Skip to content

Month: November 2025

Published on

Dear Principals,

In our ongoing effort to ensure all students receive the support they need to thrive, we are pleased to introduce a clear and supportive procedure for requesting additional resources that will govern all future requests for additional resources. This process is grounded in the principles of equity, student-centered decision-making, and shared accountability. Your voice and leadership are essential in helping us meet the diverse and evolving needs of our school communities.

Purpose of the Process

To establish a transparent, data-informed, and equity-driven system through which school leaders may formally request additional resources based on identified student needs and strategic priorities.

Guiding Principles

  • Alignment with district priorities:  SLCSD Priorities 2025-26  - Our top priorities highlighted from our strategic plan for student success.
  • Equity over equality: Resources are allocated based on student need rather than equal distribution (Gorski, 2013).
  • Student-centered decision-making: Requests should reflect actual enrollment, demographic shifts, and the academic or behavioral needs of students (Leithwood, 2010).
  • Support for diverse learners: Prioritization is given to schools serving high numbers of multilingual learners, students with disabilities, and those in under-resourced communities.
  • Transparency and accountability: A collaborative process with stakeholder involvement and clear communication throughout.

Petition Submission Process

Step 1: Review school data that serves as the basis for request

  • Review current school-level data with your area director:
    • Academic performance
    • Behavior trends
    • Enrollment patterns
    • Staffing ratios
    • Facility needs
School Data PointWho to contact if you have questions about accuracy or need additional clarity
Academic PerformanceDr. Patrick Jefferies, Supervisor, Data & Assessment or Dr. Christine Marriott, Director of Title I and School Improvement
Behavior TrendsDr. Allison Martin, Director of SEL & Preventive Services
Enrollment PatternsSam Quartz, Chief Information Officer
Staffing RatiosLogan Hall, Executive Director, Human Resources or his designee
Facility NeedsIsaac Astill, Executive Director, Auxiliary Services

Step 2: Draft a resource petition

  • Complete the District Resource Petition, which includes:
    • Description of the requested resource(s)
    • Supporting data (quantitative and/or qualitative)
    • Expected impact on student outcomes
    • Explanation of alignment with school and district strategic goals

Step 3: Area Director review

  • Schedule a consultation to review your petition with your Area Director.
  • Revisions or recommendations may be made to strengthen alignment or clarify outcomes.
  • Once approved by the Area Director, it will proceed to the District Review Process,

District Review Process

Step 4: Cabinet-Level review

After the deadline, a cross-functional Cabinet committee will evaluate requests using the Weighted Resource Allocation Formula (see below) and determine feasibility and alignment with district-wide initiatives.

Step 5: Communication of decision

  • A formal written response will be provided in accordance with the annual timeline.
  • If approved, a deployment timeline and point-of-contact will be shared.
  • If declined, the rationale will be explained and next steps will be offered for support and/or resubmission.

Weighted Resource Allocation formula

To ensure fairness and transparency, each petition will be evaluated using the following scoring system (Total Possible: 100 points):

FactorWeightDescription
Student Enrollment and Demographics25 pointsProportion of high-need students (e.g., FRL, ELL, SPED)
Academic & Behavioral Data20 pointsEvidence of gaps in achievement, chronic absenteeism, or behavior challenges
Access Impact20 pointsDegree to which resource addresses disparities or underserved student groups
Alignment with Strategic Goals15 pointsHow well the request aligns with district/school improvement priorities
Stakeholder Engagement10 pointsInvolvement of parents, staff, and community in needs assessment and planning
Feasibility & Sustainability10 pointsPracticality of implementation and potential for sustained impact

Minimum threshold for consideration: 65 points

Implementation & Monitoring

Step 6:  Review & Feedback

Relevant staff will review resource allocation with building staff.

Step 6: Resource deployment

Work collaboratively with the assigned district departments (e.g., HR, Finance, Facilities, SPED) to implement the resource as planned.

Step 7: Evaluation & reporting

  • Monitor effectiveness using outcome data and feedback tools.
  • Submit a mid-year and end-of-year report summarizing impact.
  • Adjustments may be made as necessary for sustainability.

Ongoing support and improvement

  • School Leadership & Support will maintain a log of all approved petitions for transparency.
  • Annual reviews of the process will be conducted by Cabinet to assess equity and efficiency.
  • Principal feedback will directly inform system refinements.

Supporting Tools

Final Note

We thank you for your dedication to equity, excellence, and innovation. This process is not simply about resource distribution—it is about recognizing the unique stories of your schools and responding with meaningful support. Together, we will ensure every student in Salt Lake City School District receives the opportunities they deserve to learn, grow, and succeed.

For questions or additional support with your resource petition, please contact your Area Director or the Office of School Leadership & Support.

Published on

This information was originally sent on 12/6/2022 in the Letters for Leadership v.18.  Please note the following:

 Winter Weather Guidelines

We want to ensure that you are aware of the expectations for the chilly time of the school year.   Please reach out to you community and communicate to parents that students should be dressed and prepared for the cold weather with the following items: warm coats, sweaters/ hoodies, boots, hats, scarves, mittens/gloves, etc. Please ensure that these items are marked in case they are misplaced or lost. Students should come prepared to go outside, get some fresh air, and exercise outdoors daily.  The exceptions to going out daily are listed below:

Morning:

  • Inside morning in the gym, IF there is significant rainfall or snowfall. (IF students will be getting wet outside.)
  • Inside morning in the gym, IF the temperature is below 20 degrees.
  • Students sitting on their pockets, not running around, playing sports, etc.
  • Inside mornings are from (List the time for your school)________ to ensure our outside-duty teachers are in the gym to help supervise.

