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Category: Elementary Action Required

Published on

DATE:
 September 3, 2026 

TO:
 All Principals 

FROM:
 Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Brian King, Director of Special Education
Ross Menlove, Assistant Director of Special Education - Elementary
Maddie Karanevich, Assistant Director of Special Education - Secondary

SUBJECT:
 Professional Development Opportunities for Licensed Special Education Staff on Compliance in Action: Lessons from the Audit

The Special Education Department is pleased to announce upcoming training sessions for licensed special education staff, tailored to our school environment.  

Take a deeper dive into special education compliance by exploring insights and lessons learned from this year’s audit results. This session will examine key trends, common compliance challenges, and areas that require closer attention. Participants will gain practical strategies for strengthening evaluations, IEP development, progress monitoring, and SCRAM practices within the Embrace system. 

  • Elementary Licensed Special Education Staff
    • Friday, September 25, 2026 
    • 1 pm-3 pm
    • Offered Sessions
      • Virtually (link will be in the Canvas course)
      • Transportation Building PD (8480 S 4361 W, West Jordan)
    • Registration Form
  • Secondary Licensed Special Education Staff
    • Friday, October 2, 2026 
    • 1 pm-3 pm
    • Offered Sessions
      • Virtually (link will be in the Canvas course)
      • ASB Presentation Room (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "C")
    • Registration Form

Attendance is optional.   

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 3, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators and District Department Directors/Consultants

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

SUBJECT:
2026-27 Required Testing Ethics Professional Development Procedures for Licensed Educator and ESP Employees

For the 2026-27 school year, administrators will need to conduct a training on the state’s testing ethics policy for all licensed educators as well as any education support professionals (ESPs) who will assist with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.  All licensed educators will need to be trained on the policy.  Administrators will want to consider including computer lab assistants who function as the school’s test coordinator, any classroom aides that assist with testing, literacy aides who assist with Acadience Reading testing or progress monitoring, or any office staff that assist test coordinators with district-, state- or federally-mandated testing.

The three required procedures for completing this testing ethics professional development are listed on the “2026-27 Principal’s Testing Ethics Checklist for Licensed Educators and ESPs” form, which is due to Assessment, Research & Accountability by Friday, September 18, 2026.   

As has been done in the past, administrators may provide the testing ethics training themselves using the Google slide deck linked in this memo. Alternatively, administrators may show the YouTube video linked below to school personnel. The video provides the same information as the slide deck. Once school personnel have been trained, either by a school administrator or using the video, they are required to sign the “2026-27 Standard Test Administration and Testing Ethics Policy Training Signature Form.” Administrators are asked to keep these signed forms on file at the school.

There are several materials attached with this memo for your use:

Please contact Ben Jameson or Heather Knecht in Assessment, Research & Accountability with any questions.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of Human Resources
Mckinley Withers, HR Administrator, Employee Experience & Wellness

School and department leaders are invited to select a Worksite Wellness Advocate to represent their worksite as part of the broader District Employee Wellness Program. Please nominate your Worksite Wellness Advocate using this link by September 4th. 

Human Resources will offer in-person support meetings on September 14th and 15th at JATC-South from 8:30-10:30 and 1:30-3:30. Worksite Wellness Advocates are invited to choose one of the four sessions to attend. If a substitute is required, the Employee Wellness and Experience Team can pay for the substitute. Contact McKinley Withers (mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org) to acquire the substitute code for your designated Worksite Wellness Advocate. This meeting is intended to build community among Employee Wellness Champions and offer support to bring wellness to your worksite! 

For more information, contact McKinley Withers or visit well.jordandistrict.org/champions.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, September 3, 2026

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Earbud Orders for State Testing

Students will have the option to have text read to them on the RISE Summative once again this year.  Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds.  Please place your order by Friday, October 16th.

To place an order, please click here.

Earbuds may be used for other district- or state-mandated tests, but schools will need to create a system by which the same student uses the same earbuds throughout the year as there is no additional funding to purchase more than one pair of earbuds per student in grades 3-12.

If schools wish to purchase additional earbuds for other uses, school administrators are welcome to contact Heather Knecht in Assessment, Research & Accountability at 801-567-8185, who can share the purchasing information and quotes used to acquire these earbuds.

