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Let’s get clarity on what we are teaching, how we are assessing, and how we know students are learning in physical education classes. Consider sending at least one P.E. teacher to represent your school for a professional development day dedicated to enhancing assessment practices in physical education. This session will focus on developing consistent and reliable assessment tools that align with shared learning objectives and standards. Participants will collaborate to create assessments that accurately measure student progress and performance. By unifying our assessment approaches, we aim to ensure fairness and clarity in evaluating student achievement, ultimately supporting improved outcomes in physical education. The District will provide funding for ONE P.E. teacher per school, but all high school P.E. teachers are welcome.

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Let’s get clarity on what we are teaching, how we are assessing, and how we know students are learning in Health classes using vertical alignment and common assessments. On April 10, 2025, Middle School and High School Health teachers will work collaboratively on vertical alignment, pacing, and instructional strategies in Health. The District will provide funding for a substitute for ONE Health teacher per school, but all secondary Health teachers are welcome.

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The Education Tribute Award is a prestigious honor presented annually by the state-wide program ResilientYOU. Each year education organizations and individuals are selected based upon their exemplary efforts in building student resilience in their schools, homes and communities. The Education Tribute Award nominations need to be completed online no later than Friday, March 14, 2025.

Find the nomination form at resilientyou.org/nominate/

Nomination categories include:

  • High School
  • Middle School
  • Elementary School
  • Administrator
  • Secondary School Teacher
  • Elementary School Teacher
  • Wellness Professional
  • Parenting Organization

*School nominations are for school-wide programs and efforts. Please don't feature individuals if you are nominating their school.

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Jordan Credit Center offers courses to students enrolled in Jordan School District that are designed to meet the diverse needs of students aiming to advance or improve their academic standing. This program offers three distinct pathways: Original Credit, Grade Replacement, and Credit Recovery

Pricing: Original Credit and Grade Replacement are free of charge. Credit Recovery is $50 for unlimited units during summer term.

Available courses: Participation, Skills, Techniques, Fitness for Life, Individual Lifetime Activities, Health 2, Language Arts 12, Language Arts 11, Language Arts 9, Geography, US History II, US Government and Citizenship, Financial Literacy, Business Office Specialist, Exploring Computer Science, Earth Science, Biology, Secondary Math 1, Secondary Math 2, Secondary Math 

Courses are delivered asynchronously, providing students with the flexibility to learn at their own pace. However, all coursework must be completed within the summer term. The program starts on Monday, June 9th, and concludes on Thursday, August 7th. Please note that the term's end date cannot be extended for any reason.

To enroll, students should contact the boundary school counselor. Student registration requests should be submitted to their counselor before Friday, June 6. 

For more information go to tl.jordandistrict.org/secondary/credit/

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DTL Canvas PD FlyerNeed help with Canvas and Mastery Connect as you assess students in your classroom? Digital Teaching and Learning would like to invite you to attend an optional PD training to help you use Canvas and Mastery Connect to its fullest potential. Please bring your device and your questions to learn along with DTL and Instructure.

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Teaching, Leading, Learning Conference FlyerThe Teaching, Leading, Learning Conference associated with BYU CITES will be held on March 20 & 21, 2025 at Utah Valley Convention Center in Provo. Teaching & Learning is able to pay for 1 person from your building to attend. Please talk to your principal if you are interested in attending. You may register for the conference using this link to the conference website. All other registrations should be covered by individual schools or departments. There is a discounted rate for each participant, whether registering as a team or separately, because we are a part of the BYU-Public School Partnership.

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March 2025 URS Training at Your Workplace FlyerCome learn about your URS benefits. Open to ALL full and part-time employees. Each session will cover URS savings plans along with Tier 1 and Tier 2 pension systems. Each date will have a 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. session to accommodate everyone.

  • Mountain Creek Middle Media Center
  • Monday, March 10
  • 4 - 5:30 p.m.

