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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.

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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.

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Valued Licensed Employees:

The Human Resource Department is contacting you with important information regarding upcoming events and opportunities.

LICENSE RENEWAL
Teachers and other educators whose educator license will expire on June 30, 2023, are encouraged to begin the license renewal process starting February 1st by going to the USBE website.  You may begin reviewing the videos; however, license renewals cannot be submitted to the USBE before January 2023. The District HR Department will send you reminders in November, January, and March.  A FINAL reminder will be sent to you in April as a 4th and FINAL NOTICE & NOTICE OF TERMINATION should you not receive your license renewal certification in CACTUS by June 30, 2023.
DON’T DELAY – START THE PROCESS NOW!

LICENSED EARLY NOTIFICATION (Resignation or Retirement)
Licensed employees resigning/retiring at the end of the current contract year, who give official early notification in SKYWARD – EMPLOYEE ACCESS, will be eligible for a tiered incentive. To qualify, notification must be submitted on or before the following dates:

  • February 15, 2023        $200.00

 The incentive will be paid on the last regular paycheck. Notifications of resignation/retirement received after the dates listed above will not qualify for an incentive. The official District “Notice of Resignation” form is found in Skyward under “Employee Access”. Please see District policy DP318 for more detailed information regarding resignations. If you do not know your Skyward username or password please contact the Help Desk at 801-567-8737.

Licensed employees who do not submit an official “Notice of Resignation” form in Skyward “Employee Access” with at least thirty (30) calendar days’ written notice WILL BE FINED $500, which will be deducted from their final check.  Informing your principal/school administrator either verbally or in writing is not sufficient.  See District Policy DP318 – Resignations - Licensed.

School/District Administrators must submit an official “Notice of Resignation” form in Skyward “Employee Access” with at least sixty (60) calendar days’ written notice WILL BE FINED $500 in accordance with District Policy DP318A – Resignations-Administrators.

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DATE:
February 1, 2023

TO:
Principals
Special Education Staff
School Secretaries

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

SUBJECT:
Special Education Budget Closeout for the 2022-23 School Year

Please note that Special Education purchase orders/requisitions for the 2022-23 school year must be received by Monday, March 6, 2023 @ 5:00 p.m. Please remember the following:

  • Budgets are not carried over from one year to the next.
  • Remember to deduct any previously submitted amounts from your Special Education budget (so that you know your balance) before submitting new orders. This includes reimbursements submitted through your school. No orders will be processed that exceed your budgeted allocation.
  • Please check with your school secretary to make sure all Special Education reimbursements have been submitted to the Special Education Department by the March 6th deadline. We will soon be providing each school secretary with a sheet of currently recorded purchase/reimbursement totals for the special education department at your school up through January 31, 2023.
  • When ordering supplies, follow Skyward procedures.
  • Be sure to follow the ordering guidelines outlined in the attached budget information page, as you close out your current year budgets.

Staff will be notified of the new budget allocation amount prior to the start of the new school year. Keep in mind that new purchase orders/requisitions will not be processed until late July when all of the current year’s budgets have been closed out.

As you close out your budgets for the current school year, please note the following:

  1. All purchase orders/requisitions, should be routed through Amanda Hamblin in the Special Education Department.
  2. Use the following codes for Purchase Orders/Requisitions, P-Cards, and ECHECKS submitted through the year.

Coding for P.O.s/Requisitions, NPOs, P-Cards, ECHECKS:

FUND TYPE LOCATION PROGRAM FUNCTION OBJECT
10 E (School #) 1295 1090 Use object code

If you have questions regarding your Special Education budget, please contact Amanda Hamblin at (801) 567-8177.

Please review the Special Education Budget information that is attached below.

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How To Become “Highly Qualified” and Receive LANE CHANGE INCREASE.

PARAPRO Testing is optional for most school locations but required for all Title One School locations. Applicants/Employees interested in working at a Title I school may contact the Title One school principal for additional testing options.

Please see the attached document for more information.

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This year, the annual Teacher Transfer Fair is open to all CURRENT JSD teacher/educators AND student teachers, interns and those on a 1-year agreement.  This event is for current Jordan School District teachers/educators seeking a new teaching/assignment opportunity! The transfer fair will be combined for both elementary and secondary teachers/educators.

Please come prepared with:

  • Your JSD ID badge – required to gain entry, AND
  • Copies of your resume available to distribute.

Come explore your options in JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT!

See the flyer below for more information.

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Prior to the TEACHER TRANSFER FAIR on February 13th, principals may post available positions for the 2023-24 school year on a Google Form. Please fill out the Teacher Transfer Fair link to advertise your transfer openings for teachers and other licensed employees. This will allow teachers to view your postings prior to the Teacher Transfer Fair.

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THANK YOU to Principals/Assistant Principals, Directors, JESPA Volunteers, HR Assistants, and the Communications Department for promoting and participating in the first JORDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT JOB FAIR!

