023 school year.

Published on

DATE:  
June 2, 2022

TO: 
All Administrators & Threat Assessment Teams

FROM:   
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers,  Health and Wellness

SUBJECT:  
Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Level 2 Workshop

CSTAG training consists of two (2) training levels and both levels must be completed by all administrator’s and threat assessment team members. The CSTAG Level 2 workshop is for all who have completed the Level 1 training (the six (6) hour web-based training completed in the summer/early fall). This workshop will build upon your knowledge of threat assessment by providing practical application and implementation of the CSTAG process in your school.

The Level 2 workshop will;

  1. Review CSTAG level 1
  2. Focus on implementation and use of the threat assessment process
  3. Focus on sustainable ways to use CSTAG in your school.
  4. Review and training on the decision tree
  5. Review the CSTAG forms and best practices
  6. Practice using real-world scenarios.

You can choose to attend either a morning session or an afternoon session. Select the link below to register for a session of this CSTAG training.

In-Person Training:
Wednesday July 27, 2022
ASB Auditorium
8:30am-10:30am or 1pm-3pm
Please sign up using JPLS for the session you will be attending at:
JPLS Link

The course number is 101883

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

Published on

TO:   
Jordan School District P-Card Holders

FROM:  
Kurt A. Prusse, Purchasing Director

This is to remind you that purchases made before the cycle end date of June 6, 2022, will be taken from your 2021-2022 school year budget. Any charges after June 6, 2022, will be taken from your 2022-2023 school year budget. Your reconciliation will still be due in the Accounting Office by June 17th, as the 19th falls on the weekend. If you can get your reconciliation in sooner than that, the Accounting Department would appreciate it.

As a reminder for traditional schools, your P-Card reconciliation is still due in the Accounting Department by June 17th, regardless of whether you are working or not. Please make sure that you get your reconciliation in on time.

We are also aware that some assistant principals, teachers and secretaries who currently have a P-Card will be transferring to different schools in the district or will be retiring or leaving the school district. For those of you who will be transferring schools, you can keep the same P-Card but we will need the name and address of the new school, your new office phone number, and the accounting code that will be used at your new school. For those who are retiring or leaving the school district, please call Kris Wishart in the Purchasing Department at (801) 567-8708 and let her know so that she can cancel your P-Card.

If you have any questions or concerns, please give Kris a call.

 

Published on

DATE:  
May 31, 2022

TO:    
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers,  Health and Wellness

SUBJECT:  
Content Monitoring Over Summer Months

During the summer months, from June 6th until August 17th, content monitoring and notifications will have some changes.

  • Notifications to schools will only include administration and not counseling or mental health professionals. This allows for 12-month employees to still receive notifications and not those who are off contract. The notifications will go to the entire team of admin at each school in case there are administrators that are out of the office.
  • Notifications that are not considered emergencies or urgent will not be sent after 2pm to ensure that intervention is reasonable and timely for school personnel.
  • Content monitoring will be checked twice per week, on Mondays and Thursdays in June, while school is not in session, and once per week, only on Mondays, in July. Notifications will be sent to administrators on those days before 2pm.
  • We will continue to receive imminent alerts and will continue to work with administrators when immediate intervention is required.

Should you have any questions please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE: 
Thursday, June 2, 2022

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM: 
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:  
2022 WIDA Access Dashboards are in Tableau

The WIDA Access, 2017-Present Tableau dashboard has been updated with 2022 assessment data. The dashboard contains a district report as well as a school report (use the School Name filter to see data for your school). Both reports contain composite score data as well as data for reporting categories (listening, reading, speaking and writing) and language domains (comprehension, literacy and oral). School administrators may also drill deeper into the data using demographic filters.

A dashboard containing a list of individual scores for each student who participated in the 2022 WIDA Access is also available. School administrators may use the filters to narrow down the list to identify students by demographic or language proficiency level. Such lists may be used to target students for additional time and support for the next school year.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability for questions about WIDA Access results or how to use these dashboards.

Published on

We will be holding a professional development day for all licensed staff on Thursday, Aug. 11 from 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at the Mountain America Exposition Center. Speakers include Dr. John Almarode, professor of education and bestselling author, Erin Gruwell, author of The Freedom Writers Diary, Principal El, an award-winning principal, teacher, and author, and Kevin Brown, a motivational speaker and author.

