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Author: shooper

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, January 12, 2023

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
CSI/TSI Calculations Released by USBE for All Schools

________________________________________________________________________________

Targeted School Improvement (TSI) and Comprehensive School Improvement (CSI) are two school designations under the state’s ESSA plan and are part of the state’s school accountability system. The purpose of these two school improvement programs is to help schools identify and support student groups that are struggling academically.

Schools are designated as TSI if one or more of its student groups’ total school report card points earned is in the bottom 5% statewide for two consecutive years.

Schools are designated as CSI if one of the following conditions are met:

  • They are a high school with a low graduation rate in the year CSI was calculated (every three years).
  • They are a Title I school that has one or more student groups identified as TSI that haven’t exited after four years.
  • They are a Title I school where the total student population’s school report card points earned is in the bottom 5% of Title I schools statewide in the year CSI was calculated (every three years).

For your information, CSI was calculated for the 2021-22 school year.

USBE has recently released the school report card calculation data for TSI designations, and the results may be accessed in school administrator Tableau accounts. School administrators may use this information to identify student groups that are close to being designated as TSI, or in other words, student groups that have one year below the state’s 5% threshold of the two consecutive years required. The 2021-22 TSI Calculations for All Schools Statewide dashboard may be accessed here.

Title I schools may also see a similar view for CSI calculations for their total student population here. Using this dashboard, school principals will be able to see how close to the 5% threshold their student population came to being designated as CSI for each of the school report card indicators.

For questions about TSI, CSI, school report cards, or the state’s school accountability system, please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

 

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, January 12, 2023

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Identifying School Procedures to Prevent Plagiarism During WIDA Testing

________________________________________________________________________________

In order to provide targeted supports to multi-language learners, educators need valid and reliable data from assessments that help pinpoint a student's academic language ability. Plagiarism negatively effects the validity and reliability of that data.

As part of normal classroom instruction, many ML students are accustomed to using their device (cell phones or smart watches) to help them communicate and understand their learning. Thus, they have a natural tendency to want to use that technology to help them understand and communicate their learning on the WIDA Access. WIDA test proctors must explicitly communicate to students that their devices are not allowed or needed for the test because we need to understand what they can do without the aid of their device. WIDA test proctors must also implement procedures to ensure students do not have access to their personal technology devices during testing.

The 2022-23 WIDA Access Test Administration Manual states (see page 4):

"A key responsibility of all staff involved in testing is to ensure students are actively monitored during testing and do their own work. Test proctors are to ensure students don't use internet-connected devices, such as cell phones, while testing. Follow your state's test security policies and, whenever possible, have students leave their devices outside the testing room. The use of unapproved devices during testing or the submission of copied or plagiarized responses can result in student scores being invalidated."

The WIDA Access test vendor has the capacity to detect plagiarism from other websites. When this occurs, actions will need to be taken to investigate the issue by the school administration in collaboration with Evaluation, Research & Accountability.

To help schools formulate their procedures regarding student personal technology during the WIDA Access test administration, we are asking school test coordinators, in collaboration with their school administration, to fill out a survey form prior to test day that outlines the step-by-step procedures test proctors will use so that students do not have access to their personal technology devices during testing. The form may be accessed here. A copy of the questions is attached with this memo. In addition, school test coordinators will need to ensure that all WIDA Access test administrators and proctors are aware of and follow the outlined procedures to prevent plagiarism so that ML students have the best opportunity to demonstrate what they know and can do.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions regarding this new requirement.

 

Published on

As a reminder, the following due dates need to be followed when completing all evaluations. 

All Full Evaluations 

    • Due March 31, 2023
    • Stakeholder input and student growth with data uploaded into Perform
    • Goal(s) with both administrator and teacher signatures
    • This encompasses classroom teachers, teacher specialists, psychologists, counselors, BTS, etc.

 Note: Administrator full evaluations are due May 1, 2023.

 All Interim End of the Year Reflection 

    • Due May 31, 2023
    • Reflection on 3 Required Goals
    • Stakeholder input and student growth with data must be uploaded into Perform
    • Signatures from both administrator and teacher
    • This encompasses classroom teachers, teacher specialists, psychologists, counselors, BTS, administrators, etc.

