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Category: High School Action Required

Published on

TO:
Administrators

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

As previously mentioned in principals’ meeting, JSD is looking to open up additional AI tools and opportunities for admin and faculty. There are several different ways for you to share good AI practices in your schools. 

First, we want to provide you with the Jordan School District AI Framework. This document is meant to provide ideas for each member of your school community and how they can use AI responsibly in school. You'll also find quick reference guides that can help your teachers know when it is appropriate to use AI for themselves and for their students.

JSD AI Framework

Second, we have two opportunities for you and your schools to have customized experiences with SchoolAI.  You have the chance to be part of the Admin pilot with features specific to your role and responsibilities.  There are three different options for your involvement.  You can choose any or all of these options.

  1. Access to the SchoolAI Admin Pilot Portal - this provides you with a new interface that allows you to implement AI in your work as an administrator.
  2. Provide feedback as part of an admin user group with SchoolAI - help shape the SchoolAI Admin Portal by providing recommendations and feedback to our partner.
  3. Have SchoolAI visit your school to talk with administrators and teachers about their SchoolAI experiences.

We are looking to provide access to students in a new student portal pilot with SchoolAI.  We are moving forward to explore options for students to have equitable access to AI tools for their learning.  We plan to roster students in a pilot for grades 7-12 and may add upper elementary grades as well. 

These pilots will last through the end of the school year in order to test structured access to AI as part of students’ learning activities.  Please fill out the attached form to indicate your interest in participating in either or both of these pilots. Contact Jared Covili, Admin - DTL, with any questions.

SchoolAI Pilot for Admin and Students Form

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator of Teaching and Learning

We are excited to announce that we've opened up more spots for the T&L New Educator Cohorts! Please share the attached flyer with your new teachers.

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Cabinet

Refer to the links below for the Purple Star Schools application process for the 2026 school year. In addition, there is an annual report link for schools to verify that they have met requirements throughout the year. This is in conjunction with R277-929 State Council on Military Children.
2026 Purple Star Schools Application Open from January 15th through March 30th.
2026 PSS Annual Report Required by November 1st  for all PSS.

USBE Purple Star Schools website

For questions or more information, please contact Cassie Hays.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator, Teaching & Learning
Amy Lloyd, K-12 Math Consultant, Teaching & Learning

The Utah State Board of Education is seeking public feedback to guide their decision on whether to adopt Integrated Secondary Mathematics Standards statewide, to adopt AGA Secondary Mathematics Standards statewide, or to adopt both sets of Standards and allow each district or charter to choose which standard structure they will implement.

This information is being shared with teachers through JEM. Please encourage them to complete the survey and share their input. The survey window closes on February 27, 2026.

Here is the link to the survey.

Thank you for your support!

Published on

DATE: 
January 29, 2026

TO:  
All Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Bullying Action Plan (BAP) Training Dates

Bullying Action Plan (BAP) Training for all school-based administrators is required by State Law (53G-9-605.5). NEW training dates have been made available and are described below. This is the same training that has been offered previously and is intended to accommodate any school-based administrators who are new to the District or have not yet attended the BAP training.

Jordan District has created a “Bullying Action Plan” to support a caring, proactive response to bullying incidents. Training on the Bullying Action Plan (BAP) will occur through in-person, 2-hour sessions. All school-based administrators who are new to the district or did not attend the BAP training last year are required to attend one of the following training sessions:

Wednesday, February 25th, DO Room 129, (8:30am-10:30am)) Register Here
Wednesday, February 25th,  DO Room 129, (1:00pm-3:00pm) Register Here

Register for all sessions on Canvas (https://pd.jordandistrict.org/)

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

Published on

DATE:
January 22, 2026

TO:
Middle School Administrators
High School Administrators

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

SUBJECT: 
Utah Aspire Plus Summative Training

The Utah Aspire Plus summative testing window is from March 2-May 8, 2026.

Please make sure you complete the yearly Utah Aspire Plus test administration training. Only teachers who will administer the Utah Aspire Plus test need to be trained. For your reference, here is a link to the Testing Ethics Policy.

School administrators are responsible for making sure relevant teachers get trained in the Utah Aspire Plus test administration. Should school administrators choose to hold a training at their schools, this fulfills the training requirement. There are two other training options available:

Utah Aspire Plus Canvas Course
The Utah Aspire Plus test administration training requirement can be fulfilled by completing the Canvas course online. Teachers can self-enroll in the course UT Aspire Plus Summative Test Administration Training.

