Jordan School District
TO:
Elementary teachers, coaches and administrators
FROM:
Michelle Lovell, Teaching & Learning
All elementary teachers are invited to join the literacy team for a fun evening of collaboration and learning. Literacy Live is a conference style learning opportunity with break out sessions, snacks, and prize drawings. We are excited to offer this opportunity to all elementary school teachers in K-6 classrooms. Please sign up through this LINK
TO:
All Principals
All Admin Assistants
FROM:
Kurt Prusse, Director of Purchasing
As the new school year begins, we would like to inform you about several new items in the Central Warehouse. You can find them in the Storehouse Catalog on the Purchasing Website.
They include the following:
Microphones & Battery Pack
5600500 (EA) AUDIO ENHANCEMENT LI-ION BATTERY PACK 3.7V 700 MA FOR XD MIC AUDIO ENH-XD-5001 $22.88
5600505 (EA) AUDIO ENHANCEMENT XD HANDHELD MIC BUNDLE FOR XD TEACHER BOX AUDIO ENH-ST-XD-9052 $246.88
5600510 (EA) AUDIO ENHANCEMENT XD TEACHER BOX W/TEACHER PENDANT MIC AUDIO ENH-ST-XD-9025 $244.60
Golf Sized Pencils
5106945 (BX) PENCIL GOLF SIZED 72 PER BOX $6.80
Traffic & PE Cones
5400381 (EA) CONE TRAFFIC ORANGE 28" WITH REFLECTIVE COLLAR, 3 LB $19.00
5400382 (EA) CONE TRAFFIC ORANGE 12", 2 LB (P.E. RELATED) $7.90
Epson Ink & Maintenance Box
5600100 (EA) EPSON C6000/5000 INK BLACK T08C120 $106.00
5600110 (EA) EPSON AM-C6000/5000 INK CYAN T08C220 $150.00
5600120 (EA) EPSON AM-C6000/5000 INK MAGENTA T08C320 $150.00
5600130 (EA) EPSON AM-C6000/5000 INK YELLOW T08C420 $150.00
5600150 (EA) EPSON MAINTENANCE BOX AM-C4000/5000/6000 C12C937181 $69.00
5600200 (EA) EPSON AM-C4000 INK BLACK T08D120 $114.00
5600210 (EA) EPSON AM-C4000 INK CYAN T08D220 $172.00
5600220 (EA) EPSON AM-C4000 INK MAGENTA T08D320 $172.00
5600230 (EA) EPSON AM-C4000 INK YELLOW T08D420 $172.00
5600250 (EA) EPSON C21000 INK BLACK T02Y120 $84.00
5600260 (EA) EPSON C21000 INK CYAN T02Y220 $192.00
5600270 (EA) EPSON C21000 INK MAGENTA T02Y320 $192.00
5600280 (EA) EPSON C21000 INK YELLOW T02Y420 $192.00
DATE:
August 7, 2025
TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, District Safety Specialist
SUBJECT:
School Safety Update – Internal Classroom Door Locks
The Department of Public Safety recently updated the School Safety Administrative Rule (R698-13) regarding internal classroom and instructional area doors. The rule now reads (new/updated language is underlined):
R698-13-6 Internal Clasroom Door Locks.
Please direct any questions you may have to Matt Alvernaz (matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org) or ext. 88623.
DATE:
August 7, 2025
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant
SUBJECT:
2025-2026 Clinical Support Specialist Calendar
Please be aware of the Clinical Support Specialist (CSS) meeting dates listed below. It is essential that school-based clinicians are allowed to prioritize these meetings to be current on best practices relevant to their role.
CSS Clinical Trainings (1pm-3pm)
PLC Meetings (730am-830am)
Purpose of PLC’s: Case staffing and professional consultation
Mental Health Screenings (3pm-8pm
Should you have any questions please reach out to McKinley Withers at mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org
DATE:
July 28, 2025
TO:
Secondary Principals
Secondary Media Specialists
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services Consultant
SUBJECT:
Networking Meetings for Secondary Library Media Specialists
To ensure that secondary library media specialists (teacher-librarians) are equipped to continue delivering excellent services and to promote uniformity throughout the District’s library programs, a series of networking meetings has been arranged for the 2025-26 school year. We greatly appreciate the participation of your school’s teacher-librarians in these meetings.
Scheduled Meeting Dates:
Please ensure this information is shared with your school’s teacher-librarian. For any additional details, feel free to contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364. Thank you for your continued dedication to supporting the library media programs in Jordan District.
DATE:
July 26, 2025
TO:
Elementary Principals
Elementary Media Assistants
FROM:
Administrators of Schools
Carolyn Gough, Administrator, Teaching and Learning Department
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services Consultant
SUBJECT:
Quarterly Training Meetings for Elementary Media Assistants
To ensure that our elementary library media assistants are well-equipped to provide exceptional service and maintain consistency across our library programs, training meetings have been scheduled for the 2025-26 school year. It is both appreciated and expected that both of your library assistants attend these sessions, which are to be included in their weekly 17-hour work schedule. Except for August 19, 2025, all meetings will be held on Fridays.
