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TO:
Secondary Principals

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


Principals,

We are excited to offer three upcoming professional development opportunities designed to strengthen Tier 1 instruction for secondary math teachers. These sessions will provide practical strategies and collaborative learning experiences to support high quality math instruction for all students.

We shared this information with your teachers as well, but would love your support in reminding teachers of these valuable learning opportunities. Detailed information about each session, along with registration instructions, can be found in the attached flyers.

Thank you for your continued support in fostering instructional excellence!

 

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TO:
Elementary Principals

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


Principals,

On September 26th from 1:00–3:00 p.m. at the ASB, we are offering a professional development session focused on leveraging iPads to enhance instruction with the Open Up math curriculum. Participants will explore strategies for delivering mobile math lessons, collecting student work, and displaying and discussing student thinking in real time.

We shared this information with your teachers as well, but would love your support in reminding teachers of this learning opportunity. Here is the link to register for the course.

Thank you for your ongoing support!

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TO:
Elementary Administrators

FROM:
Megan Cox (Rose Creek)
Garett York (Southland)
Jessica Stowe (Bastian)
Ronna Hoffman (Oak Leaf)


Please submit questions to be discussed by JAESP committee and Cabinet by the first Tuesday of each month. You may submit concerns or questions using the Google Form below OR you may send items to be discussed directly to Megan Cox at Rose Creek, Garett York at Southland, Jessica Stowe at Bastian, Ronna Hoffman at Oak Leaf.

Google Form Link

All items will be discussed anonymously as we work to provide clarification and solutions to concerns of elementary administrators.

Notes of the discussions will be published on a Google Doc titled "JAESP Committee Notes 2025-26" which will be shared with Elementary Administrators.

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DATE:
Thursday, September 18, 2025

TO:  
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Math and Science Growth Scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus Now Available


2024-25 growth scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus math and science are now available in Tableau. You can access these scores at the following links:

In addition, proficiency and growth scores for 2024-25 are also available on the state’s Data Gateway. Both the Student Proficiency and Student Growth reports now have scores for both math and science.

As a reminder, growth scores for RISE and Utah Aspire Plus are calculated by USBE in partnership with the Center for Assessment. For more information to help you understand how growth is calculated, please see this helpful video.

With the core change that prompted a change in the RISE assessment, RISE ELA recently underwent a standard setting to determine new cut scores. The state board of education is scheduled to review the new cut scores in their September board meeting. Thus, proficiency and growth scores will not be released until October. School accountability report cards and TSI/ATSI/CSI exits and designations will be released in January 2026.

For questions about the information provided in this memo, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

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TO:
Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent


All items can be found in the 2025-26 Beginning of Year Documents

October 20, 2025 - Deadline

  • Review the current School LAND Trust Plan, implementation of the Prior Year's Plan, and the Teacher and Student Success Act Plan (TSSA).
  • Submit council members and principal assurance on the School LAND Trust website.
  • Verify that SCC members are listed the same on both the school website and the state website.
  • Update required school website postings.

Upcoming Audit Information

  • An audit of School LAND Trust Rules of Order and Procedure:
    • Will take place in November 2025.
    • The State will randomly select schools to verify that their Rules of Order and Procedure:
      • Are easily accessible on the school website with other required postings.
      • The Rules of Order and Procedure needs to be reviewed each year at the first SCC meeting.
        • Put a new date on the document, and add it to the school website.
      • Use the attached template (new for this year), update anything in red, and change the font color back to black to post on your website.
      • You are welcome to add anything to this template that your SCC council would like to include.
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TO:
Elementary Principals

FROM:
Michelle Love-Day, Director of Language and Culture Services


We will be facilitating interpretation for parent teacher conferences on Oct. 1st and 2nd for Elementary Schools. For languages other than Spanish, please fill out THIS FORM to secure an appointment.

We are not able to use LIA as student interpreters, as this is now a violation of Utah Law and Policy.

For Spanish, our department will reach out to your front office to coordinate your needs.

If you have an ESP that interprets, please have them sign up for our Interpreter Certification course on Sept. 26th.

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DATE:      
September 10, 2025

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 2025-2026


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

The evacuations will be conducted during the week of:

Monday, September 22 through Thursday, September 25, 2025

Your school’s regular bus drivers will perform this evacuation procedure as they drop your students off in the morning, one day during that week. The procedure will take place at your 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. Bus evacuation will be through the rear door, side door, front 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 procedure quickly, safely and effectively.