Published on

DATE:
August 27, 2026

TO:
Principals
Assistant Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director of Student Services
Matt Alvernaz, School Safety Coordinator 

SUBJECT:
Fire Drill Required Within the First 10 School Days

All schools are required to conduct a fire drill within the first 10 days of the school year. This provides a great opportunity to review plans, emergency response/Incident Command assignments, evacuation maps, outside rally locations, communications, and related supplies.

Please call the Jordan School District 24-hr. Alarm Response 801-567-8865 at least 30 minutes in advance of the drill, so the fire department is not dispatched.

Use the JSD Incident Command System Manual - Fire Action Plan as your drill guideline. Jordan School District Safety Manual

Should you have any questions or concerns please contact Matt Alvernaz the District Safety Coordinator at matt.alvernaz@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8623.

 

Published on

DATE:
August 27, 2026

TO:   
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Student Support Administrator
Student Services Student CARE Team

SUBJECT:
Prevention Stipend & Supply Funds now available for all schools

Administrators,

For the 2026-27 school year, funding for a school plan has been renewed through the State’s E-cigarette and Nicotine Prevention Fund. Please complete the attached plan through Google Forms to obtain access to these funds. 

As a reminder, these funds can only be used for the following purposes:

  • $1,000 of supply funds to administer your plan.  Accounting has set up your school’s account. PLEASE, DO NOT EXCEED $1,000 IN EXPENSES.
  • Stipends for individuals implementing your school’s plan in amounts below. Stipends will be paid out in November or March. Please submit the form by October 3, 2026, to have the stipends paid on the November paycheck, or please submit it by February 6, 2027, to have the stipends paid on the March paycheck:
    • You may choose one person to receive - $2,250.00
    • You may choose two people to receive - $1,125.00 each
    • You may choose three people to receive - $750.00 each

Published on

DATE:
 August 20, 2026

TO:
Teaching & Learning Consultants
Secondary & Elementary Assistant
Principals            

FROM:
 Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Buddy Alger, Director of Student Services
Sharon Jensen, Student Support Administrator

SUBJECT:
Safe School Hearing Committee 2026-2027

Your assignment: It's time to check the schedule and see when you're officially "on stage" with the Safe School Committee. Please take a look at the schedule below and mark your assigned day/days on your calendar. Thanks for helping us make thoughtful decisions that keep our schools and students safe and supported.

Published on

Date:
August 20, 2026

To:
All Administrators
All Registrars

From:
Steffany Ellsworth, Assistant Director - Information Systems
Steven Harwood, Assistant Director - Information Systems

Subject:
 Dropout Cohort Cleanup Report

In an effort to improve our graduation and dropout statistics at the State Board of Education, it is important that we correctly account for each student’s enrollment. Each school’s current dropout cohort cleanup report will be provided to registrars by Friday, August 21st. The report will come from JSD Information Systems through MoveIT. This is a report of students who are currently counted as dropouts for your school for the 2025-26 Cohort. Registrars review each record on this report to determine whether or not an existing dropout exit code can be changed (thus lowering your dropout rate).

Please connect with your registrars to ensure they are working to enter the corrected information and return the report in the same electronic format as was sent via MoveIT to Carrie Norris (carrie.norris@jordandistrict.org) in Information Systems by September 28, 2026. They should also send a cc copy to Stacee Worthen in Student Services and Brooke Anderson in Assessment, Research and Accountability.

Information Systems will be providing training for registrars on September 15th at the Attendance/Registrar Admin Assistant meeting. This training will provide registrars with the information and tools needed to review the dropout cohort report and make changes as necessary. If your registrar is new to this report, or just needs a refresher, please ask them to attend this training. 

Feel free to contact the Information Systems Help Desk at (801) 567-8737 with any questions as you work through this process. The UTREx system is a great help in locating students. If your registrar doesn’t have access to UTREx, principals may request access for them by emailing a request to ishelpdesk@jordandistrict.org.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, August 20, 2026

TO:
All Assistant Principals Over Testing

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

SUBJECT:
Testing Coordinator & Assistant Principal Collaboration Meetings

In an effort to align practice and support, Assessment, Research & Accountability is sponsoring a collaboration meeting for school testing coordinators and assistant principals over testing. The purpose of this collaboration meeting is to help school testing coordinators and assistant principals who oversee testing to maximize efficiency in their testing procedures and processes. We have found that in providing schools with the opportunity to collaborate with others in similar roles, teams and testing personnel leave feeling better equipped to make testing easier and more efficient for everyone. Please come ready to share what has been working for your school. 

