We are pleased to bring back Kindergarten Night Out! This is a time for kindergarten teachers to learn, share, and collaborate together. It is always a fun and informative evening. Please invite all kindergarten teachers to attend.
Author: npage
2022-23 New Teacher Induction CANVAS Training
Principals received both an email and an announcement in the New Teacher Induction (NTI) CANVAS course. This access allows you the ability to preview what your new teachers will view tomorrow, August 12, 2022, which contains important information regarding their employment.
Please remind your new teachers that the NTI CANVAS course is to be completed prior to the start of school for students.
Walk to Read Enrichment Workshop for Elementary Aides – August 2022
Workshops focused on the enrichment side of Walk to Read will be offered for aides who work with students in grades K-6. The workshops are optional. Schools can opt to send aides during their contracted time or to pay them for attending at a time they are not working. Please see the flyer for dates and times specific to grade bands. Registration is through a Google form, linked on the flyer.
2022-23 Professional Development Days Guidelines
The following professional development days have been added to this year’s calendar.
Professional Development Day (No Students Attend)
Friday, September 16, 2022
Friday, November 4, 2022
Friday, April 21, 2023
All employees should work in the building on these days. Principals are authorized to use up to 3 hours of principal-directed time each professional day, which includes time spent in Professional Learning Communities (PLCs). The remaining time should be at the teacher’s discretion.
Please provide these dates to your employees.
If you have any questions please contact your Administrator of Schools.
Safety Share – Security Window Film on Classrooms
Please see the document below.
Utah Aspire Plus Tableau Dashboard Updated with 2022 Results
DATE:
Thursday, August 11, 2022
TO:
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Utah Aspire Plus Dashboard Updated with 2022 Assessment Results
The Utah Aspire Plus dashboard in Tableau has been updated with 2022 assessment results. School administrators will be able to access proficiency data and predicted ACT data from 2019-2022 for the English, Math, Reading and Science subtests. Each dataset comes equipped with demographic and student group filters. School administrators may also view a school comparison with 2022 results as well as individual student results.
The school Utah Aspire Plus dashboard may be found here.
Explore > Utah Aspire Plus > 2-School Utah Aspire Plus, 2019-Present
Student level data may be found here.
Explore > Utah Aspire Plus > [Your School Name] Student Level Data
The district-level Utah Aspire Plus dashboard may be found here.
Explore > Utah Aspire Plus > 1-District Utah Aspire Plus, 2019-Present
Please contact Evaluation, Research & Accountability with questions about the dashboard or the Utah Aspire Plus assessment.
KEEP Entry Materials for Kindergarten Teachers
DATE:
Thursday, August 11, 2022
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
KEEP Entry Administration and Materials
Principals are asked to pass this information, along with the materials included with this memo, to their kindergarten teachers as soon as possible.
KEEP Entry administration for the 2022-23 school year is still required by the state. The KEEP Entry assessment window ends on Thursday, September 8, 2022. Data entry into the Data Gateway is due by Friday, September 30, 2022. Those who are administering the KEEP Entry (including kindergarten teachers and classroom aides) should have been trained. Test administrators can access training in one of two ways:
Only kindergarten teachers and instructional coaches will have access to enter data into the Data Gateway. Classroom assistants will not have access to KEEP data entry in the Data Gateway.
Included with this memo are the following materials:
- KEEP Entry Test Administration Manual (TAM) – Kindergarten teachers should use this manual to access the script they should read while testing. The manual also contains instructions on how to administer and score the assessment.
- KEEP Entry Student Materials – Schools will be responsible for printing their own student materials booklet for each KEEP Entry test administrator. No changes to the assessment have been made, so teachers may use last year’s student materials.
- KEEP Entry Score Sheet – Kindergarten teachers may fill out the scoring sheet online in their Data Gateway account while administering the assessment. They may also fill out the attached scoring sheet and then enter the data in the Data Gateway at a later time.
- KEEP Entry Data Entry – Getting Started – This document provides a brief explanation of how to enter KEEP Entry data into the Data Gateway.
If you have questions about the KEEP Entry assessment or the data entry in the Data Gateway, please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability.
Important Reminders to Maximize Your Acadience Testing Day(s)
DATE:
Thursday, August 11, 2022
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
BOY Acadience Reading and Math Testing Reminders
The beginning-of-year Acadience Reading and Math testing window opens on the first day of school and closes on Friday, September 30th. As we prepare for Acadience testing, there are a few friendly reminders that help the district testing teams be as efficient as possible while they are at your school testing students:
- Because our assessment teams are still not fully staffed, we are asking that instructional coaches plan to assist with testing on your school’s scheduled day(s) again this year. Full-time personnel from Evaluation, Research & Accountability will also be assisting with testing.