Meeting Schedule:
Please ensure this information is shared with your school's elementary media assistants. For any additional details or clarification, feel free to contact Norman Emerson at 801-567-8364. Your ongoing support of the library media program in the Jordan School District is greatly appreciated.
TO:
All Administrators
FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator
Safety cans, as their name suggests, provide a safe means to store and dispense small quanti-ties of flammable and combustible liquids. In the college or university setting, they are most likely to be found in science laboratories. But, they are also used to store solvents and cleaning agents in the main-tenance shop and to store fuels for small powered equipment, such as lawn mowers and leaf blowers used by the grounds keeping crew. Please see tips and hints below.
DATE:
August 7, 2025
TO:
School Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services
SUBJECT:
Annual Reminder of Memos from Planning & Enrollment
School staff are requested to review the following memos that contain reminders of time-sensitive information from Planning & Enrollment. The content of these memos has not changed and remains applicable to schools.
DATE:
August 7, 2025
TO:
School Administrators
Elementary Administrative Assistants
Secondary Attendance Secretaries
Secondary Registrars
FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services
SUBJECT:
Third Party Information Release Opt-Out
Parents (and students over the age of 18) have the right to opt-out of the release of their student’s directory information to third parties. This right is communicated to parents annually in the FERPA, PPRA, and Directory Information notices in the online “Registration for Schools” process.
Please see the memo below for all the details.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
All Middle and High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, 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: Perspectives from the Classroom: A Qualitative Analysis of the Helping and Hindering Incidents Associated with Implementing Effective Classroom Management Strategies
Applicant: Ellie Young and Rachel Seminario, Brigham Young University-Provo
The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The research team will email potential participants directly to recruit them for the study. Special education teachers will be asked to participate in a brief online interview. Their 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.
Thank you for your assistance.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
Elementary Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Acadience Reading Training Options
District assessment assistants will administer the Acadience Reading benchmarks for students in grades K-3 as in years past. Schools should already have their benchmark testing dates for all three windows for the 2025-26 school year.
Any school personnel that will be involved in administering the Acadience Reading benchmarks in grades 4-6 and/or progress monitoring probes in grades K-6 should be trained in test administration procedures on an annual basis. There are several training options depending on the employee’s work assignment.
Classroom Teachers and Instructional Coaches
Teachers and coaches need complete only one of the following options:
ESP Employees
ESP employees should complete one of the following options as part of their regular contract time:
Please note that ALO account access will be granted once ESP employees successfully complete one of the two training options listed above.
For questions about Acadience Reading training, please contact Janice Sperry in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
Middle and High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Fall 2025 Assessment Updates
There are several assessment updates of which middle and high school administrators should be aware:
RISE ELA and Writing Scores, School Report Card, and TSI/ATSI/CSI Designation Delays
The RISE ELA assessment was updated to match the new ELA core recently approved by the USBE. Whenever an assessment is changed, it must go through a standard setting process. USBE is currently conducting that standard setting process, which will delay the release of RISE ELA and writing scores until sometime in September or October. The delayed score release will also delay the release of school report cards and new TSI/ATSI/CSI designations and exits until January 2026.
Currently designated TSI/ATSI/CSI schools should continue implementing their school improvement plans for the duration of the 2025-26 school year.
Grades 9-10 Summative Assessment
SB 39 was passed in the 2025 legislative session, which mandates the transition back to a standards assessment for grades 9-10. This means that the Utah Aspire Plus will be administered for the last time in the spring of 2026 and then will be retired.
Cambium Assessment (CAI), the current RISE grades 3-8 vendor, won the RFP for the new standards assessment for grades 9-10, which means middle and high schools will now participate in a grades 3-10 RISE summative assessment using a single testing platform. Student participation on the RISE assessment will be based on course enrollment rather than grade, similar to the way it was done when we had SAGE. Actual tested courses in 9th and 10th grades are still being determined.
Grades 9-10 RISE summative testing will begin in the spring of 2027. RISE Benchmarks and Interims for grades 9-10 will also be developed but will likely not be available during the 2026-27 school year.
Civics Exam Graduation Requirement
With the passing of HB 381, which took effect on July 1, 2025, students no longer have to take and pass a civics exam to graduate from high school. Instead, students will need to take and pass a US government and citizenship course. While the removal of the requirement to take a civics exam goes into effect beginning with the 2025-26 school year, the required government and citizenship course applies to the freshman class of 2026-27 to give USBE time to develop course standards and schools time to hire personnel. Thus, the classes of 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029 do not have to pass the civics exam nor take the government and citizenship class to graduate. The new government and citizenship course requirement will apply first to the class of 2030.
USBE is still working on this issue; thus, more updates will be released as they become available.
