Digital Teaching and Learning Grant--Jordan School District

Jordan’s vision focuses on collaboration, learning and results. This is achieved by bringing educators together to foster an environment of success in academic achievement and growth for all students. Participation in the DTL grant will allow teachers to reach every child every day by creating a digital learning environment that enhances their level of technology implementation with a focus on deeper understanding through critical thinking, creativity, and authentic experience. This goal will be achieved through three means. First, network upgrades will be supplied to support the use of increased technology levels in the classrooms of participating teachers and schools. Second, grant participants will receive concentrated professional development and become a Professional Learning Community. In so doing, they will collaborate on learning in a digital environment and evaluate the results of technology integration strategies toward reaching the goal of increased student achievement. Third, grant participants will receive resources to enable personalized learning through a digital environment that will activate student engagement and self-direction. Ongoing assessments will be conducted to ensure appropriate progress on each of these goals.

Academic and Digital Equity

Jordan School District (JSD) will, through the use of high quality instruction that integrates technology, address and close student achievement and growth gaps as measured on District and State assessment. JSD's long term outcome is to close achievement and growth gaps for students who fall into the categories of EL, economically disadvantaged, and/or students with disabilities (ELL, Low SES, and SWD).

Several frameworks are used throughout Jordan School District departments and schools provide structure and consistency in school improvement and student growth and achievement. The Jordan Educators Leading Learning (JELL) is a comprehensive model that clarifies purpose and provides clear direction. Following the model within a Professional Learning Community provides all students access to good teaching, a guaranteed curriculum, careful monitoring, and systemic interventions. JELL Standard 2, Effective Teaching and Learning in Every Classroom, includes indicators focusing on equitable access through effective teaching in every classroom that includes high-impact strategies, English language development strategies, and instructional coaching. DTL outcomes directly align with JELL.

The passage of SB149 created the Teacher and Student Success Act (TSSA) for the purpose of improving school performance and student academic achievement. As one of the TSSA requirements, JSD Board of Education adopted a Student Success Framework with guidelines for each school to follow in developing a TSSA Plan. The JSD Board’s TSSA Framework establishes three priorities schools are to use in developing a TSSA Plan. The priorities include coaching, professional development, and school-based initiatives. Schools designated TSI include, within the TSSA plan, action steps for using coaching to meet the needs of students within designated categories of EL, SWD, and SES. The DTL grant will support TSI schools in meeting their goals.

JSD Digital Teaching & Learning Grant aligns with JSD Board Ends Policy 401 Student Achievement through its specific focus on Tier 1 instruction. Additionally, this grant aligns with JSD Board Ends Policy 402 Empowering Employees through its specific focus of increasing teacher opportunities and capacity.

JSD integrates an MTSS Model to provide support to all students at all levels (elementary, middle, high) by using diverse teaching strategies, teaching tools, and leveraging technologies within multiple tiers of instruction and support. Learning for teachers at all levels (elementary, middle, and high) involves using technology to enhance established teaching practices. MTSS emphasizes the importance and priority of access to the core learning standards to all student populations. Implementation of the DTL grant will build the capacity of teachers to provide Tier I instruction that is both culturally-responsive and inclusive, and will help to close achievement gaps for students in the categories of EL, SWD, and SES through effective Tier I instructional practices that leverage digital tools and differentiated strategies.

Currently students of diverse populations (EL, SES, and SWD) are performing significantly lower or show limited growth on assessments such as RISE and WIDA. For example, students falling within ELL, Low SES, and SWD, scored between 23-35% less in proficiency compared to peers on RISE testing. JSD’s plan targets the use of teaching tools and strategies to train teachers in effective Tier I instructional practices. Tier I includes instructional practices that support 100% of students. The MTSS Model includes an additional Tier 2 support that generally includes 15-20% of students and Tier 3 support that generally includes 5% of students. The MTSS Model emphasizes the importance of Tier 1 instruction and establishes that 80% of students should have proficiency on learning targets prior to transition to tier 2 instruction. Currently, many JSD classes do not meet this 80% proficiency, especially for students who fall within the categories of EL, SWD, and SES.

Jordan’s DTL plan targets the instructional and technological capacity of teachers and students during Tier 1 instruction with a focus on the following:
1. Technology and instruction leveraged to increase social, instructional, and academic language vocabulary.
2. Leveraging technology as a platform for all student populations to demonstrate learning through innovation and creation in various ways to demonstrate understanding.
3. Selecting instructional materials and resources that support instruction designed for targeted students (EL, SWD, and SES).
4. Equity for all student populations by providing diverse experiences in digital problem-solving, collaboration, creativity, and production.
5. Equity for all student populations through research-based processes that leverage technology, digital software, and digital tools to support student learning and progress.
6. Equity for EL students through the use of WIDA I Can Descriptors that provide equitable access to core vocabulary and content at various stages of language development.
7. Equity for EL students through the use of SIOP instructional strategies, including the 8 components of sheltered English instruction (Lesson Preparation, Interaction, Building Background, Practice and Application, Comprehensible Input, Lesson Delivery, Strategies, Review and Assessment).
8. Educator’s comfort and ability to analyze and select tools and materials that are good for instructional outcomes and produce high language activities and results.

The technology used to leverage teaching and learning include, but are not limited to, Canvas, Canva, SchoolAI, Mastery Connect, Google Workspace for Education (Drive, Calendar, Mail, etc.), Nearpod, LearnPlatform, etc. This list will vary as new technologies and applications become available.

It is anticipated that by focusing on strategies within Tier I Instruction that address the needs of students who fall within the categories of ELL, Low SES, and SWD, the outcome will ultimately support all students in Jordan School District to achieve at higher levels as measured on end of year assessments.

Advancing Literacy, Math, and Digital Citizenship Through Strategic Professional Learning

Our district is implementing a five-year strategic plan focused on key initiatives: ensuring all students are reading on grade level by Grade 3, strengthening secondary math achievement, aligning with the Portrait of a Graduate, and fostering responsible technology use through a district cellphone policy and digital citizenship programs.

Technology plays a central role in delivering high-quality instruction (Canvas, SchoolAI), promoting belonging (digital citizenship), expanding access for multilingual learners, supporting wellness, and enhancing communication (Canvas, ParentSquare).

To build teacher capacity, the district provides four annual PD days, instructional coaching cycles, Tech Tuesdays, Lunch & Learn sessions, asynchronous book clubs, and Canvas-based professional learning at both district and building levels. Ongoing needs include substitute coverage, stipends for off-contract PD, exemplars of effective technology use, and just-in-time learning resources to support implementation of proficiency-based learning.

Instructional coaches receive advanced preparation through EdTech endorsements, ICA certification, monthly digital coaching visits, and district-led PD. Together, these initiatives foster a culture of innovation, equity, and excellence that supports literacy, numeracy, digital citizenship, and whole-student success.