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Category: High Schools

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, January 31, 2019

TO: 
Middle School Principals
High School Principals

FROM:   
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
Utah Aspire Plus Updates and Reminders

In an effort to provide timely updates and reminders as we transition to a new state-mandated 9th and 10th grade summative assessment, we want to provide the following information to school administrators.  Principals are asked to please pass this information on to test coordinators, ELA, math, and science teachers, resource teachers, and any other pertinent personnel who will be involved with the 2019 administration of the Utah Aspire Plus Summative test.

Updates and Reminders:

  • School administrator, test coordinator and teacher accounts on PearsonAccessNext, the admin site for Utah Aspire Plus, went live on Monday, January 28th. If you did not get an account notification email, please call or email the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department.
  • Question samplers for each of the four subtests (English, reading, math and science) are now available on the Utah Aspire Plus resource website: http://utah.pearsonaccessnext.com/question-samplers/. It is strongly encouraged that every 9th and 10th grade student has had the opportunity to go through the question samplers.
  • USBE’s new parental opt in policy where a parent, with signed permission, may opt to have their child’s Utah Aspire Plus score be used in place of a course requirement will not be available this year. We do not expect to see any scores for the Utah Aspire Plus test until the fall of 2019, rendering the opt in impossible.
  • It is recommended that school administrators help parents, students and community members understand that the Utah Aspire Plus is essentially free practice for the ACT. Individual student reports will provide a predictive score for the ACT and their student’s college readiness.  Like the ACT, parents will also have access to a parent portal where they can drill deeper into their student’s performance on the Utah Aspire Plus and access resources to help their student prepare for the ACT.  ACT’s own research has shown that students perform better on the ACT if they take it more than once.  Therefore, taking the Utah Aspire Plus, which is an ACT product, will have a positive impact on students’ future ACT performance.
  • USBE has set the dates of February 4-8, 2019, as the week schools should test the new system and ensure the installed testing software is working. Details on how to do this system check will be available to testing coordinators and school administrators during the Utah Aspire Plus trainings (Jan. 28th and 30th).  Please work with your school techs and test coordinators to accomplish this task.
  • Please remember that once a subtest has been started, it must be finished in one sitting. School testing schedules should allow for this.  If a student has to stop a test for any reason (they get sick, a parent checks them out, etc.), it is unlikely that he/she will be able to finish the subtest.
  • The Utah Aspire Plus is a grade specific, end-of-level test, which means that all 9th grade students must take the 9th grade test and all 10th grade students must take the 10th grade test. For instance, an 8th grader in a 9th grade math class will not be eligible to take the Utah Aspire Plus test.  In addition, the RISE and Utah Aspire tests cannot be taken in the same room.
  • Blueprints for the Utah Aspire Plus test have recently been released. They can be found on the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department’s website.  They are also attached with this JAM memo.
  • Middle School Principals: Because you will be implementing two brand new summative assessments with completely different admin sites, we are recommending that middle schools, where possible, have a RISE test coordinator and a separate Utah Aspire Plus test coordinator to help ease the learning curve and workload.

For more information and additional resources for the Utah Aspire Plus Summative test, please visit the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department’s website: http://assessments.jordandistrict.org/assessments/utah-aspire-plus/

Published on

DATE: 
January 31, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM: 
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:    
RISE Summative and Utah Aspire Plus Summative Help Sessions for Resource Teachers and EL Leads

A member of the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department will be available at the following dates, times and locations to assist resource teachers and EL leads as they input student accommodations into the RISE Nextera admin system and the Utah Aspire Plus PearsonAccessNext system.

In addition, school test coordinators may also come to these help sessions if they require assistance.

Date: Time: Location:
Monday, Feb. 4, 2019  

 

3:00 – 5:00 pm

  

 

PDC 101
Monday, Feb. 11, 2019
Monday, Feb. 25, 2019
Monday, Mar. 4, 2019
Monday, Mar. 11, 2019

School principals and department heads are asked to provide this information to all school test coordinators as well as special educators and EL leads that will be involved in RISE or Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing.

Published on

DATE:    
January 29, 2019

TO: 
Middle and High School Principals and Administrative Assistants

FROM: 
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Dan Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets, and Audits
Jason Mott, Accountant/Internal Auditor

SUBJECT:  
Textbook Transfers

This is a reminder that textbook fees need to be transferred out of the activity fee account and into the 9080 textbook account. The Financial Accounting Manual states on page 30:

“Because textbook fees are part of the registration fee, a journal entry must be made to transfer revenue from the activity account (program 2160) to the textbook account (program 9080) by debiting 21 R xxx 2160 1800 999 and crediting 21 R xxx 9080 1805 999 for the amount of the textbook fee times the finalized October 1 enrollment. In May, the accounting department will generate a memo to indicate the total dollar amount of textbook fees to be sent to the district by multiplying the textbook fee by the October 1 enrollment count. For convenience purposes, this amount is offset by fee waivers to be reimbursed by the district. Typically, the school will issue a check to the district for the net amount of these items. Any remaining balance (positive or negative) should be moved to the general account (program 2000).”