Access to the course will be available starting on February 2, 2026. A certificate of completion will be available for download at the end of the course.

Zoom Utah Aspire Plus Training
Teachers can attend one of the virtual Utah Aspire Plus trainings through Zoom to fulfill the training requirement. Here is the Zoom link for these trainings. Meeting ID: 526 613 4800

  • Friday, February 27 @ 8:00 AM or 2:15 PM
  • Friday, March 6 @ 8:00 AM or 2:15 PM
  • Friday, March 13 @ 8:00 AM or 2:15 PM
  • Friday, March 20 @ 8:00 AM or 2:15 PM
  • Friday, April 10 @ 8:00 AM or 2:15 PM
  • Friday, April 17 @ 8:00 AM or 2:15 PM

For questions about Utah Aspire Plus training or test administration, please contact Kassidy Towery in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

Published on

DATE:
January 15, 2026

TO:
Principals
Special Education Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Kristin Norris, Teacher Specialist-SLP/A, ESY Coordinator

SUBJECT:
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines
Attached: ESY Eligibility Facts, Tips and Documentation

IDEA directs us to consider all students for Extended School Year (ESY) services. However, ESY services should only be provided if the IEP team determines that it is necessary for the provision of a free, appropriate public education (FAPE).

Please see the attached memo and information.

Published on

TO:
Principals

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning

Mark your calendar and save the date to attend the Literacy Promise Conference. There are some fantastic presenters in attendance this year that you will not want to miss.

T & L will pay registration fees for up to three individuals from each school to attend the Literacy Promise Conference held on March 12-13, 2026. This can include administration, coaches, or teachers. Schools are not required to participate or may choose to send fewer than three individuals. Responses will be accepted through March 4th. Please click on the link below and fill out the form to list the individuals who will be paid through T&L. If your school would like to send more than three individuals, registration can also be done at the school or individual level using the QR link on the enclosed flyer. Schools are responsible for substitute costs as needed.

The conference is March 12-13, 2026 at the Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo, Utah.

LINK to register individuals to be paid by T&L.

Published on

Date:
January 15, 2026

To:
All School Principals

From:
Mike Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Lisa LeStarge, Administrative Assistant

Subject:
LAND Trust and TSSA Plans Available for Entry

The School LAND Trust program Final Report for 2024-2025

is now available for entry on the State website. Reports must be submitted on the School LAND Trust reporting site no later than Friday, February 13, 2026.

Final Report expenditures will not be entered by the principal, but will be displayed and space will be available for principals to enter an explanation for those expenditures.

The 2026-2027 Upcoming Land Trust Plan can be submitted after the final report is completed, submitted, and finalized by the District Office. The due date for submitting 2026-2027 Land Trust and TSSA plans is March 20, 2026. This allows sufficient time for plans to be approved by the Board prior to receiving funds for the 2026-27 school year.

TSSA Plan and Folder LINKS: 2026-2027 School TSSA Plans.

Published on

DATE: 
January 12, 2026

TO:  
Principals
Special Education Teachers (Resource & Cluster)

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

SUBJECT: 
Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) Training

Dynamic Learning Maps (DLM) is the alternative assessment required for students who are participating in the Essential Elements curriculum. It is a requirement that all new teachers in our district who will be administering this assessment need to be trained. This training will be held on Friday, January 23, 2026, from 7:30 to 10:30 am via Zoom. Please sign up through Canvas. https://pd.jordan.com DLM Training for New Teachers.

Rosters from the Canvas course will be used for Elementary teachers to cover any hours outside of their contract. If attendees need class coverage, they should make arrangements with their school team (e.g., use paraeducators).

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell for Elementary Teachers and Lucia Evans for Secondary Teachers.

Jen Birrell: 801-567-8905 or jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org
Lucia Evans: 801-567-8295 or lucie.evans@jordandistrict.org

Published on

DATE:
January 12, 2026

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Brian King, Ph.D., Assistant Director of Special Education
Mike Trimmell, Ed.D., Special Education Administrator

SUBJECT:
Professional Development Opportunities for Special Education Teams on De-escalating and ESIs.