Lunch and snacks will be provided. Please park by 8 a.m. The meeting starts promptly at 8:30 a.m. Carpooling is encouraged. Parking will be available at Exposition Center with additional parking at Rio Tinto Stadium. Shuttle provided. See the attached flyer and map for details.

Published on

JAMF licenses are required for all Apple devices. Schools have been paying for these licenses when ordering new Apple devices. For the past two years, Information Systems has been striving to place JAMF on all older Apple products, and covering the costs of doing so. Despite this effort, there remain older Apple devices in some schools that have remained elusive.

In a final effort to address this need, district funding for JAMF licensing of older Apple devices will expire August 31, 2022. After that point, the requirement for JAMF on older Apple machines will remain, but schools will be responsible for funding the needed licenses.

To help you take full advantage of remaining funding opportunities from Information Systems, it is highly recommended that you require your staff to allow your school tech to put JAMF on their respective Apple device prior to leaving for summer break. This will be the most ideal time to do this.

Information Systems is aware that many teachers take their mobile computing devices home with them over summer break. This is why the deadline was set for August 31, 2022 - to provide one additional short window to take advantage of district funding after teachers return from summer break. Nevertheless, because August is a particularly busy time for school techs, the recommendation is to not wait until the last minute.

Thank you for your cooperation and support in these efforts. If you have questions about this, please reach out to your school tech.

Published on

During the 2022-2023 school year, Jordan School District will offer coursework for a gifted and talented (GT) teaching endorsement in partnership with Southern Utah University.

How will a GT teaching endorsement benefit me?

  • A GT endorsement will build a knowledge base about an important sector of education.
  • A GT endorsement will help teachers build a repertoire of strategies to challenge all students by adding depth, complexity, higher-order thinking, and creativity to daily instruction.
  • A GT endorsement will help teachers develop differentiation strategies to better meet the unique needs of high-ability learners in all classrooms.
  • A GT endorsement will qualify educators to teach in an ALPS classroom and to hold other positions in gifted and talented programming.

What are the credit requirements for a GT endorsement? 

  • Four core classes are required for the Endorsement:
    • EDUC 5400 3 Credit Hours   Learning, Development, and Individual Differences in Gifted Education
    • EDUC 5420 3 Credit Hours   Assessment in Gifted Education
    • EDUC 5430 3 Credit Hours   Curriculum and Instructional Planning in Gifted Education
    • EDUC 5440 3 Credit Hours   Learning Environments for Gifted Students
  • A “professional learning activity” is also required to earn the GT endorsement. Examples of this include participation in an additional class, webinar, or conference, specific to gifted and talented education.

A wide variety of opportunities at local, state, or national levels will satisfy this requirement.

What are the current costs for a GT endorsement?

  • SUU Recording Fees: $23 per credit hour / $69 per 3-hour core class.
  • Books are available for checkout from the Gifted and Talented Department. Participants can also purchase personal copies of books if they choose (approximately $50 per class).

What format will be used for instruction?  When and where will the classes be held? 

  • Jordan School District instructors will provide classes in a combination of live and asynchronous instruction.
  • Some sessions will be in-person and some over zoom.
  • Asynchronous sessions may include practical classroom applications.
  • Two courses will be offered during a school year.
    • See the 2022-23 class schedule below for details.

Are you interested in joining the 2022-23 GT endorsement classes?

  • Please attend one of the following information meetings:
    • Monday, June 6 10 -10:30 a.m.
    • Monday, July 11 10 -10:30 a.m.
    • Tuesday, Aug. 9 10 -10:30 a.m.
  • Zoom link

