Jordan School District
DATE:
April 4, 2018
TO:
Principals
High School Registrars
FROM:
Administrator of Schools
Dr. Anthony Godfrey, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Planning & Student Services
SUBJECT:
Transfer of K-8 Student Files for Retention at the State Records Center and for Permanent Archives
Please see memo below.
Principals: Please forward the attached flyer to teachers who may be interested in this opportunity.
Apply by June 15, 2018 at: education.byu.edu/edlf/aspiring_principals.html
Principals:
Please pass this information to the appropriate teachers. Thank you!
DATE:
March 19, 2018
TO:
Applicable School Principals and Administrative Assistants (Financial and Membership)
All Administrators of Schools and Administrative Assistants
Travis Hamblin, Planning and Student Services
Michael Heaps, Support Services Manager
FROM:
John Larsen, Business Administrator
Daniel Ellis, Director of Accounting, Budgets and Audits
Jason Mott, Accountant/Internal Auditor
SUBJECT:
External Audit Visits
Please see attached memo.
DATE:
Thursday, March 22, 2018
TO:
All Principals
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
USBE Guiding Document for R277-404 SAGE Opt-in Changes
Principals are asked to communicate the following information as well as provide the USBE Guiding Document that accompanies this memo to their teachers.
On January 4, 2018, the State Board of Education amended R277-404 to read: “In accordance with Subsection 53G-15-1403(1)(a), an LEA shall reasonably accommodate a parent’s or guardian’s request to allow a student’s demonstration of proficiency on a state required assessment to fulfill a requirement in a course.” This opened a 30-day public comment period, which closed on March 12, 2018. This amendment has since become official and USBE has provided a guiding document to assist schools and teachers as they implement this change in Board Rule.
The guiding document is comprised of two sections. The first section discusses the various components of Board Rule and Utah Code that play into the Board’s decision to ratify this change. This section is meant for LEA and school administrators. Specifically, because of provisions in Utah Code 53G-6-803 that allow parents to have the “right to reasonable academic accommodations from the student’s LEA” including an accommodation that “shall allow a student to earn course credit towards high school graduation without completing a course in school by testing out of the course; or demonstrating competency in course standards.” It was the consideration of this statute in particular that led the USBE to pass the amendment to R277-404.
The second section is meant for teachers to use as an example of how they might word this amendment in an addendum to their disclosure for this year and their disclosure statement for next year. Essentially, teachers can choose the course requirement in which they will accept a student’s proficiency rating of a 3 or 4 on the SAGE as a substitute. Please note that a 3 or 4 on the SAGE for that content area would mean that the student received 100% of the value of the selected course requirement. If a student does not score a 3 or higher, the score from the course requirement will be used. Teachers must have a parent’s signature opting their student into this procedure. Teachers also need to provide a copy of the signed form for the student’s CUM file just like we do for an opt-out form.
As teachers implement this change, the other rules surrounding the administration of state-mandated tests apply.
Teachers may NOT:
Teachers are not required to implement this amendment to Board Rule; however, they are required to reasonably accommodate a parent’s request to allow demonstrated proficiency on a statewide assessment to fulfill a course requirement. If teachers do not articulate up front what the reasonable accommodation is for their course, they will need to determine what is reasonable on a case-by-case basis at the request of parents.
Please contact Ben Jameson in the Evaluation, Research & Accountability department with any questions.
On April 19, 2018, hundreds of thousands of Utahns will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in the Great Utah ShakeOut Earthquake Drill.
All schools are encouraged to participate in this drill, or to conduct an earthquake drill sometime in the month of April. Please take this opportunity to incorporate emergency preparedness in classroom lessons and teach proper ways to protect oneself during an earthquake. The drill will help us to be prepared for a catastrophic disaster in our area.
We encourage all schools to register at www.ShakeOut.org/Utah. After you register your school, please click on the “Resources” tab; where you will find a Shakeout Drill Manual for K-12 schools. This manual will provide you great information for your school’s exercise.
Please review the Jordan School District Incident Command procedures for the Earthquake Action Plan and Standard Operating Guidelines.
Please plan and prepare to take part in this statewide earthquake response exercise.
DATE:
March 12, 2018
TO:
Building Administrators
FROM:
Scott Thomas, Administrator
Paul Bergera, Staff Assistant
Lance Everill, Facility Operations Coordinator
Ron Boshard, Risk Management Coordinator
SUBJECT:
Great Utah Shake Out
On April 19, 2018, hundreds of thousands of Utahan’s will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in the Great Utah Shake Out.