Educational Support Professionals (Classified)

    • Due by the end of the May
    • Complete in Skyward

Published on

Utah State Senate Bill 150 requires schools to assess students three times per school year (fall, winter, & spring) and inform first, second, and third grade parents/guardians of whether or not their child is reading on grade level. Please send the attached letters home with your students to inform parents of their student’s middle of year Acadience results by February 28, 2023. You may copy the letters onto your school letterhead and send the letters home with students.

BOY Above English

BOY Below English

BOY Above Spanish

BOY Below Spanish

 

Published on

Principals who are absent from work for three or more days qualify for an approved administrative substitute.

Assistant principals who are absent from work for ten or more days qualify for an approved administrative substitute.

The Approved Administrative Substitute list can be found on the Admin Only HR site under Substitutes.

For questions, please contact the respective Administrator of Schools.

Published on

DATE:
January 3, 2023

TO:
All Certified and ESPs

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Principal of River’s Edge School

SUBJECT:
Back by Popular Demand! ETT: Cultivating Classroom Management Skills

Effective Teacher Training (ETT) is back! Our last section filled within one day of being announced, so learners need to register ASAP to reserve their spot. We are offering two more sections this year, so participants can choose what works best for their schedule.

Dates Course Section Register by
Winter Section  Jan. 23 - March 13 101914 117557  Jan. 19
Spring Section April 3 - May 22 101914 117558 March 30

For: All general education and special education teachers
Also Welcome: Specialists, mental health providers, ESPs
Instructional coaches can request to be an observer of the course instead of registering on JPLS.

Topics include: Antecedents, behavior basics, class-wide and individual interventions, increasing academic effectiveness, data-based decision making, students with unique needs, and personal wellness.

Format: This 7-week course will be offered online in an asynchronous format. Learners will engage with content and activities via Canvas. Participants must complete the first module within the first week, or their spot in the class will be given to someone on the waitlist.

1 USBE credit is available at no cost for those who complete the course.

For questions please contact: melanie.dawson@jordandistrict.org or katie.jarvis@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:
December 5, 2022

TO:
All Principals
All Special Education Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Principal of River’s Edge School

SUBJECT:
ASPEN Training Reminder for Special Education Personnel 2022-2023

As we move into the second half of the 2022-2023 school, this is a reminder that ASPEN training is required for all licensed special education teachers, SLPs, school psychologists, elementary school counselors, and for all instructional assistants in SEB and Autism self-contained support classrooms during the 2022-2023 school year. (Exception: Staff with a current Mandt certification will not need to be ASPEN trained).

First year staff and staff who have not completed the full certification ASPEN training should register for the in-person training on JPLS. Training dates and times are attached to this memo. Please note that these are expected to be the final dates for the remainder of the school year.

Although not required, instructional assistants working in any other special education setting may choose to attend ASPEN at the discretion of their building administrator.

If you have more than one teacher or instructional assistant that needs to attend, please consider having them attend on separate days in order to maintain adequate coverage in your school. The Special Education Department will cover the costs of substitutes for licensed special education teachers that will be attending the full certification under budget code 1292. Instructional assistants will be asked to use True Time to record their typical workday hours on the day of the training. Any additional hours spent in the training above their typical workday will need to be recorded on a timesheet.

Staff who participated in a full certification or recertification ASPEN training during the previous school year should plan on taking an ASPEN recertification class that will be offered online. Staff should register at JPLS for the recertification class, they will then receive an invitation within two working days to participate in the online course. Participants will have two weeks during which they can complete the course work at their own pace. This course is expected to take approximately 3 hours and should be completed during available contract hours. Dates for the online sessions are attached to this memo.

Mandt training will continue to be required at Kauri Sue Hamilton and River’s Edge School. Personnel at these schools do not need to attend ASPEN. Others wishing to keep their Mandt training current may do so; however, participation is not mandatory and teachers and instructional assistants will not be compensated for their attendance. If staff members are Mandt certified, they do not need to attend ASPEN training.

For questions please contact: Cassidy Hansen at cassidy.hansen@jordandistrict.org or Daveed Goodrich at daveed.goodrich@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:
December 6, 2022

TO:
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Resource & Cluster)

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Testing Checklist

Attached is the DLM checklist for all special education teachers who are administering the DLM assessment to any of their students for the 2022-23 school year. You are required to complete and return the checklist to Jen Birrell for all Elementary teachers and Mikaylee Krebs for all Secondary teachers at the District Office by Friday, February 24, 2023. This form is also available online at specialed.jordandistrict.org/staff/forms on the Special Education website.