Gifted and Talented (GT) Endorsement - 2022-2023 Class Schedule

  • Tuesdays @ 4:15 - 7:15 p.m. In-person sessions will be held at the ASB.
  • Open to all K-12 teachers, teacher specialists, coaches, counselors/psychologists, and administrators in Jordan District.
  • Offered in a combination of live and asynchronous instruction. Some live sessions will be in-person and some over Zoom.
2022 Summer/Fall
Learning, Development, and Individual Differences in Gifted Education
EDUC 5400  (3 Credit Hours)		 2023 Winter/Spring
Curriculum and Instructional Planning in Gifted Education
EDUC 5430  (3 Credit Hours)
Instructors Rebecca Smith, Taryn Cox & Frankie Walton
Session 1 Aug. 30, 2022 Jan. 10, 2023
Session 2 Sept. 6, 2022 Jan. 24, 2023
Session 3 Sept. 13, 2022 Jan. 31, 2023
Session 4 Sept. 20, 2022 Feb. 7, 2023
Session 5 Sept. 27, 2022 Choice:  Feb. 14 OR 21, 2023
Session 6 Oct. 4, 2022 Feb. 28, 2023
Session 7 Oct. 11, 2022 March 7, 2023
Session 8 Oct. 18, 2022 March 14, 2023
Session 9 Nov. 1, 2022 March 21, 2023
Session 10 Nov. 8, 2022 April 4, 2023
Session 11 Nov. 15, 2022 April 11, 2023
Session 12 Nov. 22, 2022 April 18, 2023
Session 13 Nov. 29, 2022 April 25, 2023
Session 14 Dec. 6, 2022 May 2, 2023
Session 15 Dec. 13, 2022 May 9, 2023
  • 2023 Summer/Fall Learning Environments for Gifted Students EDUC 5440 (3 Credit Hours) - Dates TBA
  • 2024 Winter/Spring Assessment in Gifted Education EDUC 5420 (3 Credit Hours) - Dates TBA

Published on

DATE:  
May 26, 2022

TO:  
All Administrators
School Counselors
School Social Workers
School Psychologists

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment

SUBJECT:  
Child Abuse/Neglect Reporting Process

Utah Code 62A-4a-403 requires any individual with suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected to report their suspicion to the appropriate authorities. District policy AS70 – Child Abuse-Neglect Reporting by School Personnel further clarifies that employees should make an initial report of their suspicions to their principal/administrator (or designee). The principal/administrator (or designee) and employee should together make contact with the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) and/or local law enforcement to report the suspicion.

If an oral report is made to DCFS via telephone call, there is no longer a need to also send a paper copy of the form to DCFS (note: DCFS has recently introduced an online reporting form; however, school employees are still required by DCFS to make their reports via phone call).

Administrators and employees should understand that reports made in good faith are immune from civil or criminal liability. Additionally, the responsibility for proving or verifying the suspicion lies with DCFS and law enforcement; if there is a question about whether or not an incident or situation should be reported, it should be reported.

USBE Board Rule R277-401-3(1) also requires employees to cooperate with investigations relating to charges of child abuse and neglect, to make no contact with the parents or legal guardians being questioned by DCFS or law enforcement about possible child abuse, and to maintain appropriate confidentiality. If a parent contacts a school employee with questions about if their child was interviewed by or reported to DCFS, the parent should be directed to contact DCFS. School employees may not provide additional information.

The process for reporting and documenting suspicions of child abuse and neglect should be as follows (see Policy AS70 for additional details):

  1. When an employee has suspicions of child abuse or neglect, they should report the suspicion to their own immediate supervising principal/administrator or designee.
  2. Together, the employee and principal/administrator or designee should make immediate contact with DCFS or law enforcement.
  3. Within 24 hours, the employee (alone or with the principal/administrator or designee) should complete the Report of Child Abuse or Neglect form. The form should include relevant details, particularly the time and date of all reports made.
  4. When signed by both the employee and principal/administrator or designee, a copy should be promptly sent to Student Services via secure district mail. The original form should be maintained in the principal/administrator’s office (separate from the student cumulative files) through the end of the school year.

The Report of Child Abuse or Neglect form (available at this link) has been updated to clarify this process and to indicate that a paper copy should no longer be sent to DCFS. The updated form is a fillable PDF. Schools may destroy any copies of previous forms.

Published on

As principals plan their building schedules they should prioritize attendance for building coaches on these dates. Please share the finalized schedule with current instructional coaches and those employees who have been given coaching assignments for the 2022-2023 school year. The ICI will continue to offer assigned coaches job embedded professional development and options to earn the coaching endorsement during the contract day.

2022-2023 Elementary Instructional Coaching Institute Schedule

2022-2023 Secondary Instructional Coaching Institute Schedule

Published on

Administrators:  Please share this information with current teachers who may be interested in becoming an instructional coach. For information regarding this program please click on the link below:

Jordan School District Aspiring Coach Pathway 2022-2023 Instructional Coaching Endorsement

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, May 26th, 2022

TO:  
All School Administrators

FROM:  
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Research Project

The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: Modification Strategies Used by General Education Teachers to Teach English Language Learners

Applicant: Nilufer Guler, Rockhurst University

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project and to obtain your permission to conduct the study at your school. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

General education teachers will receive an email invitation to participate in a 15-minute survey. In the survey, teachers can also volunteer to participate in a follow-up interview.