All schools are encouraged to participate in this drill or hold an earthquake drill in the month of April. Please take this opportunity to incorporate emergency preparedness in classroom lessons and teach proper ways to protect yourself during an earthquake. The drill will help us to be prepared for a catastrophe disaster in our area.
We encourage all schools to register at www.ShakeOut.org/Utah. After you register your school, please click on the “Resources” tab; here you will find a Shakeout Drill Manual for K-12 schools. This 17 page manual will provide you great information for your schools exercise.
Please review Incident Command procedures relevant to earthquake drills.
Please plan and prepare to take part in this statewide earthquake response exercise.
DATE:
Thursday, March 8, 2018
TO:
All Principals
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
Extension of UEPC School Climate Survey Window
Because of the delayed start and other issues we experienced during the beginning of the UEPC School Climate Survey, the window has been extended to Friday, March 23, 2018. Principals are encouraged to remind parents and faculty members again about the survey and to ensure that all students second grade and up have the opportunity to take the survey.
Also, as a reminder, here are the links for you to track respondent participation in the student, parent and faculty/staff surveys:
Parent Survey: https://co1.qualtrics.com/reports/public/dWVwYy01YTdkZjIyNzhhM2M0MjAwMGQ0NDg0M2ItVVJfOU5zdmU3OTRNTDVCWVFB
Student Survey: https://co1.qualtrics.com/reports/public/dWVwYy01YTdkZmE1Y2U2ODY5MTAwMTgyMDM4NjktVVJfOU5zdmU3OTRNTDVCWVFB
Faculty Survey: https://co1.qualtrics.com/reports/public/dWVwYy01YTdkZmI4NWM3NzZhNDAwMTQ0NzY3MzEtVVJfOU5zdmU3OTRNTDVCWVFB
Principals: Please share this flyer with all of your special education personnel. Administrators are also invited to attend. Mark your calendars!
Elementary and Middle School Principals:
March 13, 2018 – ASB Auditorium -- Language Arts planning meeting for elementary sixth grade and seventh grade Language Arts teachers. From 8:00am to 12:30pm, seventh grade Language Arts and ELA Special Education teachers will meet with their sixth grade elementary feeders to help better prepare middle school teachers and students for next year. See attached schedule and be sure that one 6th grade or 7th grade Language Arts and ELA Special Education teacher from your school arranges to attend. The Curriculum Department will pay the cost of a half-day substitute. Please direct any question to Becky Gerber (Elementary) at 88087 or Mindy Dummer (Middle School) at 88152.
DATE:
February 13, 2018
TO:
Middle School Principals
High School Principals
Special Educators
Speech Language Pathologists
School Psychologists
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curric./ Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education
Julie Brown, Program Specialist
SUBJECT:
Post-High Transition Training
Post-High Transition Training will be provided for all secondary special educators, Speech Language Pathologists, and School Psychologists. The training will focus on ways to make the process more student- centered as well as highlight the changes to the Utah State Special Education Rules, and provides as much clarification as possible on the diploma options. This half-day training will be conducted by combining high school feeders. In order to give school teams the opportunity to participate in a group while still providing for student learning, the training has been set up so that each school will send half of their staff in the morning and the other half in the afternoon. Please plan for the full day substitute teachers to switch between morning and afternoon groups. We recognize that Speech Language Pathologists (SLP) may work in multiple buildings and may not be available to attend the training on the assigned day of the secondary feeder. If the SLP works in 2 secondary schools, the SLP should attend with their home base school. If the SLP splits between elementary and secondary, and is scheduled at an elementary the day of the secondary training, the SLP can attend with another feeder. Staff that are not available for trainings with their feeders on March 6th or 7th should attend the March 8th training, as this is a single feeder system. School Team Leaders, please send a list of morning and afternoon participants to the Teacher Specialist assigned to your school by March 1st. Special Education will cover the substitute costs for training (Budget code: 1292). For more information, please contact Julie Brown at julie.brown@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8200.
BHS and WJHS Feeder: March 6th at WJHS in the Tech Atrium
Morning session: 7:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Afternoon session: 11:30 a.m. -3:00 p.m.
HHS and RHS Feeder: March 7th at RHS in the Tech Atrium
Morning session: 7:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Afternoon session: 11:30 a.m. -3:00 p.m.
CHHS Feeder and Make-Up: March 8th at WHMS in the Media Center
Morning session: 7:30 a.m. -11:00 a.m.
Afternoon session: 11:30 a.m. -3:00 p.m.