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March 2025 Moreton & Company Health Insights Online NewsletterEstablishing a Primary Care Physician
You’ve probably heard the term “primary care”, but many of us don’t really know what that means. Primary care covers prevention, wellness, chronic condition management, and treatment for a variety of health concerns, whether physical, behavioral, or social. A primary care physician looks at the complete picture of health and considers the patient’s family background and health history.

Think of a primary care provider as a “general practitioner,” or your personal doctor. They provide everyday health care and act as a “home base” for your overall wellness. Your provider can help you manage chronic conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes. Primary care providers also give referrals to specialists when you need additional medical expertise to treat a specific condition.

For questions about this article, please contact the Population Health team at wellness@moreton.com. If you have any other questions, please contact Jordan Insurance Services at 801-567-8146 or insurance@jordandistrict.org.

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The following are friendly reminders from the state’s testing ethics policy:

  • “Utah LEAs and Licensed Utah educators may use a student’s score from a statewide assessment to improve the student’s academic grade for or demonstrate the student’s competency within a relevant course.”
  • “Licensed Utah educators shall ensure that:
    • “Students are not penalized who have been exempted from a statewide assessment
    • “Students aren’t provided a nonacademic award for participating in or performing well on a statewide assessment
    • “Students are provided an alternate learning activity if they are exempted by a parent from a statewide assessment.”

The following additional guidance may help address specific questions that arise from the part of the state’s testing ethics policy quoted above:

  • Using a student’s score from a state assessment can only improve a student’s grade – not hurt it. However points are awarded for those who meet goals or earn proficiency on the state assessment, students should either receive 100% of the points possible or be excused from the assignment.
  • Educators may not use a student’s score on a state assessment to determine an overall grade for the course. It can be used, in conjunction with other evidence, to help determine a student’s overall grade.
  • Educators may not assign participation points on students’ grades for taking a state assessment.
  • The alternate learning activity for students whose parents have opted them out of taking the state assessment can be an alternate assessment. That said, using a student’s score on the alternate assessment or activity on a student’s grade can only improve the student’s grade – not hurt it.
    • In addition, if the incentive is that a student who demonstrates proficiency on a state assessment means that they don’t have to take the class final exam, then students who have been opted out would also need two opportunities to demonstrate proficiency. For instance, if a student who was opted out demonstrated proficiency on the alternate assessment (administered while other students took the state assessment), then they wouldn’t have to take the class final exam.

Please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability with questions.

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With the change in the ELA core approved by the Utah State Board of Education in recent months, the state’s summative assessments will now reflect those changes.  The changes to RISE and the Utah Aspire Plus are highlighted below:

Utah Aspire Plus:

  • The English subtest will no longer be administered. Only the Reading, Math and Science subtests will be administered.
  • USBE, under recommendation from the Assessment & Accountability Policy Advisory Committee, has opted to not go through the standard setting process over the summer as they had originally intended. Therefore, Utah Aspire Plus proficiency reporting will be available within 24 hours after students complete and submit the assessment.  Proficiency reporting, composite scale scores, and predicted ACT scores will be available for Math, Reading and Science.  There will be no ELA proficiency reporting.

Please see the attached Utah Aspire Plus updates document released by USBE for more information.

RISE:

  • The summative RISE ELA assessment and the summative RISE Writing assessment (5th and 8th grades only) have been revised according to the new ELA core. Scores for the summative RISE ELA and summative RISE Writing will not be available until fall 2025.  Automatic scoring for both summative assessments will resume in the 2025-26 school year.
  • Scoring for RISE Math and Science will still be available after students complete and submit the assessment.
  • For RISE ELA and Math, students will see up to one cluster question (see 6th JEM). The RISE Math cluster questions will be field test items.  The RISE ELA cluster questions will be actual questions that count towards students’ scores.
  • RISE blueprints, performance level descriptors, and writing rubrics may all be found on the RISE Portal under the Resources

Please see the attached RISE updates document released by USBE for more information.