Here are the items we’ll cover during the meeting:

  • Clarification of school personnel roles with statewide assessments
  • Required versus optional assessments
  • Tools and resources to streamline processes
  • Logistics before, during, and after testing

Here are the dates and times for this collaboration meeting:

We anticipate this being a beneficial meeting for all – regardless of testing experience.

For questions about this collaboration meeting, please contact Kassidy Towery or Kristi Schwebach in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:
August 13, 2026 

TO:
Principals
Administrative Assistants
Attendance Secretaries
Registrars 

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

SUBJECT:
2026-27 Reporting Completion of 10-Day Accounting

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 September 1, 2026.  Elementary (Grades K-6) and middle school may process drops at the end of the day on  September 2, 2026.  

Guidelines for how to process these drops are available at the links below: • No-Show Guidelines 

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, August 13, 2026

TO:
Elementary Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Acadience Reading Training Options

Any school personnel that will be involved in administering the Acadience Reading benchmarks in grades 4-6 and/or progress monitoring probes in 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:

  • Training Option 1: In-person training – Please sign up using this link.  The in-person course is a half day.  Schools will need to cover the cost of a sub if sending a classroom teacher.
  • Training Option 2: JSD Acadience Training

ESP Employees
ESP employees should complete one of the following options as part of their regular contract time:

  • Training Option 1: In-person training – Please sign up using this link.  The in-person course is a half day.  Schools will need to cover the cost of a sub if sending a classroom teacher.
  • Training Option 2: JSD Acadience Training
  • Please note that ALO account access will be granted once ESP employees successfully complete one of the two training options listed above.

If any employee needs one-on-one mentoring or extra support for administering Acadience Reading benchmarks or progress monitoring probes, time with the district’s Acadience Mentor can be requested here.

In addition, training resources, testing practice materials, how-to instructions, and printable student materials may all be found on the Acadience Reading Resource Hub.

For questions about Acadience Reading training, please contact Janice Sperry in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

TO:
Directors, Administrators, Administrative Assistants

FROM:
McKinley Withers, HR Administrator

Tagline: Exciting updates on employee wellness initiatives!

Jordan’s Employee Wellness Initiative is taking a new form. As of July 2026, Employee Wellness is now a part of the Human Resources Team! This will expand Jordan’s ability to serve employees and meet their needs. Our mission is to empower employees to sustain their well-being. 

Administrators can expect to receive regular updates about program offerings throughout the year. Here are two exciting updates to be aware of as we kick off the school year:

  • The Employee Wellness Representative Program is being revised based on feedback from prior years. This will create opportunities for more employees to get involved. Please note the following changes:
    • During the 2026-27 school year, ANY employee can become an Employee Wellness Champion as a “Connector.” A form will go out in JEM that will invite employees to apply to become a connector. These employees will receive the latest updates and spread information about wellness offers. The goal is to create a network of Employee Wellness Champions who support a happier, healthier workplace in Jordan District. 
    • School and department leaders will select a Worksite Wellness Advocate who will attend three trainings (one in person and two virtual) and who will host a wellness initiative at your worksite with District support. Please nominate your Worksite Wellness Advocate using this link by September 4th. 
  • Our top priority as we kick off this new program is hearing from YOU. Please share your ideas and interests with us. We will be connecting with you to schedule a time to spend a few hours at your school to hear from employees who have something to share about their experience and well-being. We will be visiting all worksites in JSD throughout the Fall and will connect with administrators to arrange an appropriate time. 

Please note that the employee wellness team is available to offer professional development or resources tailored to your needs; please reach out if you are interested. Reach out to McKinley Withers (mckinley.withers@jordandistrict.org, cell: 801-448-1404) to schedule PD for your staff. 

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Jessica Stowe, Assistant Director of Teaching and Learning

We are pleased to announce the launch of our New Educator Cohorts. These dynamic support systems are designed to facilitate the growth and success of our newest general education team members.

Eligibility and Registration

  • These cohorts are specifically for general education teachers.
  • The following staff members do NOT need to register, as they receive specialized training through their respective departments: Special education teachers, SLPs, SPTs, psychologists, media specialists, and OT/PTs.

