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Category: Middle School Action Required

Published on

DATE:  
Thursday, April 13, 2023

TO:   
All Middle and High School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Utah Aspire Plus OnDemand Reports

School administrators are encouraged to pass the following information on to their 9th or 10th grade ELA, math, and science teachers. See the memo below.

Published on

DATE:
April 10, 2023

TO:
Principals
Elementary and Middle School Resource Team Leaders
High School Special Education Team Leaders

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

SUBJECT:
Special Education Resource Instructional Assistants for 2023-24
Special Education Support Class Instructional Assistants for 2023-24

This memo is designed to explain how special education instructional assistants can be requested and will be allocated to each schools’ special education program(s) for the 2023-24 school year. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned teacher specialist or program administrator. We want to make sure everyone has the support staff necessary to meet student’s individual IEP needs.

Please Submit all forms to your assigned teacher specialist by Thursday, April 20, 2023. You will receive a preliminary critical needs instructional assistant allocation by Wednesday, May 10, 2023. Additional Critical Needs may be requested after school starts or if the students in your class or program change significantly.

Published on

DATE:    
April 6, 2023

TO:    
Jordan District Administrators, Directors

FROM:    
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Administrators of Schools

SUBJECT:   
Time Schedule for the Last Day of School

Please review the attached memo carefully for your school dismissal time, and convey this information to your students and parents.

Published on

DATE: 
April 5, 2023

TO:  
Principals
Assistant Principals
Panorama Survey Coordinators

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services

SUBJECT: 
Spring Panorama SEL Surveys

The 2023 Spring survey will open on Wednesday, April 12, 2023 (next Wednesday) and remain open until Friday, May 19, 2023. Data is a powerful tool for intervention, support, and change. The SEL survey data provides you with formative norm-referenced data that can assist you in providing direct interventions and guidance for students and your school culture.

The following information will assist you in administering the survey:

  • None of the questions will change from previous SEL Surveys
  • During the Survey window you will receive weekly reminders and links to tools and information from Panorama
  • You will be able to track response rates throughout the survey window
  • Results for the SEL survey will be compiled and released to you on May 26th.
  • Schools should communicate with parents/patrons and staff about the administration of the survey.
    • It is optional for parents and students and must never be a part of any academic grade or qualification for participation.
  • Beginning April 12 Student surveys will be available for students in grades 3-12 until Friday, May 19th. Students can access their surveys by visiting panoramaed.com/utahjordan and entering their student ID number as their access code.

To help ensure that you are set up to facilitate a smooth survey project at your school, please see the resources below.

  • Survey Coordinator Webinar Slides: See instructions for survey-taking, tips for increasing response rates, information about accessibility, and resources for proctors.
  • Communications Toolkit: See the materials for communicating with stakeholders about the Student SEL Survey. On this page, there are customizable decks to use for school or team presentations and mini vocabulary lessons for students before the survey.
  • Survey Content: Preview the survey content for grades 3-5 or 6-12.
    • You may absolutely share the questions with patrons and staff.
  • For ANY technical issues you will need to communicate directly with Panorama at support+utahjordan@panoramaed.com.

Please contact Travis Hamblin (travis.hamblin@jordandistrict.org) or (801-567-8439) should you have any questions.

Published on

Please see the attached Memo for details on checking your end of year SCRAM report with your team, and getting everything returned by Monday, May 1, 2023.

Team leaders will be receiving the SCRAM Report for your school through District Mail and should use the established communication system already developed to work with each other so all have a chance to check the report.

Don't forget that all graduating seniors need an exit SCRAM, as well as any student not returning to our district, by the end of the school year.

If you have any questions, please contact the teacher specialist over your school or Jen Warkentine at 801-567-8207.

Published on

Principals,

All open special education paraprofessional positions that you have will be closed on Friday, March 24, 2023. You will have to reopen them on Monday, April 3, 2023. We need to close the current para positions so that we can post the new job descriptions and pay lane since our new salary schedule goes into effect on April 3, 2023.

Also, Teacher Specialists will be bringing your paraprofessionals’ individual letters and a progression pay chart around to each of you to give to your paraprofessionals. These letters have where each individual was on the past pay scale and where they will be moved to. There is a possibility that a few will not move based on time and experience or that they haven’t yet completed the training. Please feel free to give them to your folks as soon as possible. Hourly employees will see the effect of the increase on the May paycheck. Contracted employees will see the change on their April paycheck. 