For questions about these changes, please contact Ben Jameson in Assessment, Research & Accountability.

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Malinda Jensen shows her Get Away Today VoucherThank you to everyone who participated in the Health and Wellness Day “Wellness Challenge” this year. We hope you enjoyed the experience and have discovered new ways to integrate wellness into your everyday life.

Those who submitted their challenge sheet were automatically entered into a drawing for a Get Away Today vacation. We are happy to announce the winner of that vacation is Malinda Jensen, Administrative Assistant for Compliance and Legal Services!

 Congratulations, Malinda. Enjoy your Get Away Today vacation.

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Native American Professional Development FlyerDATE CHANGE - Jordan Native American Program invites you to attend a PD on 'Exploring Native American History: Lessons Beyond Textbooks' by Darren Parry, on March 27, from 4 - 5:30 p.m., at JATC South.

Darren Parry is the former Chairman of the Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation. Darren serves on the Board of Directors for Utah Humanities and the PBS Utah. He attended the University of Utah and Weber State University and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Education. In 2024, he received an Honorary PhD in Education from Utah State University. Darren is the author of “The Bear River Massacre, A Shoshone History” and teaches in the Environmental Humanities department at the University of Utah. He lectures around the country on Native American issues surrounding history and Indigenous views related to sustainability.

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K-5 Math Professional Development Series FlyerK-5 Teachers, 

We have adopted Open Up Resources K-5 Math as our new math curriculum for the 2025-26 school year. Please make sure you have signed up for the math curriculum training.

We are kicking off our new K-5 math adoption of Open Up K-5 Resources with a district-wide Professional Development series. All K-5 and special education teachers (except FA teachers) will engage in 2 full professional learning days with an optional planning day. If you haven’t already, PLEASE SIGN UP FOR PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DAYS BY THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2025.

Teachers should sign up for TWO comprehensive professional learning sessions, delving into effective routines, math practices, and student discourse on Day One and focusing on scaffolding, engagement, and rigor on Day Two. These sessions offer evidence-based strategies to enrich your student-centered learning environment and refine lesson structures. 

Additionally, there is an opportunity to sign up for a paid optional 3rd full day of team-based planning to integrate your new insights into the curriculum, ensuring a dynamic and inclusive classroom experience. 

See the flyer below for more detailed information with and sign up for training. 

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There have been some updates in Module 3 of Wit & Wisdom for second-grade. Please see below for details.

2nd Grade Wit & Wisdom Module 3 Options
Wit & Wisdom offers an optional version of 2nd grade Module 3 with revised narrative writing craft instruction.

  • Changes were made to Focusing Question arcs 3, 4, 5, and the End-of-Module task. The content for the modules is the same. It's only the craft (writing) instruction that has changed.
  • Great Minds has provided a Revised Narrative Instruction One-Pager and Crosswalk.
  • The optional module teacher manual is only available digitally.
  • Jordan District will provide resources for both versions on the W&W Toolkit, and Great Minds has digital resources for both.
  • Second grade teachers are encouraged to choose which option works best for their students. To enable collaboration, school teams should choose the same option.

Here is a brief comparison of the two versions:

Original Version Optional Version
  • Digital or print Teacher Edition
  • All student handouts are in paper student books and on district W&W Toolkit.
  • Print assessments (district W&W Toolkit)
  • FQ Tasks 3, 4, 5 and EOM:  narrative writing from first-person perspective of Ruby Bridges or Sylvia Mendez
  • Digital Teacher Edition
  • Will need to print some student handouts (available on the district W&W Toolkit)
  • Print assessments (district W&W Toolkit)
  • FQ Tasks 3, 4, 5 and EOM: autobiographical narrative writing about students' own educational experience.

Screenshots of the affected writing assessments are included in the document below.