WJHS: 8136 S. 2700 W. West Jordan
RHS: 12476 S. Silverwolf Way (2700 W.) Riverton
WHMS: 8270 S Grizzly Way (5400 W.) West Jordan
DATE:
Thursday, February 22, 2018
TO:
Elementary and Middle School Principals
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum and Staff Development
Ben Jameson, Director of Evaluation, Research and Accountability
SUBJECT:
SAGE Grades 6-8 Science SEEd Testing Updates
Now that USBE has completed field testing for the new grades 6-8 SAGE Science test that incorporates the new SEEd standards, we have been given some updated information regarding the expected time it will take for students to complete the test with its cluster questions. During previous SAGE science administrations, students have been expected to complete the test in a 60-90 minute window. We are asked to plan at least 100 minutes for students to take the SAGE science test in grades 6-8. USBE is also recommending that we break the SAGE science test for grades 6-8 into more than one testing session to avoid testing fatigue.
There will be two clusters for every strand within the new SEEd core. Students will need to finish all of the questions within a cluster before logging off. If they log off before answering all of the questions, they will not be able to answer those questions when they log back on. The platform will automatically move them to the next cluster.
Because the science standards for grades 6-8 have changed, the end-of-year SAGE Science test has also changed to match the new SEEd science standards. When the SAGE test assesses new standards, the first year of implementation will require a rubric validation, standard setting and data review process to ensure the validity and reliability of the new test. Once this process has been completed, the State Board of Education will need to ratify the results. This process will impact several things worth noting:
Please contact Ben Jameson in the Evaluation, Research & Accountability Department with any questions.
Principals: Please send the attached flyer to each School Community Council member, all parents are invited to attend.
Jordan Parent University
Legislative Forum
Thursday, February 8, 2018
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Elk Ridge Middle - 3659 W 9800 S, South Jordan
DATE:
January 10, 2018
TO:
Principals
Resource Team Leaders
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Admin. of Curriculum/Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education
SUBJECT:
Projected Caseload Process for 2018-19 Resource Allocations
Based on Administrative recommendations, the hiring window has been moved up to meet the increasing demands caused by teacher shortages, particularly in specific job categories. The Staffing 2.0 allocations are scheduled to be released by mid-February. To address this advanced timeline, the Special Education Department will be making resource staffing allocations differently than in the past. This method should make the workload on special education teachers and team leaders much easier. Please read through this information carefully because it is a new process. If you have any questions, please contact your assigned teacher specialist.
Caseload Information
Timeline
Requests for Resource Instructional Assistants
In April, we will send a packet of information to each Resource and Support Class team to request instructional assistants for 2018-19. This will include a regular resource assistant allocation and the information needed to request Critical Needs Instructional Assistants. This timeline should allow your teams to have a better idea of which students with additional staffing needs will be attending your school for 2018-19.
DATE:
January 18, 2018
TO:
Principals
Special Education Staff
FROM:
Laura Finlinson, Administrator of Curriculum/Staff Development & Special Programs
Lisa Robinson, Director of Special Education
Julie Brown, Program Specialist-Special Education
Courtney Titus, Program Specialist-Special Education
SUBJECT:
Extended School Year (ESY) Qualification Procedures and Timelines
Please see attached memo for guidelines.
School nurses work hard behind the scenes to ensure the health and safety of the students in our schools. Do you love your school nurse? If you recognize the critical role your school nurse plays in your school, please complete the attached application (to the extent that you are able). Send it and at least two of the required letters to Nancy Ward in Educational Support. The other requirements will be completed for you. Many thanks!
Please share the attached forms with the appropriate advisors/teachers in your school to use when submitting for a class fee or spirit pack fee charge.
Beginning January 2018, the “District/School Related Activity or Request for Third Party Reimbursement Form” will be significantly modified as follows.
NEW HR Websites:
(replaces hr.jordandistrict.org)
http://workatjordan.org/adminonly/
(replaces hr.jordandistrict.org/AdminOnly)
http://workatjordan.org/hrconnections/
(replaces hr.jordandistrict.org/secretaryconnections)
For your convenience, please bookmark these new websites.
HR has been busy working on a fresh, new website which will go live on Monday, January 8th. The url is workatjordan.org for all of your HR needs. The AdminOnly and SecretaryConnections (now called HRConnections) websites will be accessed through workatjordan.org/adminonly and workatjordan.org/hrconnections. Please update any bookmarks you may have.
HR will be holding the 2nd administrator training of the year on Thursday, January 11th at both 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for your convenience. Hiring Best Practices along with procedures related to Non-Renewals, RIS, Transfer Fairs, and Hiring processes will be discussed. As the hiring season is upon us, it is highly recommended that all administrators attend in order to review these processes and procedures. We hope to see you at one of the trainings. (see attachment)
Some reminders from the “Critical Dates” timeline: (see attachment)
A mandatory secondary principals' finance meeting has been scheduled for January 18, 2018, at the District Office in room #129 from 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