Program Benefits

  • Accelerated confidence and meaningful support for new hires.
  • Enhanced district-wide collaboration and professional networking.
  • A safe, constructive space for educators to share experiences and grow collectively.

Action Required

  • Principals, please encourage your new general education staff to participate and share the New Educator Cohort Flyer with them. The registration deadline is Aug. 28th.

Let’s create a launchpad for our new educators—because when they thrive, our whole district shines!

Published on

DATE:
August 6, 2026   

TO:
Principals
All Special Educators and Service Providers

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Brian King, Director of Special Education

SUBJECT:
SCRAM for 2026-27 School Year - October 1 Count

Special Education Team Leaders will be receiving a SCRAM report via District Mail of all students who should be receiving services through your school’s special education program(s) at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year. Please read this Memo carefully as several items have been modified/updated to include procedures implemented with our Embrace program. Once you have read through the memo, use the process you have in place at your school to include all service providers to share the report and make the necessary corrections. It is important to verify every student on the report. Each team member must initial the report confirming they reviewed it.
SCRAM reports with corrections are due no later than Friday, September 4, 2026. Please work together as a team and only return one copy of the report with all corrections for each school.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, August 6, 2026

TO:
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Elementary Fall Assessment Updates

Acadience Math

The state’s contract with Acadience Learning for the Acadience Math assessment expired on June 30, 2026. During the 2026 Legislative session, the Legislature chose not to allocate funding for the new Acadience Math contract, which would have begun on July 1, 2026. As a result, the Utah State Board of Education chose to suspend the requirement to administer Acadience Math to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade. Thus, for the 2026-27 school year, Jordan School District will not have access in ALO to administer Acadience Math benchmarks or progress monitoring. An early numeracy assessment is still required by law, pending Legislative appropriation. It is likely that there will be a state-mandated early numeracy assessment at some point after the 2026-27 school year.

Acadience Reading

The state’s contract with Acadience Learning for Acadience Reading is separate from their contract for Acadience Math. Thus, the state requirement to administer the Acadience Reading benchmarks in K-3 and the district requirement to administer the benchmarks in grades 4-6 remain in effect.

School administrators should have already received their Acadience Reading testing dates for the 2026-27 school year. Administrators may have noticed that there are separate testing dates for K-1 students and grades 2-3 students for some schools. The logistics for this change in testing will be addressed in the August principal meeting. Administrators may refer to this slide deck for more information.

This change in testing schedule comes as a result of some pilot testing done during the 2025-26 school year in which 23 schools participated. The results from the pilot were successful. For more information about the outcome data, please see this infographic.

For questions about any of these changes, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators
 All Administrative Assistants

FROM:
April Gaydosh, Administrator of HR
Brittany Bauer, HR Administrator, Data and Operations

 SUBJECT:
New Frontline Volunteer Application Process

Beginning with the 2026–27 school year,  Jordan School District will transition to a new online volunteer application process through Frontline. This new process replaces the current paper application and will streamline volunteer approvals for both schools and Human Resources.

What's Changing?

Volunteers will now complete their application online through Frontline each school year. During the application, volunteers will:

  • Complete the annual volunteer application. Tutorial / Flyer
  • Select the school(s) where they would like to volunteer.
  • Submit the application electronically.

After submission, the school will review the application and determine whether the volunteer will have:

  • Supervised Access – The volunteer will always be supervised by a district employee.
  • Unsupervised Access – The volunteer may be alone with students or supervise students without a district employee present.

School Responsibilities

Administrative Assistants or Administrators will:

  • Review volunteer applications in Frontline. (TUTORIAL)
  • Send Custody of Child Survey to employer (if applicable).
  • Determine whether the volunteer requires supervised or unsupervised access.
  • Move the application to the appropriate pipeline stage.

If unsupervised access is selected, Human Resources will ensure the volunteer:

  • Completes the Code of Conduct training.
  • Electronically signs the Code of Conduct acknowledgment.
  • Completes fingerprinting if a background check is required.

Human Resources Responsibilities

Human Resources will:

  • Verify existing background check status.
  • Notify volunteers if fingerprinting is required.
  • Process fingerprint results.
  • Notify both the volunteer and the school when the volunteer has been approved.