- Please avoid scheduling kindergarten and first grade classes back to back, when possible. They take longer because assessment assistants are administering both the reading and math measures. Staggering them between second and third grade classes helps the team stay on time.
- Encourage your teachers to be flexible. They need to be prepared to come early or late to their allotted time.
- Be sure to have an adult runner available who knows the school and can quickly get the next class to come to the testing area, distribute student cards, and help the testing run as efficiently as possible. If schools don’t have a runner available, a parent who knows where teacher classrooms are is a viable option. If there is no runner, one of our assessment assistants has to do it, which means she is testing less students.
- Because Kindergarten students will not be in school the first six days of the testing window, there is very little time for district assessment assistants to come back to your school to do absent testing. While we will do our best to complete testing with students who were absent on test day, please plan on having school personnel help to complete absent testing.
Change to Accommodations Policy:
Please note that USBE has updated its accommodations policy for both Acadience Reading and Math. They are no longer allowing us to translate the instructions provided for each measure for English Learners. All EL students, regardless of language proficiency level, will be given the measure instructions in English.
Please contact Ben Jameson or Shannon Johnson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns about the reminders listed above as well as the change in USBE’s accommodation policy.
AP Tableau Dashboard Updated with 2022 Results
DATE:
Thursday, August 11, 2022
TO:
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
AP Analysis Dashboard Updated
The AP Analysis Dashboard has been updated with 2021-22 AP exam data in Tableau. School administrators may access both district and school dashboards here.
School administrators will be able to view participation rates, pass rates, and a distribution of scores by school, discipline, and assessment from 2016 to 2022. In addition, the dashboard also contains scores by AP teacher and student.
Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions about the AP Analysis Dashboard.
Acadience Testing Training for New Instructional Coaches, ESPs, and Grades 4-6 Teachers
DATE:
Thursday, August 11, 2022
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Acadience Training Options for Instructional Coaches, Teachers and ESPs
We recognize that with the start of the new school year comes personnel who are new to their positions. Instructional coaches, some classroom assistants, and grades 4-6 teachers will all have varied responsibilities to administer Acadience benchmarks and progress monitoring probes. Personnel new to their positions this year should be trained on administering the Acadience measures. There are both online and in-person training options. Principals are asked to pass the following information on to relevant personnel.
Please see the memo below for all the details.
2022-23 Crucial Policy Review
Jordan School District Employees are responsible for knowing and adhering to all District policies and procedures. The crucial policy review is available to District employees in Skyward through “Online Forms.” As a condition of continued employment, all employees (i.e. Licensed, ESP, Substitutes, Coaches, Miscellaneous adults, etc.), with the exception of minor students, will be required to complete this training. We ask your assistance in notifying your employees of this required training and ask that this training be completed by November 1, 2022.
A message will appear upon login of Skyward Employee Access for the employee to complete an “Online Form.” Employees can complete the steps at that time or can return to the review at another time by selecting “Online Forms” under “Employee Information.” Attached is a tutorial to assist in completing the review.
Reports of completion will be available through Skyward so you can verify that your staff members have completed this process. A tutorial is attached for your reference. If you or any staff members need technical help, please call the help desk at 801-567-USER (8737).
2022-23 Employee Referral Bonus
Jordan School District (JSD) is committed to finding, hiring and retaining the very best employees possible. We are looking for bus drivers, custodians, nutrition service workers and certain Facilities positions! Historically, some of our top talent is found through referrals from people who already work in the JSD. JSD currently has several positions that need to be filled. We would like to encourage JSD employees to share information about employment opportunities and at the same time reward employees for doing so.
The Employee Referral Program is one in which we hope all district employees will participate. The goal of this program is to help hire staff in “hard to fill” ESP positions effective February 1, 2022. For information about this program, please visit the following website.
2022-23 Attendance Brochure for Back to School Night
DATE:
May 19, 2021
TO:
Elementary Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Consultant Student Support Services
Michelle Reyes, Prevention Specialist
SUBJECT:
Attendance Brochure for Back to School Night
Principals,
Please remember that Back to School Night is the best time to stress the importance of regular attendance to school and the benefits for learning. Please print some of the enclosed brochures and have them visible around the school during your Back to School Night. The brochures are available in both English and Spanish.
Research shows that Back to School Night is often the only point of contact for new families and parents who may not come to the school at any other time. Studies also show that when principals talk about attendance and the link to learning in the Back to School Night meetings it makes a difference in the communities’ perception of the importance of attendance.
We hope that your Back to School Night is wonderful and very well attended.
2022-23 Safe School Hearing Calendar/Assignments
DATE:
August 9, 2022
TO:
Assistant Principals
Principals (info only)
Teaching & Learning Consultants
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
SUBJECT:
Safe School Hearing Calendar/Assignments
Please add on your calendar now!