 

Please let us know if you have questions.

 

Thanks,

 Kim Lloyd
Special Education Director
Jordan School District

Published on

Click below to complete the end-of-year Digital Teaching & Learning Survey from USBE. This survey will help us determine technology needs for the 2023-2024 school year. The survey is due by 4/28/23.

USBE Survey Link

Published on

As you plan your April 21st, PD day, let Language and Culture services help you in filling in areas of conversation you need for your ML learners and climate and culture of your school. We have 3 different PD's to chose from. Your school can select all three or just one. You can have grade levels join together or individually. We hope we can be a resource for you and your school. Please RSVP by clicking HERE

Published on

Dear Principals,

We recently met with the State LAND Trust office to review findings from a recent audit review. Overall the district is doing very well and the report was complimentary of the great work you are doing with your School Community Councils and LAND Trust budgets. They also shared some recommendations based on best practices for you to consider implementing as you complete your 2023-24 LAND Trust Plans.

  • Be specific in which area(s) you are targeting for each of your goals.
    • State a measurable goal. Measurable goals need to include a number; such as raise scores 3%.
  • When a goal involves paying for an employee in a specific subject area, the budget must pay for an employee within the subject the goal addresses.
    • For example, if your plan includes hiring someone to help address a math goal, the LAND Trust budget must pay a math teacher or math assistant. It can be the lowest paid math teacher in your building, but it cannot pay for someone outside of the math area.
  • If your goal is school-wide and you will be paying for a teacher, you can use your budget to pay for the least expensive teacher, but you must tie that teacher into the goal. 
    • For example, if you have a new PE teacher and want to pay them because they would cost less, you need to tie that teaching position into your goal and explain how they will support that specific goal.
  • Mini-Grants – If your plan includes Mini Grants for teachers, your plan must include who is receiving the money and how it will support the goal. Consider the following two options:
    • Have the teachers pre-apply (now) and then include the specific awarded mini grants into your plan.
    • (Or) Once the mini grants come in and you have approved them, you will need to amend your plan to explain which grants were awarded and how they support that goal. The amendment must be approved by your AOS and the Board of Education.
  • A main concern raised in the audit was regarding carryover amounts. To address these concerns please include a backup plan in case you are not able to purchase the equipment/supplies or hire the assistants/teachers you have put into your plan. 
    • In order to not have to do an amendment, use the “Funding Changes” portion of the plan. 
    • Consider putting language like, “If we are not able to hire (or purchase) as planned for goal #, we will… (insert plan here) to reach our goal”.
  • Confirm that your 2023-24 plan does not show a carryover of more than 10% before you submit. It also may not show a negative balance.
  • NEW FOR THIS YEAR! Districts are required to distribute their own signature pages. Signatures may be collected on paper or digitally and copies should be provided to LEA leadership prior to approving the School LAND Trust Plans. Send your signature pages to Nadine Page. A template is provided below. You can either use the hard copy and have SCC members sign at your meeting or make a copy of this Google Doc to use electronically.
  • In an effort to not have more than 10% carryover, please review your current budget to be certain you are on track to spend your budget as intended.
    • If you are on track to have a carryover of more than 10%, contact Nadine or your AOS to determine ways to spend and/or move money in a way that supports your plan.

Published on

DATE:
March 13, 2023

TO:
All Jordan School District Principals (with bus route students)

FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator of Auxiliary Services
Paul Bergera, Director of Transportation
Kathy Jones, Transportation Trainer/Risk Coordinator

SUBJECT:
State Required Bus Evacuations and School Bus Safety 2022-2023

State required semi-annual school bus evacuations have been scheduled for this spring. This applies to those students that ride the bus daily to and from school.

The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:

Monday, April 10 through Friday, April 14, 2023

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week. This drill will take place at the school and within the students’ regular bus drop off/pick up zone. All professional school bus drivers that transport students are required to perform evacuation procedures in case of an emergency. This year, bus evacuation will be through the side door, front door, back door or any combination of the three. Students will then, under the direction and supervision of the bus driver, evacuate and meet in a safe place approximately 100 feet away from the bus.