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

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DATE:  
September 9, 2025

TO:  
Principals and Assistant Principals

FROM: 
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
McKinley Withers, Health and Wellness Consultant
Michelle Reyes, Attendance/Prevention Specialist, Student Services

SUBJECT:
Proactive Tools for Addressing Attendance Throughout 2025-26


Districtwide data indicates that chronic absenteeism is a growing problem. Throughout the school year, Student Services will be providing resources, tools, and reminders to help our District address this critical issue. Research consistently shows that regular school attendance is directly linked to higher academic achievement, improved social-emotional development, and a greater likelihood of on-time graduation. When students are present, they are more engaged in learning, build stronger relationships with their peers and teachers, and don’t fall behind on foundational skills.

In short, attendance is important! Together, we can make an impact on students’ futures by addressing attendance. As part of this collective effort, using the State’s Every Day Counts Attendance Initiative, we’ve developed the following attendance theme:

Attendance Campaign Theme: “We’re Better When You’re Here”
(Use this link for PDFs to print or email Michelle for prints)

September 2025 Attendance Resources and Reminders

  1. Proactive Communication on the importance of attendance is essential and impactful at the beginning of the year, use one of these links to communicate with your school community.
    1. Attendance Essentials (Spanish)-Parent handout with essential attendance information
    2. Stay At Home Checklist (Spanish)
    3. Beginning of the Year Attendance Nudge/Social Media Message (Spanish)
  2. Review current data.
    1. Start by reviewing the previous school year's attendance records. Look at metrics like average daily attendance (ADA), chronic absenteeism rates (students missing 10% or more of the school year), and attendance rates by grade level, demographic group, and teacher. This data will serve as your baseline and help you identify specific problem areas. For example, you might find that chronic absenteeism is higher in a particular grade or among a certain student population.
    2. Employing Panorama to acquire and review attendance data is the most efficient way to access chronic absence rates and drill down into attendance issues with certain demographics. Find a Panorama attendance how-to guide here.
  3. Review additional resources relevant to your school’s needs!

Questions? Contact Michelle Reyes at michelle.reyes@jordandistrict.org or 801-567-8205.

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DATE: 
Thursday, September 11, 2025

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 and Utah Aspire Plus Summative testing systems once again this year. Principals or their designee are encouraged to place an order for student earbuds. Please place your order by Friday, October 17th.

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 3-10.

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

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DATE:    
Thursday, September 11, 2025

TO: 
High School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Shmoop Access for the 2025-26 School Year


School administrators are encouraged to forward this information to their ACT prep teachers.

USBE has once again made available a free ACT prep online program for all high school students from 9th grade and up. Students may access this free program at this link: schools.shmoop.com

The Magic Word for the 2025-26 school year for students to complete the login process is: FRYSAUCE.

Teachers may access Shmoop by creating an account using their single-sign-on via Canvas. Check out this YouTube video for how to do this.

For more information about Shmoop, including instructions for students to set up their own Shmoop account, please see this information page.

For administrators interested in an online or in-person training on how to use or implement Shmoop in your school, please fill out Shmoop’s training request form.

Here are some other resources for making the most of this great ACT prep resource:

For questions about the ACT or Shmoop, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

 

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DATE:    
Thursday, September 11, 2025

TO: 
Elementary School Administrators

FROM:         
Carolyn Gough, Administrator of Teaching and Learning
Ben Jameson, Director of Assessment, Research and Accountability
Rebecca Smith, Consultant, Gifted & Talented

SUBJECT:  
6th Grade CogAT Test Administration Training


The test administration window for the 6th grade CogAT opens October 27th and closes December 4th. 6th grade teachers, in collaboration with school test coordinators, can administer this assessment to their classes.

A test administration training is being offered to school test coordinators as well as 6th grade teachers. School administrators may attend a training session, but it is not required. Testing pool hours may be used for ESPs who are attending a training session outside of their usual hours. There is no funding for substitutes; thus, schools will need to cover the cost of a substitute if a classroom teacher is attending a training session. Attendees should bring a device to the training.

Below are the training session dates, times, and locations. Those who are planning to attend a training session should sign up here.

Date Time Location
Wednesday, October 1, 2025 9:00 – 10:30 am PDC 112

7905 South Redwood Rd., West Jordan

Entrance D

1:00 – 2:30 pm
Thursday, October 2, 2025 9:00 – 10:30 am
11:00 – 2:30 pm

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability or Rebecca Smith and Frankie Walton in Gifted & Talented with questions.