It was a GREAT success, as it resulted in the hiring of numerous new applicants for open positions throughout the District. A total of 207 households were in attendance and a total of 59 applications were COMPLETED in Frontline during and after the Job Fair. We are certain there will be more applications completed in the near future as a result of the Job Fair.

A special THANKS to Oquirrh Hills Middle for hosting this event and also to those who served as interpreters. The success of this event was due to the efforts of many individuals and groups.

THANK YOU all again for your contributions.

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Published on

DATE:
February 2, 2023

TO:
All School Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
Grief Conference Opportunity

Student Services is continuing to offer training opportunities for administration and school mental health team members with the unspent suicide prevention funds from prior years. With these remaining funds, we will be sponsoring the registration fees for an upcoming grief conference. The Bradley Center is hosting a full day training titled Traumatic Death: How to Help Those Left Behind.

Here is a description of what to expect from this opportunity: Since COVID-19 disrupted life for children and families worldwide, traumatic deaths have impacted millions. Local professionals deal with the impact of those and other traumatic deaths every day. Learn additional strategies to help clients cope.

This will take place on Friday, February 24th at the Mountain America Center. It is a full day of learning from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.

For more information about the conference, you can visit https://bradleycentergrief.org/

If you or any of your school’s mental health team (school counselors, school psychologists, or clinical support/social workers) would like to attend, please reach out to Angie Rasmussen at angie.rasmussen@jordandistrict.org. Provide an email with the full name, email address, office phone number and meal preference (vegetarian or not) of those who would like to register.

Seating is limited for this event. Please send in your request for registration as soon as possible!

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Each year, the Utah Association of Elementary School Principals (UAESP) gives the Jordan Association of Elementary School Principals (JAESP) the opportunity to celebrate elementary principals for the great work they are doing in their schools. Principals may be nominated for awards in the following categories:

  • Rookie of the Year
  • Innovator of the Year
  • Community Leader of the Year
  • Student Advocate Principal of the Year
  • Instructional Leader of the Year
  • Principal Mentor of the Year

Recipients of the National Distinguished Principal of the Year and Assistant Principal of the Year have already been chosen and will be recognized soon.

If you feel that a principal has done exceptional work in one of these areas, we invite you to nominate them for an award through this survey.

All nominations are due Feb. 10, 2023. Please remember this is for elementary principals only.

The following principals are ineligible to be nominated because they have received an award during the last three school years:
Garett York, Theresa Christensen, Tiffany Smith, Ross Menlove, Megan Cox, Cherie Wilson, Odette Desmarais, Buddy Alger, Shauna Worthington, Courtney Titus, Bobbie Nixon, Jennifer Ludlow, Ann Pessetto, Laurie Goodsell, Suzie Williams, Ken Westwood, Aaron Ichimura, Amanda Edwards, Nick Hansen, Joel Pullan, Ronna Hoffman

After all nominations have been received, the JAESP board will present the awards to each recipient at their own school. Recipients will then be eligible for state-level awards in the same category through UAESP.

Thank you for taking the time to nominate exceptional elementary principals!

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The Conference will be held on March 23 & 24, 2023 at Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo. Registration fees for 1 administrator and up to 2 teachers per school will be provided by filling out this form by Tuesday, March 7, 2023. Please contact LeAnn Nelson for questions.

District office administrators and teacher specialists interested in attending may also sign up by filling out this form.

The 2023 Instructional Leadership Conference has an incredible line-up of speakers! See the attached information.

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Published on

DATE:
January 26, 2023

TO:
Administrators

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

SUBJECT:
USBE - Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Workshop

School Administrators and other School Safety Friends,

You are invited to join the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) School Safety Center for a Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) Workshop. This workshop will prepare you to use the CSTAG model with your school threat assessment multi-disciplinary team.

  • Date: February 13, 2023 (Monday)
    **Optional Train-the-Trainer (TTT) February 14-15 with limited spots
  • Time: 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM (check-in at 7:30 AM)
  • Location: Jordan School District - Auxiliary Services Building
    7905 S Redwood Rd, West Jordan, UT 84088
  • Presenter: Dr. Farah Williams
  • Target Audience: School employees who serve on the school’s threat assessment multidisciplinary team, such as School Administrators (e.g., principal or assistant principal), School Resource Officers, and School-based Mental Health Providers (School Counselors, School Psychologists, or School Social Workers).
  • Structure: This training is offered as a 7-8 hour training for up to 80 individuals that consists of in-person instruction and peer-to-peer collaboration. A manual will be provided for registered participants.
  • Content: What is covered in the workshop?
  • Registration: Eventbrite

 In accordance with 53G-8-802, R277-400, R277-403, R277-736.

**There will be a limited, invitation-only CSTAG Train-the-Trainer (TTT) held February 14-15, 2023. If you are interested in having someone from your Local Education Agency (LEA) become a CSTAG trainer, please email me, Rhett Larsen.

Visit https://www.schoolta.com/ for more information about Dr. Cornell and CSTAG.