Your assistance is welcome but not mandatory to complete this required evacuation drill quickly, safely and effectively.

We appreciate all you do to help us safely transport your students.

Published on

DATE:
March 9, 2023

TO:  
All Administrators

FROM:  
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness
Angie Rasmussen, Student Safety & Wellness Specialist

SUBJECT:  
Management of SafeUT and BARK Monitoring Tips

SafeUT alerts - After hours, holidays, and weekends
SafeUT may still send text and email alerts after hours or during blackout periods when they are deemed urgent. Most tips and alerts are deemed as non-urgent and are batched for 7am the next school day.

When a text/email alert is received after school hours or on a weekend, it should be addressed as soon as reasonably possible. In some cases, SafeUT will call the District’s on-call contact, through Health and Wellness, to obtain information immediately. When SafeUT contacts the after-hours staff member it will be logged in the disposition notes in SafeUT for schools to address the next school day. SafeUT may still send urgent alerts to schools after hours or during blackout periods without contacting the on-call staff. These alerts are managed by the school.

BARK after-hours alerts
A BARK content monitoring alert that comes in after 3pm will not be forwarded to school staff until the next school day if it is non-urgent. Urgent notifications that come in after 3pm are sent to the Student Safety & Wellness Specialist, Angie Rasmussen for triage.

Documentation and closing SafeUT tips
It is essential to assign, document interventions, and close each SafeUT tip. This effectively communicates the status of the tip to all parties involved. Here are some helpful tools for this process:

All school administrators are set up in the SafeUt dashboard to receive alerts. If you are not getting SafeUT emails check your SPAM. There is an email filter in place to ensure that SafeUT alerts are not sent to SPAM. If you have checked your SPAM folder and are still not getting notifications, please email Angie Rasmussen.

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

Published on
During the opening administrators conference in August, the Teaching and Learning administrators introduced the "Educator Contractual Responsibilities Yearly Checklist” as a tool to use with your teachers. This list of 20 responsibilities was generated from the essential functions and qualifications listed in the Jordan School District Licensed Job Description. To make this more meaningful as a growth tool for teachers and administrators, we are working on building scales for each responsibility that would help educators identify exactly what it means to successfully meet expectations.
I have included a link to a Google Form below. We would love to hear what administrators think each responsibility really means and what it looks like when educators successfully meet the intended expectation for each one. We know you are all busy, so we don’t expect you to provide feedback for each indicator. To help save you time, the responsibilities have been grouped into four categories, and we are asking that you click on at one category and just do as much as you can.
Please feel free to forward this email to your assistant principals. Since we are just gathering information at this point, we aren’t ready for coaches and teachers to start worrying about what this is and how it might be used, so we would appreciate it if you don’t forward this outside of you admin team.
We are grateful for any time you can give to this to help us develop a tool that helps all of us improve our practice in order to provide the best education for students and a working environment where every educator can thrive!
Thank you!!!

Published on

Greetings!

We are anticipating a HIGH volume of substitute requests for the following dates: March 22nd, March 23rd, and March 24th. To increase coverage for those absences we ask that teachers who will be absent any of the above listed dates, enter their absences AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in Skyward and Frontline.

Thanks!

Published on

March 1, 2023

Clearing out & Closing School EARS Budgets (program 5336)

School Administrators:

As you are aware the EARS grant is not a guarantee and is determined on a year to year basis. Please take some time to review your school’s spending, for the 2023/24 school year, to ensure you are covered using all of your other funding sources.

The following information will help you finalize your EARS funding for the current school year: 

CLEARING OUT:
ALL teachers and aides that are being paid for through your 5336 EARS budget will need to be moved to another program for next school year.

  • It will be your responsibility to transition them over to another program after their final paycheck for this school year.
  • Your options could be School Land trust or TSSA

CLOSING:
Program 5336 will have a NO MORE NEW/ADDITIONAL SPENDING date of April 15, 2023. (Personnel already being paid will continue until the end of the 2022-23 school year.)

  • It will be your responsibility to make sure that all your purchases will be cleared by this time. Do NOT open a PO on April 14th to secure $$ for spending.
  • It will also be your responsibility to MOVE MONEY to program 5336, from one of your other programs, if you have overspent.