Also, attached are instructions to issue a check for the textbook fees when the billing statements are sent out in May. If you have questions or need assistance, please call Jason Mott at (801)567-8388.

Thank you.

Published on

In 2016 the Utah Legislature passed HB460 which requires all School Resource Officers and School Administrators to attend annual training. The purpose of the training is to review and define the roles of disciplinary misconduct that is to be handled by school officials and delinquent offenses that should be addressed by the SRO's.

The State requires that one administrator and their SRO from every secondary school attend this training together. The training is free and will be provided in the Jordan School District on:

  • Tuesday, February 12th from 8:30-12:30 in the Auditorium at the ASB
  • Wednesday, February 13th from 8:30-12:30 in Room 129 at the District Office

Please click the attachment below to register for one of the sessions. If you cannot attend either of these sessions, please call Laneta Fitisemanu at 801-538-1044 to find a training at a nearby district to attend.

 

Published on

As a follow up to the memo sent in JAM on December 20, 2018, we want to clarify that all schools have received their allotted classroom TECC kits. As indicated in the memo, the due date for distribution of classroom TECC kits and the submittal of Your School’s TECC Kit Assignment Sheet, which is sent to Judy Bird in Facility Services, was Friday, January 11, 2019. Thank you to those schools that have distributed the classroom TECC kits and have submitted the TECC Kit Assignment Sheet to Judy Bird.

In addition, you have also been asked to schedule and complete your TECC hands-on training with your local fire agency. Schools should not be holding classroom TECC kits until the training has been completed. Contact information to schedule hands-on training is provided below.

Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Fire Department Contacts for Hands-on Training:

Bluffdale, Herriman and Riverton:
Unified Fire Authority - Bret Fossum, 801-310-6262, efossum@unifiedfire.org

South Jordan FD - Jim Ladle, 801-842-4097, jladle@sjc.utah.gov

West Jordan FD - Wyatt Jones, 801-652-4054, wyatt.jones@westjordan.utah.gov

Published on

Principals:  Please post in your school and send the attached flyer to each School Community Council member, all parents are invited to attend.

Jordan Parent University
Legislative Forum
Thursday, February 7, 2019
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Joel P Jensen Middle - 8105 S 3200 W, West Jordan

Published on

DATE:  
January 17, 2019

TO: 
Principals
Special Education Staff

FROM:  
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Kristin Norris, Teacher Specialist-SLP/A, ESY Coordinator

SUBJECT:   
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines

Attached are the guidelines for determining a student's eligibility for Extended School Year Services. Please review these Time Sensitive documents carefully.

Published on

I would like to bring to your attention an issue my staff has discovered in our efforts to repair copy machines throughout the district. Many after-market toner cartridges and supplies are causing significant damage to copy machines and printers. As a result of this problem, we strongly encourage all schools and district facilities to purchase toner cartridges and supplies from the following vendors only:

  • Canon Solutions America, Inc
    Contact:     Gisselle Stephanie Romero Delgado
    847-706-3423
    gromero@csa.canon.com
  • Innovative Print Consulting
    Contact:     Chalise Wall
    801-999-4529 or 801-688-7402
    chalise@iprintc.com

Please feel free to contact Tonya Hodges, Senior Buyer in the Purchasing department at 801-567-8706 with questions related to purchasing and/or state contracts. You can also reach me at 801-567-8893.

Best regards,

Robert Conder, A/V Senior Technician

Published on

The ADD and TECC presentations will be available for viewing  by those that have not been able to attend or view the training previously. This is for administration substitutes and licensed personnel. Principals, please give this information to any teacher who has not yet completed this training.

Monday, January 14, 2019
8:30 a.m.
District Office, Room 129

Thank you for your help.

Published on

DATE:   
January 8, 2019

TO: 
School Psychologists, Elementary Counselors, and Social Workers

FROM:
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Fulvia Franco, Program Specialist – Guidance

SUBJECT: 
January Guidance Meeting

A Guidance meeting has been scheduled for Friday, January 25 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building Auditorium (7905 South Redwood Road). Brooks Keeshin, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist, will provide us with a presentation that addresses ACES, toxic stress, traumatic stress, and childhood trauma.