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Published on

DATE:
January 26, 2023

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

Please review the Attached ESY Memo,  ESY Eligibility Facts, Tips and Documentation Guidelines carefully. IEP teams (including the parents) must consider all students for ESY services each year at the annual IEP. In order to afford parents the opportunity to exercise their due process rights, the process outlined is to be followed beginning January, 2023 to March 22, 2023.

  • Please read the entire memo to ensure proper implementation of all existing and new procedures.
  • Some procedures and documentation requirements have changed
  • Data for ESY should be current from this school year and reflect ongoing needs of the student.

The 2023 ESY Memo and forms will be available on the Special Education Forms website by 1/27/23.

If you have questions you can talk with your Teacher Specialist or reach out to Kristin Norris at kristin.norris@jordandistrict.org.

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All second-grade teachers, coaches, and administrators are invited to join the literacy team for Second-Grade Night Out on February 1st at 4:15 at South Jordan Middle School. This month we will be talking about vocabulary instruction and best practices for second-grade teachers. Please join us for this informative and fun evening! Please share the attached flier with anyone who may be interested in attending.

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Published on

DATE:
January 16, 2023

TO:
School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns

FROM:
Michael Anderson, Associate Superintendent
Travis Hamblin, Director of Student Services
Fulvia Franco, Guidance Consultant

SUBJECT:
February School Psychologists & School Psychology Interns Meeting

A meeting for school psychologists and school psychology interns has been scheduled for Friday, February 3, 2023, from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. The meeting will be held in the auditorium of the Jordan School District Auxiliary Services Building (7905 South Redwood Road). Sam Goldstein, Ph.D., ABPP, Neurology, Learning and Behavior Center will provide us with a presentation on Understanding, Evaluating, and Treating Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD) in Children, including a review of diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis and assessment, treatment, and resources.

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

cc:       Principals

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Hello Principals,

The JEF Challenge Run is on for 2023!

A representative from the JEF Challenge Run Committee would like to meet with your faculty to discuss the Challenge Run sometime in the next 30 days.  We have a short 10-minute presentation we'd like to share at your next soonest faculty meeting.

Below is a Google Link.  Would you please select a date and time in the next 30 days that would work for you?  Thank you!

https://forms.gle/7VVHvz3zdpsDP4Yo6

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The final sessions of LETRS training offered by USBE are available for registration. No new sessions will be added so it is important that all teachers who are taking LETRS training through USBE register for the sessions they need ASAP.

  • Unit 5, MIDAS #60810 (General Registration) Aug. 2022 through Feb. 2023
    No additional unit 5 sections will be added after this unit has ended.
    MIDAS #60810 enrollment link
  • Unit 6, MIDAS #60788 (General Registration) Oct. 2022 through April 2023
    No additional unit 6 sections will be added after this unit has ended.
    MIDAS #60788 enrollment link
  • Unit 7, MIDAS #60789 (General Registration) Jan. 2023 through June 2023
    No additional unit 7 sections will be added after this unit has ended.
    MIDAS #60789 enrollment link
  • Unit 8, MIDAS #60790 (General Registration) March 2023 through Sept. 2023
    No additional unit 8 sections will be added after this unit has ended.
    MIDAS #60790 enrollment link
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Dear Administrators,

During 2021-22 and continuing through the 2022-23 year, schools were given the option to hire benefit-eligible substitutes for which the school paid half the cost (including benefits) and the District paid half.  This position was originally intended to be temporary through 2022-23.

GREAT NEWS!  As this option has shown to be a benefit to schools, it will now be available going forward.

CURRENT SUBSTITUTES
For schools who are currently taking advantage of the benefit-eligible substitute position, the following information will apply:

  • The position will continue for the 2023-24 and future years. You will not need to submit a change form unless you need to change the budget codes.
  • If your current benefit-eligible substitute resigns, you have the option to repost the position. Please follow the job posting steps below.
  • If your funding availability changes in the future, the substitute position will be subject to a Reduction in Force. Please contact Brent Burge to work through this process.

POSITION INFORMATION

  • Benefit-eligible substitutes will be contracted to work 180 days per year.
  • Pay is equivalent to the ESP Lane 4 Step 1 at eight hours per day ($18.52/hour or $148.16/day for the 2022-23 year). (The District may modify this amount as needed) The contract will be paid over 10 months, September to June.
  • This position is eligible for benefits, including insurance, leave time and Retirement.
  • The benefit-eligible substitute is expected to arrive 15 minutes prior to students arriving and stay 15 minutes after students leave. These benefit-eligible substitutes will be paid full days on Fridays/shortened days as long as they stay 15 minutes after students leave.
  • This position must be posted in Frontline and the schools must follow all hiring procedures established for Contract ESP positions, including:
    • Requisition submitted
    • Position posted for a minimum of five working days
    • All applicants must be screened by the administration to determine interview eligibility
    • Interviews conducted following best practices
    • Recommendation for hire submitted, prior to any job offer, including submitting all interview notes
    • Minimum of two references complete. One must be with the current/most recent supervisor

Please contact a Human Resource Administrator or Recruiter if you have questions regarding this position.

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