RISE ELA and Writing Benchmarks
The RISE ELA and writing benchmarks based on the new ELA core for grades 3-8 will be available beginning November 4, 2025, except for the 7th grade informational writing benchmark, which will not be available for the 2025-26 school year. The 7th grade informational writing benchmark pilot did not receive enough responses to validate its usage.
RISE math and science benchmarks are currently available.
New DLI Assessment
The state’s contract with LTI and its AAPPL assessment for DLI classes ended with the 2024-25 school year. Avant’s STAMP assessment won the new contract and will be implemented beginning with the 2025-26 school year. Assessment, Research & Accountability will release additional updates as we receive them from USBE.
Please note that AAPPL for world language testing in the spring will continue as in years past.
For questions or concerns about any of these changes, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Fall 2025 Assessment Updates
There are several assessment updates of which elementary school administrators should be aware:
RISE ELA and Writing Scores, School Report Card, and TSI/ATSI/CSI Designation Delays
The RISE ELA assessment was updated to match the new ELA core recently approved by the USBE. Whenever an assessment is changed, it must go through a standard setting process. USBE is currently conducting that standard setting process, which will delay the release of RISE ELA and writing scores until sometime in September or October. The delayed score release will also delay the release of school report cards and new TSI/ATSI/CSI designations and exits until January 2026.
Currently designated TSI/ATSI/CSI schools should continue implementing their school improvement plans for the duration of the 2025-26 school year.
RISE ELA and Writing Benchmarks
The RISE ELA and writing benchmarks based on the new ELA core for grades 3-8 will be available beginning November 4, 2025.
RISE math and science benchmarks are currently available.
New DLI Assessment
The state’s contract with LTI and its AAPPL assessment for DLI classes ended with the 2024-25 school year. Avant’s STAMP assessment won the new contract and will be implemented beginning with the 2025-26 school year. Assessment, Research & Accountability will release additional updates as we receive them from USBE.
Please note that AAPPL for world language testing in the spring will continue as in years past.
For questions or concerns about any of these changes, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
High School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Fall 2025 Testing Bulletin
School administrators may view the most up-to-date testing bulletin, complete with test administration and survey administration windows, by clicking on ‘High School’ under the heading Testing Bulletins on the front page of the website for Assessment, Research & Accountability. See the memo for the link and all the details.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
Middle School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Fall 2025 Testing Bulletin
School administrators may view the most up-to-date testing bulletin, complete with test administration and survey administration windows, by clicking on ‘Middle School’ under the heading Testing Bulletins on the front page of the website for Assessment, Research & Accountability. See the memo for the link and all the details.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
Elementary School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Fall 2025 Testing Bulletin
School administrators may view the most up-to-date testing bulletin, complete with test administration and survey administration windows, by clicking on ‘Elementary School’ under the heading Testing Bulletins on the front page of the website for Assessment, Research & Accountability. See the memo for the link and all the details.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
2025-26 Parental Exclusion Forms
2025-26 Parental Exclusion from State Assessments forms have been released by the state. Elementary and secondary versions may be found attached with this memo (including Spanish versions for each level). In addition, the forms may be found on the Assessment, Research & Accountability website.
Parents must notify schools of their desire to opt their student out of a state-mandated assessment on an annual basis. Parental exclusions should be recorded on your school’s opt out log so that both school and district personnel have one source of truth for all parental exclusions. Schools are discouraged from keeping parental exclusion lists that are separate or different from the opt out log received from Assessment, Research & Accountability.
Please direct questions about parental exclusions to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.
DATE:
Thursday, August 7, 2025
TO:
All School Administrators
FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, 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: Online Mental Health Training to Improve Physiological Stress Outcomes in Schoolteachers: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Applicant: Katelyn Jackman, Brigham Young University-Provo
The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant will contact teachers via email directly to invite them to participate in the research project. The applicant has been directed to contact principals to discuss the extent of the project and arrange a private area in which to meet with teachers. 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.
Thank you for your assistance.
TO:
Building & District Administrators
Administrative Assistants
FROM:
Caleb Olson, Consultant, Planning & Enrollment
The 2025-26 updates of the “Assistant Principal Directory” have been finalized and are available below.
These links will be valid all year and any updates will be saved to these locations.
If changes or corrections need to be made, you may contact Caleb Olson in Student Services or make the changes on the web version of the directories at the link below.
Link to the Web Version of the Directory to make changes
DATE:
August 7, 2025
TO:
Elementary Administrators
FROM:
Steffany Ellsworth, Support Services Manager, Information Systems
SUBJECT:
Save Valuable Time with Chromebook Badges for K-2 Students
Elementary Principals, are your K-2nd grade teachers losing valuable learning time because they are helping students log into their Chromebooks? If so, Clever Badges may be the solution! Clever Badges allow students to login to their Chromebooks using a QR code held up to the camera. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it allows teachers to focus on curriculum, not login issues.
Discover the magic of Clever Badges! This short 1 minute video gives an overview of Clever Badges.
If you are interested in implementing Clever Badges at your school, please let Information Systems know by filling out this brief Google Survey.
More information on Clever Badges