We hope to procure this money next year to help you continue supporting our “At Risk” students. More information regarding this funding will be available during the early months of next school year and will be disseminated in a timely manner.

Thank you,

Michelle Love-Day

Published on

Schools should update current hiring totals for 2023-24 on their enrollment dashboards as soon as possible so that accurate districtwide data can be monitored and appropriate adjustments made. Hiring totals should be kept current with changes made throughout the summer as needed. Positions do not need to be filled to be counted (i.e., a position that is planned for next year but not yet filled should be recorded on your dashboard as FTE that has been used). Contact Planning & Enrollment with questions about updating staffing totals.

Published on

DATE:   
Thursday, February 23, 2023

TO: 
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:   
2022-23 USBE School Climate Survey

HB 120 (53G-8-802) and R277-623 mandate the administration of a statewide school climate survey. For this year, the USBE School Climate Survey will be administered in place of the district’s Stakeholder Input Survey.

Please see the memo below for all the details.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, February 2, 2023

TO:
All School Administrators

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language & Culture Services

SUBJECT:
Navigating Parental Exclusion Requests with the WIDA Access

The annual administration of the WIDA Access is mandated by the federal government, which uses this assessment to hold schools accountable for providing an equitable education for multi-language learners. This accountability stems from the 1974 Supreme Court case Lau v. Nichols where a California school district was sued because it was not providing language services to many of its ML students. This Supreme Court case essentially ensures that students’ civil right to an equitable education and the government has chosen to use the WIDA Access as a way to hold school districts accountable for doing so.

The WIDA Access is federally mandated, which means that parents cannot opt their students out of taking the test. Because of the part this assessment plays in a student’s educational rights, parents do not have the power to revoke a student’s civil right to take the WIDA Access. Thus, the state was required to remove the WIDA Access from the parental exclusion form a few years ago.

So, what happens when a parent insists that their child not take the WIDA Access? Basic procedures are outlined below:

  • The school administration should discuss any or all of the attached talking points with the student’s parent.
  • If the parent still insists that their child not participate in the WIDA Access, then the school should document the parent’s refusal. Schools may use this Google tracking sheet for documentation or their school opt out log already available to school test coordinators.
  • When testing is complete, the school will share the Google tracking sheet with JoLynn Snelgrove in Evaluation, Research & Accountability using this email address: snelgrove@jordandistrict.org. JoLynn will also check school opt out logs.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Evaluation, Research & Accountability with any questions or concerns regarding these procedures.

Published on

DATE:
Thursday, February 2, 2023

TO:
All School Administrators

FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
Michael Heaps, Director of Information Systems
David Bowman, Systems & Security Manager

SUBJECT:
Chromebooks with Expiring Hardware that Will Be Used for Testing

When Chromebooks are purchased, they come with a pre-defined time at which the vendors will stop giving updates to the software that makes the computers run. With Chromebooks this is almost always 5 years or a bit more.

This is called the Auto Update Expiration (AUE) Date.

When a Chromebook hits that date it may continue to work, but it stops getting updates from Google. Over time, this will decrease its functionality with the internet where things will stop working properly. Websites won’t load right; extensions and apps either work partially or won’t work at all.

This can become an issue when older Chromebooks won’t be able to update to the minimum device specifications outlined for a testing secure browser such as the RISE Secure Browser, TestNav (Utah Aspire Plus and ACT), DRC Insight (WIDA Access), etc. If the older testing device can’t update to the secure browser’s minimum specifications, it is possible that the testing platform will be glitchy or not work at all.

In some cases, more than 60% of a school’s Chromebooks are already expired. To see how many and what percentage of your school’s Chromebooks are expired, please click here.

As testing season approaches, school administrators will want to think about how to mitigate possible technology issues if the majority of the school’s Chromebooks that will be used for spring testing are expired. Also, school administrators are strongly encouraged to run an infrastructure test prior to ACT, RISE, and/or Utah Aspire Plus summative testing. If schools are unable to replace expired Chromebooks prior to spring testing and many of the school’s devices failed the infrastructure test, school administrators should develop a plan for rotating through newer devices to complete spring summative testing.