If you need help completing any portion of this checklist, please contact the Teacher Specialist assigned to your school. 

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell at 801-567-8905 or Mikaylee Krebs 801-567-8356. jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org, mikaylee.krebs@jordandistrict.org 

Published on

All teachers new to the district that will be administering the alternative assessment (Dynamic Learning Maps) DLM are required to attend one of the in-person training sessions that are being provided Friday, January 6, 2023 at South Valley School in classroom 9. There are two sessions.

Session 1: 7:30a.m.-10:30a.m. (Secondary)

Session 2: 12:30 p.m- 3:30p.m. (Elementary)

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell at 801-567-8905 or Mikaylee Krebs 801-567-8356.  jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org, mikaylee.krebs@jordandistrict.org

 

Published on

We are pleased to announce two opportunities for math competitions at the middle school level for 7th and 8th grade students: Math Olympiad (school-based) and a Math Tournament (district-based). Refer to the attachment for details. Contact Rebecca Smith (88368) with any questions you may have.

Published on

Optional training will be provided by the Business and Auxiliary Services Departments on September 26 (1:00-4:00 pm) and October 4 (8:00-11:00 am) via Zoom. This training opportunity is for school or department personnel including principals, assistant principals, administrative assistants, clerks, aides or others with responsibilities correlating with the Business or Auxiliary Services Departments. The draft agenda is attached.

If you would like to participate in one of the sessions, please send an email to Lisa LeStarge, at lisa.lestarge@jordandistrict.org and let her know which date you would like to sign-up to attend.  Attendees will be provided with a link to hand-outs provided by the presenters so they can be viewed during the training or downloaded for future use.

We hope you will take advantage of this training opportunity.

Published on

Due to the USDA free meals waiver coming to an end and the many new administrators in Jordan, we would like to highlight the District Approved Procedural Due Process for Meal Deficit Collection. With students returning to a regular free, reduced, and paid price structure, schools are addressing the need to look at student deficits.

The Nutrition Services department has recommended that kitchen managers and clerks work to maintain open lines of communication with their principals and administrators when it comes to student meal accounts and deficits.

The deficit procedures are also available on the Nutrition Services website.

District Approved Procedural Due Process for Meal Deficit Collection
– Revised 05/4/2022

No Student will be denied a lunch.

A student may be served an alternative meal only if the principal has approved the use of Alternative Meals at their site.

Students will not be asked to call home regarding negative lunch balances, these calls will be made by clerks or by the principal.

Elementary
1) Clerk may ask student with low or negative account balance “did you bring lunch money today”?
2) Skyward will automatically send out low account balance email notices starting at positive $5.00. Parents can opt out of this email via Family Access using their parent login and password.
3) As a daily schedule task, Skyward will automatically send out negative account balance email notices starting at negative $.50 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Parents can not opt out of this email
4) Clerk will send out hard copy of negative balance notices starting at negative $.50 at least once per week if parent does not have an email address.
5) Clerk will communicate with teachers checking that lunch money is not being left in classrooms.
6) The clerk will call parent when student account balance is in the negative of $8.75 and make parent aware that they have the option of completing a free/reduced meal application. Clerk will document all attempts to contact a parent.
7) Clerk will document collection steps completed and give documentation to the site administrator in support of continued collection efforts.
8) Site administrator will call or send a letter (or both) to parent with account balance on or before a deficit balance of -$20.00. At this point (-$20.00) students will be served an alternative meal until negative balance is paid. Alternate meal will include a sun-butter or grilled cheese sandwich, fruit, vegetable, and milk at a cost of .40 cents for reduced eligible and .75 cents for paid eligible students.
9) Site administrator will address further collection efforts with their respective administrator of schools.
10) Any uncollectible deficit lunch account balance will become the responsibility of the school and paid by the principal at the time of student transfers within the district or at the end of each school year for closed student accounts and student accounts who are graduating or moving up to another school (i.e. 6th to 7th, 9th to 10th and seniors). Principals may use any collection agency of their choosing.

If an administrator requires assistance to address individual student concerns affecting lunch account balances, including homelessness or a need for a translator, contact Malinda Jensen with Equity & Compliance at 801-567-8325.