Recess:

  • Teacher/Grade Level Discretion
  • Inside recess IF the temperature is below 20 degrees. Recess time is held inside the classroom.

Lunch Recess:

  • Admin/Office Discretion
  • Inside lunch recess, IF there is significant rainfall or snowfall (If students will be getting wet outside), recess time is held inside the classroom.
  • Inside lunch recess, IF the temperature is below 20 degrees, recess time is held inside the classroom.

Please reach out if you have any questions or need further information.  Thank you for all that you do for the children of our district.

Published on

From: Terrilyn Lee

Hello Test Coordinators,

Just a quick note to update you on what is new with RISE, though I did include the new parent resources for our other state required tests.  Please share this information with your teachers.

  1. USBE has added Parent Resources to all the USBE Assessment pages
  1. New Cut scores for ELA have been released  RISE-Score-Charts_2025_updated.pptx Please note, due to the significant changes in the ELA test, please do not compare last year’s results to this years at a scaled score level.
  2. Please note; All RISE Individual Student reports for ELA, Writing, Math and Science are available to families in the PowerSchool parent portal.
  3. The new writing reporting has 2 categories
    • Composition (argument/informative): Scale of 1-6
    • Conventions: Scale of 0.5-3
    • The two scores are not intended to be added together.
  4. New Writing benchmark modules and ELA interim are available in RISE Test Administration
    • Most grades have multiple writing benchmarks available with fully automated scoring.
    • Grade 7 informative writing benchmarks still need more students to participate in the field test before automatic scoring is available.  Field testing for 7th grade informative will open again in February.
  5. NEW Feature Update on the RISE calculator in math and science.  Students can now copy-paste their answers directly from the onscreen calculator into the response field.  This feature is available:
    • On all Math and Science RISE assessments where calculators are provided onscreen
    • For all onscreen calculator types (basic, scientific, graphing)
    • Only for Equation Response items where a student must enter a numerical answer
  1. USBE RISE Training is available https://youtu.be/JZUKTw6m38c?si=Y-eZsh2A19rroY9M
  2. New Utah Accessibility, Accommodations, and Participation Policy 2025–2026  Check out the Appendixes.  There is an Appendix specific to each test which is divided into 2 sections.  The first section are the tools and supports available for ALL students, the second section are the additional accommodations allowed for students if they are listed on their IEPs or 504s.  Please note, some must be approved by either the state or district before they can be activated for students.   RISE is Appendix J, pp 67-69

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Published on

From: Tiffany Hall

As winter approaches, this is our annual reminder to review and prepare Emergency Learning Plans in the event of a major snowstorm, windstorm, or other unexpected event that causes a sudden school closure.

While our goal is always to keep schools open—or, when possible, to delay the start of the school day rather than close entirely—being ready to pivot quickly ensures that student learning continues without interruption. Having these plans in place allows us to maintain quality at-home learning and avoid extending the school year, as required by state law when closures occur.

Overall Guidance

Each school’s plan will look a little different depending on student access to technology, home circumstances, and local procedures. The key is flexibility.

  • Use online or paper-based assignments as appropriate for your content area and grade level.
  • Provide clear directions and expectations for a day’s work:
    • Elementary: 3–4 hours total learning time
    • Secondary: 45–60 minutes per block class
  • Choose activities that focus on familiar content or independent learning tasks.
  • Include an exit ticket or assignment that can be submitted to validate student participation for attendance purposes.

Students with Disabilities

For students with IEPs or 504 Plans, please ensure that emergency lessons consider each student’s individual goals, accommodations, and accessibility needs so that all learners can participate meaningfully from home.

 

Elementary Schools

The district has prepared up to five (5) days of Emergency Learning Plans in ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, Music/Fine Arts, and PE for grades K–6, available in the District Document Center.

You may:

  • Upload these lessons into your Canvas course if students have home computer access, or
  • Print and send home one or two days’ worth of lessons in advance, in case of an unexpected closure.

Please review all lessons before distributing to ensure alignment with your classroom instruction. If you have already developed your own emergency plans—wonderful! The district resources are simply available to support your preparation.

 

Secondary Schools

If your Canvas courses are current and students regularly access them, you are already in great shape. Having assignments and readings available online allows learning to continue seamlessly during closures.

For courses that don’t easily transition online, consider offline options, such as:

  • Logging personal activities related to your course
  • Reviewing safety procedures or study materials for certifications
  • Completing reflection or practice assignments

Thank you for taking the time to plan ahead on top of everything else you do every day. Your preparation ensures that learning continues smoothly, no matter what challenges the season brings.

We appreciate your flexibility, creativity, and commitment to our students.

Rationale: 

Having emergency lessons prepared in advance allows schools to continue instruction on days when weather or other emergencies require building closures. Providing structured at-home learning ensures that students remain engaged in meaningful educational activities, even when they cannot attend in person.

By implementing these emergency learning days, the district can count the day toward the state-required minimum number of instructional days, which prevents the need to extend the school year to make up for lost time. This approach maintains instructional continuity and compliance with state law while offering flexibility to families and staff during unexpected events.

Expectations for Implementation: 

  1. Communication
  • Principals are responsible to communicate this information to their teachers and ensure that classrooms are prepared for an emergency closure.

Keywords: snow day, emergency closure, lesson plans

Protected By
Shield Security