The Special Education Department is pleased to announce upcoming training sessions for school-based teams. Content for this training mirrors the training delivered during the January 2026 Principal’s meeting, adapted for team-wide participation. To foster maximum collaboration, we strongly encourage entire teams—including Licensed Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, and Instructional Assistants—to attend the session together. Principals are welcome to join with their team.

Please note that part-time Instructional Assistants will be compensated for their participation through a JSD Timesheet.

We invite teams to select their preferred training date by completing the specific form below. Because space is limited for each session, we recommend early submission to ensure your first choice.

● March 6, 2026,
○ 1 pm-3 pm
○ ASB Presentation Room (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "C")
○ See attached memo for link to Registration Form

● April 17, 2026,
○ 1 pm-3 pm
○ ASB Auditorium (7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, Entrance "A")
○ See attached memo for link to Registration Form

Attendance is optional.

Published on

DATE:
January 5, 2026

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 will be administering the DLM assessment to any of their students during the 2025-26 school year. You are required to complete and return the checklist to Jen Birrell for all Elementary teachers and Lucia Evans for all Secondary teachers at the District Office by Thursday, March 5, 2026. This form is also available online at specialed.jordandistrict.org/staff/forms on the Special Education website.

Please direct any questions or concerns to Jen Birrell for Elementary Teachers and Lucia Evans for Secondary Teachers.

Jen Birrell: 801-567-8905 or jennifer.birrell@jordandistrict.org
Lucia Evans: 801-567-8295 or lucia.evans@jordandistrict.org

Published on

TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Mike Haynes, Director of Education Foundation

Outstanding Educator Nominations are OPEN. We are excited to recognize an outstanding teacher at your school. Submissions are due by midnight January 20, 2026. The application and additional details can be found on the JEF Website.

If you have questions, contact Carla at extension 88125

Published on

DATE:
January 8, 2026

TO: 
District Employees Who Qualify for Mileage Reimbursement

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting

SUBJECT:
Defensive Driving Course Requirement for Mileage Reimbursement

Our insurance carrier, State Risk Management, has asked that every person who receives mileage reimbursement take the Utah Defensive Driving Course. We ask that you complete this free course as soon as possible using the instructions attached to this memo.

A new District Mileage Reimbursement form can be found at this link https://jordandistrict.org/wp-content/uploads/083_MileageReport.xlsx This new form has a box under the title for the individual to enter the completion date of the course. Please note that beginning in January 2026, Accounting will only reimburse mileage that includes the completion date of the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course. The course must be completed every two years. Supervisors approving mileage reimbursement – please remind your employees to complete this course and enter the date at the top of their mileage reimbursement form to avoid delays in reimbursement in January 2026.

The link below provides access to the course in the Utah Learning Portal. Your username is your district email. Click “Sign Up” and fill out the required information. Note that the security key word is Jordan and you may create your own password.

Utah Learning Portal

Once you have passed the course, record the completion date on your mileage reimbursement form and print the certificate. You may use the print option at the top of the final page of the online assessment or print your certificate from the attachment that will be emailed to you. Retain the certificate at your location for audit purposes.

If you have questions regarding the mileage reimbursement form, please contact Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits at 801.567.8389. If you have questions about the Risk Management Defensive Driving Course, please contact Brandon Conti, Risk Management Coordinator at 801.567.8876.

Published on

DATE:
December 15, 2025

TO:
Elementary School Principals
Secondary School Principals

From:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Amanda Bollinger, Associate Administrator of Teaching & Learning
Jared Covili, Digital Administrator of Teaching & Learning

SUBJECT: LanSchool Classroom Management Software Extension

In cooperation with the JSD Purchasing Department, Teaching and Learning has procured an extension for LanSchool classroom management software for all current subscribers through the end of the school year. No new schools are permitted to purchase LanSchool software during this school year, but all currently subscribing schools will be able to extend their current LanSchool contracts through June 30, 2025. Please reach out to Tonya Hodges in Purchasing for more information about extending your current LanSchool contract.

Teaching and Learning will be conducting a new RFP (Request for Proposal) in Spring 2026 to allow all classroom management software vendors to participate in the process for selecting a district-wide solution. This is necessary to ensure that classroom management software works both in classrooms and computer labs. Once the RFP process concludes we plan to have a solution that will work on all computers throughout the schools.