Benefits of the New Process

This new process will:

  • Eliminate paper volunteer applications.
  • Reduce unnecessary fingerprinting appointments.
  • Reduce duplicate background checks.
  • Improve communication between schools and human resources.
  • Allow volunteers to apply from a phone, tablet, or computer.
  • Allow parents to volunteer at multiple schools with one annual application.
  • Provide schools with real-time visibility of volunteer status through Frontline.

Annual Application Requirement

All volunteers must complete a new volunteer application each school year, even if they volunteered previously. This ensures volunteer information, school preferences, and district acknowledgments remain current.

School Volunteer Flyer

Questions

If you have questions regarding the new volunteer process, please contact Human Resources:

Phone: 801-567-8150
Email: backgrounds@jordandistrict.org

Thank you for your support as we implement this improved process. We appreciate your partnership in providing a safe and efficient volunteer experience for our students, families, and schools.

Published on

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Brandee Bergum, Secondary ELA and Library/Media Consultant, Teaching & Learning

To maintain high standards and consistency across our school library programs, we have scheduled four essential training sessions for the 2026-27 school year.

Attendance & Logistics:

  • Expectation: Both elementary library assistants from each school are expected to attend
  • Scheduling: These sessions should be included within the assistants’ standard 17-hour weekly work schedule

  • Timing: Except for the first meeting in August, all sessions will take place on Fridays

Meeting Schedule 2026-27

  • August 18, 2026: ASB Auditorium, 9:00-11:00
  • October 16, 2026: Viridian Center, 8:30-10:30
  • January 8, 2027: JLC Quad, 8:30-10:30

  • April 23, 2027: Location TBD, 8:30-10:30

Please ensure this information is shared with your school’s elementary media assistants. For any additional details or clarification, feel free to contact Brandee Bergum at 801-567-8152. Thank you for your continued support of our library media programs.

Published on

TO:
All Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Michael Heaps, Director Information Systems

Due to recent changes in state law, schools are now required to post a notice regarding Jordan School District Policy AA445 - Student Information Network Acceptable Use Policy in a conspicuous location within each school.

To ensure compliance with this requirement, please post the attached flyer in a prominent, publicly visible location in your school as soon as possible.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this requirement and for helping ensure the District remains in compliance with state law.

Published on

DATE:
 Thursday, July 30, 2026

TO:
Administrators

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Consultant of Digital Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT:
Fall 2026 Access Your Mentor List & Mentor Training Registration by Admin Invite

FALL Mentor List Updates and Mentor Contract

As the year ramps up, we know you may want to begin preparing your school’s mentor assignments for this year. To access your school’s mentor spreadsheet, please go to the Mentor Hub. If you have issues opening your list, please reach out to Tricia Ricks at patricia.ricks@jordandistrict.org.  

The mentor contract is available for you to print for your educators to sign. Administrators need to keep these contracts on file for up to three years for evidence of mentoring during an educators provisional time. Access the mentor contract at this link.

FALL Mentor Training: Enrollment Now Open

FALL Mentor Training will be available online via Canvas from August 3 to September 7 at midnight. This training is specifically for new mentors recommended by their administrators.

Stipend: Teachers will receive a $150 stipend upon successful completion of the Canvas course.

Important Requirements

Before submitting the Google Form for a potential mentor, please confirm:

  • The mentor has not previously completed this training.
  • The mentor has agreed to participate and complete the requirements.

Registration Details

Please complete the Google Form for each mentor you wish to enroll.

  • Availability: Seats are limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
  • Deadline: This form will close on August 7 at 3:00 PM.

Published on

TO:
All Schools and Departments

FROM:
Kurt Prusse, Director of Purchasing
Kris Wishart, Administrative Assistant in Purchasing

During the 2025/26 year-end rollover in Skyward, all existing open purchase orders, regardless of when they were entered, had to be closed and are no longer available for payments.

If you have open purchase orders that were entered in any previous year, besides the most current year, please create a new Open PO and select the Blanket box under the Purchase Order Details and submit them as soon as possible so accounting can pay your vendors in a timely manner. Failure to select the Blanket box under Purchase Order Details will only allow a single payment to be applied to the PO, when multiple throughout the year are needed.

We apologize for the inconvenience this may cause but we appreciate your understanding and cooperation as we all work together through this new finance system.

Sincerely,
Purchasing Department