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Spring 2025 Work Based Learning NewsletterWhat's happening in Work Based Learning? We are thrilled to announce that Nathan Shields and Corie Johnson have been honored as recipients of the UACTE New Teacher of the Year award in their respective divisions! Read on to check it out!  Here's what else is inside:

  • CTE Month 2025
  • New Construction Management Program
  • Elementary Lessons
  • Kids Market Place
  • YouScience
  • JSD Internship
  • Diesel Day
  • WBL Events

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2025 PD Day - Wit & Wisdom Workshop FlyerJoin us for a special Wit & Wisdom afternoon where a panel of teachers from every grade level will share how they are finding success and making Wit & Wisdom work in their classroom. There will be time for questions and all teachers who attend this training will receive a stipend of $150.00. We look forward to seeing you there!

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March 2025 Important Payroll InformationPayroll Due: March 4
View Your Paycheck: March 21
Payday: March 25

Professional Development Day - March 14
All contracted employees must record a leave day if not in attendance

Grade Transmittal Day - March 31
All 206, 242 & 245 employees must record a leave day if not in attendance

Spring Recess:
Traditional, 206 day contracts - April 1 - 4
242, 245 contracts - April 3 - 4

Critical Days - March 28 & April 7
As per DP335(B) and DP335 NEG: Licensed & ESP employees who have not been approved by HumanResources for using an annual/personal day on Critical Days may be docked (licensed $161 or ESP 40% oftheir daily rate) unless the leave reason is listed as an exception in policy. If applicable, the reason & thepolicy exception must be written in the time off description box. View the Critical Days FAQ here.

Sub Payroll Deadlines
Pay Period: Feb. 18 - 28
Due: March 3
Payday: March 10

Pay Period: March 3 - 13
Due:March 14
Payday:March 25

SCHOOLS: Please ensure Subs are verified weekly

True Time Deadlines
Pay Period: Feb. 3 - March 2
EMPLOYEES: Please submit your timesheets at the end of each work week
APPROVERS: Please ensure you are approving time sheets weekly for accuracyImportant

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Q1 2025 Blomquist Hale NewsletterThe Blomquist Hale Newsletter for the quarter has arrived. In this issue, you will find articles on:

Stay Connected - Many people long for the magic they first experienced early on in their relationship. After time, things evolve and change. Once the kids and career come, there is not much time to do the same things you did early on in the relationship that made it wonderful. It’s easy to get bogged down by our infinite to do lists. Modern day life is hectic. It seems we pride ourselves on how busy we are; we wear being overwhelmed like a badge of honor. In all of the busyness and stress, we often put ourselves and our relationships on the back burner. We then somehow feel surprised that we are disconnected from our partners.

The “Trifecta” of Dating - It is imperative to spend some time enjoying each other’s company with minimal distractions and disruptions. It’s about doing small things often and prioritizing time spent together. How frequently you have a date night is completely dependent on what works best in your relationship. Ideally every week for 2 hours would be great, but if you don’t have the time or resources to make this happen then every couple of weeks or once a month is just fine. The point here is that you make it happen.

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If you are a contracted employee (Benefit eligible) and need to take Annual/Personal Leave on a Critical Day before or after Spring Recess for any reason not listed in policy DP335NEG or DP335B, you must submit a request as follows:

How to Request
During the window, the employee must send the request through email. Please include your name, school, position, and the date you are requesting the leave. Requests left on voicemail or over the phone will NOT be accepted.

The employee will receive an email confirmation within two working days after submitting the request. If the employee does not receive a confirmation email, then Human Resources has NOT received your request and your leave will not be approved.

School Holiday Date of Holiday Critical Days Window
Spring Recess Licensed April 1-4, 2025 March 28 and April 7, 2025 Feb. 16 – Feb. 26, 2025
Spring Recess ESP April 3-4, 2025 March 28 and April 7, 2025 Feb. 18 – Feb. 28, 2025

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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:

  • Feb. 15, 2025   $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 Employee Access under “Task Processes”. 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.