District Approved Procedural Due Process for Meal Deficit Collection
– Revised 05/04/2022

No student lunch will be denied.

A student may be served an alternative meal only if the principal has approved the use of Alternative Meals at their site.

No à la carte items will be debited (cashiers will offer students who try to debit à la carte items a reimbursable lunch).

Students will not be asked to call home regarding negative lunch balances, these calls will be made by clerks or by the principal.

Secondary
1) Cashier will begin notifying student at point of service when account balance is at $5.00.
2) Skyward will automatically send out low account balance email notices starting at positive $5.00. Parents can opt out of this email via Family Access using their parent login and password.
3) As a daily schedule task, Skyward will automatically send out negative account balance email notices starting at negative $.50 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Parents cannot opt out of this email.
4) Cashiers will document and inform the clerk when students charge a meal.
5) The clerk will call parent when student account balance is in the negative of $10.00 and make parent aware that they have the option of completing a free/reduced meal application. Clerk will document all attempts to contact a parent.
6) Clerk will document collection steps completed and give documentation to the site administrator in support of continued collection efforts.
7) Site administrator will call or send a letter (or both) to parent with account balance on or before a deficit balance of -$20.00. At this point (-$20.00) students will be served an alternative meal until negative balance is paid. Alternate meal will include a yogurt, cheese stick, fruit, vegetable, roll and milk at a cost of .40 cents for reduced eligible and .75 cents for paid eligible students.
8) Site administrator will address further collection efforts with their respective administrator of schools.
9) Any uncollectible deficit lunch account balance will become the responsibility of the school and paid by the principal at the time of student transfers within the district or at the end of each school year for closed student accounts and student accounts who are graduating or moving up to another school (i.e. 6th to 7th, 9th to 10th and seniors). Principals may use any collection agency of their choosing.

If an administrator requires assistance to address individual student concerns affecting lunch account balances, including homelessness or a need for a translator, contact Malinda Jensen with Equity & Compliance at 801-567-8325.

 

Published on

DATE:
August 31, 2022

TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, PhD, Administrator, Teaching and Learning
Norman Emerson, Instructional Support Services/Fine Arts Consultant

SUBJECT:
JSD-Arts Representatives for 2022-23

This year we will continue to have two District Arts Representatives (DARTS) represent your school throughout the 2022-23 school year. We have appreciated the work of past DARTS representatives and how they have helped strengthen arts instruction in your schools. Meaningful progress toward a greater level of arts integration has been made, and we wish this to continue.

DARTS meetings will be held on the following dates: September 21, October 19, November 16, January 18, February 15, March 15, and April 19. The meetings will be held at the Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium from 4:30-6:30 p.m. 

Please assign up to two classroom teachers to serve as your school’s DARTS representatives by either selecting a grade-level team, or two teachers from different grade levels. The DARTS representatives will meet once a month for two hours to learn and collaborate. Teachers will be paid at the inservice rate and will earn relicensure points  (Note: In addition to the two regular classroom teachers, your school's BTS arts educator will also be attending the DARTS sessions). 

Please email the names of your choices for the JSD DARTS Team for the 2022-23 school year to linda.gold@jordandistrict.org as soon as possible.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 8, 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: The Challenge of Peer Leadership

Applicant: Doug Stump, Southern Utah 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.

The researcher is looking for first-year administrators who have been assigned to schools where they were also a teacher.

Thank you for your assistance.

Published on

DATE:   
August 25, 2022

TO:   
Elementary Principals
Elementary Head Administrative Assistants

FROM: 
Becky Gerber, Administrator of Schools
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Schools
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Jill Durrant, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:  
Summer Pool Hours for Elementary Head Administrative Assistants

Elementary school head administrative assistants have up to eighty (80) hours to use during the summer months. These hours remain optional and flexible and are to be used in coordination with the school principal.

It is suggested the hours be spread out over the summer months and be used to keep registration current in Skyward and address other matters that typically build up over the summer months (voicemails, purchase verifications, timesheets, etc.). These hours should not be used for summer school coverage. The hope is that these summer hours will aid the school in a successful opening for the students.

The hours should be reported through True Time under the heading “Contract Pool Hours” and will be charged to account number: 10 E xxx 0050 2483 152.

JL/ll

cc:
Cabinet
Sarah Palmer, Director of Payroll