Part-time Staff: I would appreciate it if you could adjust your schedules in order to attend this meeting.

cc:
Principals

Published on

The mileage reimbursement rate is based upon the IRS rate. Effective January 1, 2019, the reimbursement rate is $0.58 per mile. Please use the attached form when submitting for mileage reimbursement. All 2018 mileage reimbursement requests should be submitted as soon as possible.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, January 10, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM: 
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT: 
2019 WIDA Testing

The 2019 administration of the WIDA Access 2.0 for students receiving ELL services has begun. Testing will run through March 8, 2019. Because the WIDA assesses English language proficiency, the data gleaned from this assessment will have value for school administrators and teachers as they make instructional decisions to support the learning of EL students. In addition, the results of the WIDA assessment play a factor in the new School Accountability Report Card system.

With this in mind, here are a few helpful hints and reminders for the 2019 WIDA administration:

  • The Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department will be sending one (or more) of four teams to your school to administer the WIDA following the schedule attached to this memo.
  • When possible, try to schedule a hardwired computer lab for WIDA testing. At times, wireless networks are less than reliable with some test sections like the speaking subtest.
  • Try to limit the number of announcements over the intercom during testing.
  • When possible, please arrange to have your school technician present on the day of testing in case there are any technology glitches.
  • Your Test Coordinator should enter students’ accommodations on the test schedule that has been shared with them via Google Drive. This is the only way for our WIDA testers to know what students should have which accommodations.
  • Please work with your ESL teachers/ELL leads to provide students an opportunity to interact with the testing interface and take some practice tests. Sample test items can be found at: https://wbte.drcedirect.com/WIDA/portals/wida.
  • Please encourage students to take the test. While state law allows parents to opt students out of the WIDA, the Federal Every Student Succeeds Act does not.

As in the past, WIDA results will be distributed to schools in the spring and will be available on the Data Gateway later in the summer.

Published on

DATE:  
Friday, January 4, 2019

TO: 
All Principals

FROM:  
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability

SUBJECT:   
2018-19 UEPC School Climate Survey Preview Links

Jordan District is administering the 2018-19 UEPC School Climate Survey between February 4h and March 15th, 2019. The Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department submitted the licensed educator faculty lists you verified back in November 2018 to the Utah Education Policy Center. UEPC is now finalizing surveys for your school. Please conduct a final preview of the survey by Friday, January 18, 2019, to review the list of licensed educators at your school to make sure the list is complete and accurate.

Please follow the links below to preview the surveys:

Faculty and Staff:

https://uepc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_efcOayPKIGYs2Wh?Q_SurveyVersionID=current&Q_CHL=preview

Parent:

https://uepc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_2ireDtaO5CSZpCR?Q_SurveyVersionID=current&Q_CHL=preview

Student:

https://uepc.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_5oQv9mY9h4DvUpv?Q_SurveyVersionID=current&Q_CHL=preview

When you get to the list of educator names for each survey, please read through the list carefully. If there are any names that need to be changed (for example, names are misspelled or not what the educator uses, educators have been added or replaced, etc.), please contact Ben Jameson (ben.jameson@jordandistrict.org) with the necessary changes. If possible, please provide CACTUS ID numbers for educators that need to be added.  Also, please email Ben Jameson if there are no changes that need to be made.

UEPC will make changes to individual school surveys through Friday, January 18, 2019.  Once the surveys go live, UEPC will not be able to make any changes to your faculty lists. 

Published on

2019 Outstanding Educator Nominations open!

APPLICATION PROCESS:

Applications open Tuesday Jan. 1, 2019 and are due by 11:59 pm Monday, Feb. 4, 2019

  1. Go to jordaneducationfoundation.org

  • Click on PRINCIPALS NOMINATE HERE link on front page

  1. At the bottom of the page you will see:

  • Application
  • Past Recipients List (Past Recipients are not eligible)
  • Scoring Rubric
  • Nomination Examples 

**Review the Rubric & Application Examples**       

  1. Select candidate (Approved by Principal)

  1. Write application:

  • Nomination can be written by Principal, a member of school staff, or a committee but must be approved by Principal.
  • A well-written application should be 3-5 pages in length, include anecdotal examples and comments from co-workers, students, parents, and/or community members as well as data appropriate to Rubric with its relevance explained. (See examples on the JEF website) 
  • Please make sure nomination is no longer than 5 pages

  1. Review nomination using Rubric (Application will be scored using Rubric)

  2. Submit – Applications should be submitted no later than February 4th