Published on

TO:
DLI School Administrators
Administrative Assistants
Registrars

FROM:
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Kaye Rizzuto, DLI Consultant in Teaching and Learning

The following guidelines will assist schools in identifying where DLI students should be placed when moving between levels within a feeder.

DLI students will generally attend school through the feeder where they began the program. As long as the student remains in the DLI program, a seat will be available for them at each level through high school. This means that a middle school or high school may receive a DLI student who may not live in their boundaries.

- Students in DLI who are out-of-boundary should be granted a permit manually in Skyward using the “D” reason code.

- Please do NOT use PowerSchool for DLI out-of-boundary permits, otherwise students must legally be allowed to remain at the school through the last grade offered even if they choose to end their participation in the DLI program.

- Every year by January, a “sending” DLI school should prepare a list of DLI students who are planning to continue in the program at the next level. This list should specifically identify the students who do not live in the boundaries of the “receiving” school but who qualify to attend because of their participation in the DLI program. This will allow the “receiving” school time to pre-enroll these students in Skyward by the end of January and have these students counted in their yearly 2.0 FTE allocation. An administrative assistant or registrar should review and send this list to the “receiving” school for enrollment.

Additional Considerations:
- If a student begins a program in one pathway and later becomes a boundary student of a school in a different DLI pathway for the same language, they may enroll at their new boundary school and join the pathway for that school; however, doing so will forfeit any seat or claim on the previous DLI pathway.

- If a student begins a program in one pathway and later wishes to move to a school in a different DLI pathway for the same language but has not moved into the boundaries for the school they wish to attend, they may do so only if A) space is available in that school’s DLI program, AND B) an out-of-boundary permit seat (in Skyward) is available and can be granted to that student. In this instance, established out-of-boundary permit priorities and waitlist orders must still be followed.

Published on

DATE:      
Thursday, December 4, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Proficiency Scale Survey

We have appreciated the many educators who have engaged with the Proficiency Scale Survey in order to provide feedback about the district’s ELA, math, science and social studies exemplar power standards and proficiency scales.

We want to be sure that every teacher has a voice in the development of these exemplar power standards and proficiency scales. The survey administration window has been extended to Friday, December 19th. Thus, principals are encouraged to provide designated time during contract time for teachers to take the survey.

Teachers may access the survey at this LINK

Questions about the survey instrument may be direct to Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability. Questions about the power standards and proficiency scales may be directed to Carolyn Gough in Teaching & Learning.

Published on

DATE:   
November 20, 2025

TO:   
All District Administrators

FROM:   
Anthony Godfrey, Superintendent
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director, Student Services
Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant, Student Services

SUBJECT: 
November 2025: Compliance with Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act

Utah’s Government Data Privacy Act (or GDPA, found in code at §63A-19) sets standards for the use and protection of employee and patron data collected and used by a governmental entity. The standards of the GDPA build on, but do not replace, existing protections for student data as found in state law (§53E-9) and federal law (FERPA and PPRA).

The GDPA requires the implementation of a privacy program across each governmental entity, with deadlines as soon as December 31, 2025. Jordan District will establish a committee to create and implement this privacy program. The committee will be under the direction of Caleb Olson, Enrollment Consultant in Student Services.

ACTION REQUIRED: The GDPA requires that all employees who "have access to personal data was part of the employee's work duties; or supervise an employee who has access to personal data” receive an annual training. In future years, this training will be included as part of Crucial Concerns; however, for this year’s compliance, each school and department will need to view the eight-minute training video prepared by the state Office of Data Privacy, which is linked below, prior to winter break and report both A) completion of this requirement, and B) the number of employees who viewed the training on the spreadsheet also linked below.

A scheduled group viewing in an upcoming faculty or department meeting is likely the easiest way to complete this requirement.

The GDPA defines “personal data” as “information that is linked or can be reasonably linked to an identified individual or an identifiable individual” (§63A-19-101-24). Not every employee in a location will need to watch the video - many hourly employees in departments like Nutrition Services, Auxiliary Services, or site-based hourly custodial employees likely do not have access to “personal data” and can be excused from viewing at this time. Supervisors with questions may contact Caleb Olson (caleb.olson@jordandistrict.org or x88251).

Your cooperation with this requirement of the GDPA and with monitoring the JAM for future privacy program-related requirements and responsibilities is greatly appreciated.