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DATE:     
September 08, 2025

TO:  
High School Principals
Assistant Principals Responsible for District/School Suburbans

FROM:      
Brad Sorensen, Administrator of Schools

SUBJECT:   
Change in Terminology for District/School Suburbans


Beginning September 08, 2025, the terminology related to our district/school vehicles previously referred to as "Suburban(s)" will now be designated as "Large SUV(s)."

Action Required:

  1. Form Updates: Updated versions of the relevant forms provided by the District are attached and will be implemented immediately.
  2. School-Level Forms: Update all school-level forms and documents by replacing the term "Suburban" with "Large SUV".
  3. Old Forms: Delete any outdated forms that have not been revised to prevent any potential confusion.

Your help in implementing these updates promptly is greatly appreciated.

All involved school personnel are asked to review the Jordan School District Large SUV documentation to ensure you are familiar with the guidelines for their use. This will help maintain consistency and clarity across all communications and operations.

 

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DATE:   
Friday, September 5, 2025

TO:  
Elementary School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:  
Research Project


The Research Review Committee has reviewed a research project in which your school has been asked to participate.

Project Title: Mission.io Pilot Study of Literacy-Enhanced Features

Applicant: Molly Henschel, Mission.io

The project has been approved by the District Research Review Committee. The applicant has been directed to contact you to discuss the extent of the project. Participation in the study is at your discretion. If you have questions or concerns relating to participation, please contact Ben Jameson at 801-567-8243.

Thank you for your assistance.

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TO:
All Principals

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent


The state has made some changes to the requirements for the Rules of Order and Procedure this year. Please use the attached template, update anything in red, and change the font color back to black to post on your website. You are welcome to add anything to this template that your SCC council would like to include. This needs to be approved at your first SCC meeting this year.

Remember, the state is auditing us this year on the Rules of Order and Procedure, so we need to make sure we're using this updated form. Reminder that the deadline for the school website update is October 20, 2025.

Thanks!

LINK to Template

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The following are new administrative assignments:

New Administrative Internships for 2025-26:

  • Sarah Burton, instructional coach at Copper Canyon Elementary assigned administrative intern at Bastian Elementary.
  • Tori Domaleski, teacher in Canyons School District assigned administrative intern at Columbia Elementary.
  • Kimberlee Hill, instructional coach in Granite School District assigned administrative intern at Heartland Elementary.
  • Addie Lund, teacher at Hawthorn Academy assigned administrative intern at Majestic Elementary Arts Academy.
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DATE:   
September 2, 2025

TO:   
All Elementary 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 Using Open Up Math for Specially Designed Instruction Training


The Special Education Department will be offering a training session for the Open Up Math Curriculum tailored specifically for Elementary Special Education teachers on September 26th. This training will provide resources and strategies to deliver specially designed instruction effectively within your classrooms. Sign up using this registration link.

Training Details:

  • Date: September 26, 2025
  • Time: 1:00-3:00
  • Location: ASB Auditorium

Participation is optional.

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DATE:
September 4, 2025

TO:   
All Administrators
All Registrars

FROM: 
Steffany Ellsworth, Manager - Information Systems
Steven Harwood, Manager - 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 Monday, September 8th. 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 2024-25 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 26, 2025. They should also send a cc copy to Stacee Worthen (stacee.worthen@jordandistrict.org) in Student Services and Brooke Anderson (brooke.anderson@jordandistrict.org) in Assessment, Research and Accountability.

Information Systems will be providing training for registrars on September 12th at 1:30 p.m. at the District Office, Room 129. 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.

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DATE:
September 4, 2025

TO:
All Principals
All Licensed Staff

FROM:
Lisa Robinson, Administrator of Schools
Kim Lloyd, Director of Special Education
Melanie Dawson, Program Administrator of Behavior

SUBJECT:
ETT: Cultivating Classroom Management Skills


Effective Teacher Training (ETT) is available for a Fall 2025 cohort! Seats are capped at 50 and are only available to licensed educators who have never taken ETT previously. This course is not currently available to ESPs. This course is designed for: All general education and special education teachers. Also welcome: Specialists, interventionists, and mental health providers
(Not available to ESPs) Please register on Canvas Catalog to save your spot. See the attached memo for information.

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