To broaden everyone’s experience, most assistant principals will be a part of the Safe Schools Committee this year. Please add this date to your calendar as a top priority. If your name is not listed, you will be one of the first contacts in case of an emergency and a substitute committee member is needed. PLEASE DO NOT FIND YOUR OWN SUBSITUTE. The committee is balanced by level and gender each week. If an emergency comes up the week of your assignment, please email janie.hyde@jordandistrict.org
The Safe School Committee meets on Wednesdays from 8:00 AM until 3:00 PM at the main district office in conference room 123 back by the Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Compliance folks. Bring your own lunch or there is an hour break built in to buy lunch at the many offerings in Jordan Landing.
We are grateful to have your experience, wisdom and skill set to help with this important decision-making committee.
Updates Needed: Instructional Coach Staffing
Please send all updates and information for the instructional coaching positions in your school to Michelle Williams in the JSD Teaching and Learning Department. Please include names, email, and details about their coaching FTE amounts. We need your prompt response if you have not already communicated your personnel updates. Michelle may be contacted at 801-567-8365 or michelle.williams@jordandistrict.org
2022-23 Sick Bank Opt Out
Licensed and Education Support Professionals,
Welcome to the 2022-2023 contract year! An annual reminder, in accordance with DP326 NEG and DP324 NEG, participation in the Employee-Funded Sick Leave Bank requires an employee to annually donate one day of accumulated annual leave into the Sick Leave Bank. The Employee-Funded Sick Leave Bank is not intended to be used for in-and-out absences, elective medical procedures or other medical care that could be scheduled during non-contract time.
Employees wishing to opt out of participation in the Employee-Funded Sick Leave Bank must annually complete the appropriate online form in Employee Access no later than September 1st for current employees and October 1st for first-year employees, including administrators. This opt out request must be submitted annually.
*First year Education Support Professionals and hourly employees are not eligible for sick bank, therefore, a sick bank day will not be deducted (if applicable). Please be aware that policies and eligibility requirements for Licensed (DP324 NEG) and Education Support Professionals (DP326 NEG) employees are different. These and other District policies are available for review at https://policy.jordandistrict.org/.
SCRAM for 2022-23 School Year – October 1 Count
Special Education Resource and Self-Contained Team Leaders will soon receive a SCRAM report via Move-It of all students who should be receiving services through your school’s special education program(s) at the start of the 2022-23 school year. All team members and service providers need to verify each student on this list as either correct, changed, exited/moved, and/or incomplete. Since only one copy is being sent per “team” (i.e., Resource and Cluster), it is important that resource teams, cluster teams, SLPs, Guidance Specialists and other itinerant providers work together to check and complete the requested information.
Please have your SCRAM Reports and corrected SCRAM returned to the District Office by
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
If you have questions, please contact the Teacher Specialist assigned to your school or Jen Warkentine at (801) 567-8207. Thank you for your conscientious efforts to complete this critical information. Please remember that special education funding is contingent upon the accuracy of this data.
Co-Teaching Letter and Application for 2022-23
Secondary Principals:
The Special Education Department is offering professional development to support co-teaching instruction.
Interested schools will need to submit the attached application no later than September 2, 2022 to Tammy Rajczyk in the Special Education Department. The co-teaching cohort will be capped at 13 teams/23 individuals. A signature on the completed application indicates that the principal is committed to supporting the teacher's commitment in the co-teaching PD described in the attached documents.
For questions, please contact:
Renee Sass, M.Ed.
Curriculum & Instructional Specialist
Special Education
Jordan School District
(801)567-8295
JPAS LITE 2022-23
Please see the documents below for information regarding JPAS LITE.
Special Education Budget Allocations 2022-23
Attached are the special education budget allocations for Resource, Self-Contained Teachers and Speech-Language Pathologists for the 2022-23 school year. (Cluster Leaders do not receive a Special Education budget.) Remember that special education monies must be spent in ways that provide the most benefit to special education students with the goal to improve student achievement and performance. It will be up to you, your team, and your school principal/financial secretary to keep track of how much of your budget you have spent individually.
Please note equipment purchases, electronic games and/or any materials that are not instructional in nature must be pre-approved from the Special Education Department. Equipment purchases that are not pre-approved will not be reimbursed. Requests must include the approval from your teacher specialist.
When submitting requisitions, follow Skyward procedures and guidelines. Requisitions for the 2022-23 school year can be submitted anytime between July 1, 2022 and March 1, 2023. The final deadline for all purchasing requests, reimbursement requests, E-checks and P-Card purchases is March 1, 2023. This is a different deadline than we have previously had and will not be extended.
If you have questions regarding your Special Education budget, please call Amanda Hamblin at (801) 567-8177 or the Teacher Specialist assigned to your school.