Thank you for your assistance.

 

Published on

DATE:   
May 16, 2022

TO:  
All Principals and All Counselors

FROM:    
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Stacee Worthen, Secondary Counselor Consultant

SUBJECT:   
2022-2023 Comprehensive School Counseling Program (CSCP) Calendar

CSCP dates are planned in advance so that individual counseling teams will include them in their school and CSCP calendars.

It is essential that counselors are allowed to prioritize CSCP meetings as they work to perform their other duties and tasks assigned to them.

Please take note of the meeting dates on the memo below.

Published on

DATE:  
May 23, 2022

TO:  
High School Principals

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
June LeMaster, Administrator, Human Resources
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools
Brent Burge, Human Resource Administrator, ESP

SUBJECT:  
Additional Summer Pool Hour Request - High Schools

This is a reminder to all HS principals of the additional 100 summer pool hours previously approved. The following guidelines are to be followed to ensure consistency and proper use of the additional pool hours:

  • The HS Principal may choose the School Administrative Assistant-Attendance and/or the School Administrative Clerk to use the additional summer pool hours.
  • There is a maximum of 100 hours that may only be used after the 206 contract ends June 16, 2022 and before the contract begins July 26, 2022. The employee may not exceed 40 hours in any week and any time not used will be forfeited.
  • No other assistant (full or part time) may use these pool hours.
  • These hours must be reported through TrueTime under the heading of “Contract Pool Hours” and will be charged to 10-E-xxx-0050-2483-152.

We hope these additional summer pool hours will help you provide adequate coverage for the students and patrons you serve. Please contact Human Resources if you have any questions.

Cc:
Cabinet
Payroll

Published on

DATE:  
May 23, 2022

TO:   
High School Principals and Head Administrative Assistants

FROM:  
C. Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:  
2022-23 High School Summer Office Help

Each high school in Jordan School District will be allocated $4,000 to assist in covering summer office hours for the 2022-23 school year. Please note that benefits must be deducted from this amount. Benefits are calculated at 7.75% to include FICA, Medicare, and Industrial Insurance. If you choose to use a full-time school employee that qualifies for retirement benefits, an additional 23.69% (Tier I-before July 1, 2011) or 20.02% (Tier II-after June 30, 2011) must be added to the total cost.

This money may be used for time worked from June 1 through August 31, 2022. Employees are to use True Time when working these hours. True Time hours should be submitted weekly. Please email a list of names of all employees who will be working these hours to Keelee Leulaui in payroll at keelee.leulaui@jordandistrict.org and she will add the pay-code ‘TSMRO - Summer Office Hours’ for them to use in True Time. No money will be carried over from the summer hour allocation. All time worked for your summer office hours will be coded as 10 E LOC 8707 2436 154 and should be recorded each month for Brad Sorensen’s approval on your school’s allocation form.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Cari Minnesota at cari.minnesota@jordandistrict.org, Ph: 801-567-8173 or
Marilyn Smith at marilyn.smith@jordandistrict.org, Ph: 801-567-8166.

Thank you.

Published on

The 2022-23 elementary, middle, and high school calendar packets available at https://planning.jordandistrict.org/calendars/ now include a new, easy-to-read "Is There School Today?" calendar. The calendar shows when students are in and out of school for each level and may be easier to use when creating parent materials for next year. Information on these calendars will be sent to employees and families soon.

Published on

Health Special Risk, Inc. is offering two options for supplemental accident insurance, at-school coverage and 24-hour coverage. See attached flyer (English and Spanish) for additional information. Please consider including the information in  your school packets.

Published on

If you haven't had a chance to sign-up please go in and do it today. The count is going to the caterer tomorrow, June 10th!

The assistant principal meeting will be held June 16th at the JATC-S from 8:30-12:30 pm. A beverage service will be served starting at 8:00 am and lunch will be provided. Attendance is encouraged but not required at this meeting. In order to have a count for the luncheon please sign-up by clicking HERE. We hope to see you all there!