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Granite School District > Superintendent's Office > Sup’s Vlog > Students

Students

Question – Lab Time for Testing or for Kids

Question – I find it such a challenge to lose the computer lab from the 16th of April until the end of May for CRT testing. Any suggestions?

Response – We feel this teacher’s pain as well as a number of you who submitted similar questions regarding lab use and other issues. We continually lobby the USOE to create tests that do NOT have to be administered exclusively in a computer lab setting. As such, the current testing model for CRT’s demands lab settings and prescribes the testing window. However, soon all of our schools will have student response devices (clickers) this year that will allow for Granite’s online assessments – quarterly benchmarks and the Acuity Progress Screener – to be administered in the classroom if the teacher so desires. We wish the same were true for the CRT’s, but we’re not in charge of them. We hope that with the rise of alternative technologies that more of these types of assessments can be performed directly in the classroom with a reduced need for computer labs overall.

Please know that the 5-Year Plan contemplates one-to-one student technology AND the infrastructure to support it.  The superintendent considers computer labs an anachronism and we’re looking to build the research, production and assessment capacity of a lab into each classroom.

Thanks to the Teaching and Learning Department for their assistance in responding to this question.

Question – iPods in the Classroom

Question – Our school has been fortunate enough that a few teachers got to take an iPod training and then they received an iPad or iPod lab to use. As excited as I am for them, it has already created a feeling of “that’s not fair” in my classroom. And as a teacher who enjoys using technology, I would love the opportunity to create more learning opportunities for my students as well. Are there plans to increase the availability of IPods to other classrooms?

Response – Thank you for your email and interest in use of technology in the classroom! The iPod carts that have been provided has been a fairly large project in terms of cost and professional learning. Due to limits in resources (both in funding and in time), we have not been able to provide this opportunity to all teachers. We hope to continually add technology integration into all classrooms. The technology tools will obviously change over the years, but our vision and goals of always looking to provide as many opportunities to teachers will not change.  This year we were able to modify restrictions on how textbook funds can be used – to include certain technologies.  As you may have seen in our 5-Year Plan, we intend to have one-to-one technology with students and, just as importantly, the infrastructure to support it.  Thanks again for your commitment!

Question – Impact of Grade Reconfiguration on Special Needs Children

Question – I am a teacher at KHS. My concern is the size of the self-contained classes when you add another year of students. I currently have 12 students on my class list for next year. Adding 9th grade will add 3-4 students. Can the district promise added support in this era of budget cuts and withdrawal of needed support for special needs students?

Response – The Special Education Department staffs it’s programs based on the number of students assigned to the program and additional program needs in accordance with state caseload guidelines. As conditions change, the Special Education Department actively responds to changes that may result in additional needs on an individual basis. As such, appropriate levels of ongoing support for special needs students would not change based on a potential grade reconfiguration.

Thanks to the special education department for their assistance in responding to this question.

Another question about movies in the classroom

Question – What if I wanted to show a carefully selected clip from a movie that was rated PG, PG13, or R. Would it be acceptable to show a 5 or 10 minute clip from a movie, that would ordinarily require permission. Perhaps the entirety of the movie wouldn’t be acceptable for classroom viewing, but a section of it would be illustrative for students who struggle with English. For example, I’m thinking of using a short, edited clip from the movie Amistad to show what the middle passage was like for slaves. If I did this without prior approval and without sending permission slips, would I be breaking policies (or laws)?

Answer – A link below outlines our full policy on movies in the classroom.

Use-of-Videos-and-DVDs

Question – Movies in the Classroom?

Question – As any good teacher, I realize and understand that movies cannot, and should not, be used to replace other teaching materials (textbooks, direct instruction, etc.). However, as an artistic person, I also realize that there can be great learning taking place while watching a movie with students. My understanding of district policy is that G-rated material is generally approved, so far as there is a curriculum connection. Any material that is PG or PG-13 needs a request to show form signed from the principal and parental permission for each student to view the content. Any R, X, or NC-17 material is strictly prohibited. As far as my understanding goes, this is a blanket statement for every classroom in the district, with no distinction between grade or school levels; elementary rules are the same as junior and senior high schools. I recently created what I think is a brilliant literacy activity that includes reading strategies, character development, compare/contrast, cause/effect, and persuasive writing all done by watching a movie made from a book that my students read. Wanting to follow proper channels, I looked up the policy, sent it to my principal, who then checked with her supervisor, and we were told we could not watch the movie in class. The reason we were given is because the supervisor felt that it was inappropriate to show PG material in an elementary school (5th grade, by the by).

My question, then, is three-fold: Is this really the district policy? Is the policy really the same for all grade levels? And, if this is the policy, then why, when I followed the correct procedure, was I not allowed to implement my brilliant lesson plan? I don’t want to ruffle feathers, make waves, nor get anyone mad at me, and I’m not just trying to get my own way (I’ve already made plans to show a different, if inferior, movie of the same book that is rated G, and adjusted the lesson plan accordingly), I only want to understand.

Response – First of all, thanks for planning engaging, relevant lessons!  I’m confident you’re brilliant lesson plan isn’t to show movies as a reward or just for fun (Finding Nemo was on in a math classroom I visited recently, not quite sure how it fit into the curriculum) but that you’re teaching explicit learning objectives in a multisensory educational way.  Different media and technologies present so many opportunities – please share what you’re doing with colleagues.

As far as movie use is concerned, you are correct, but let us flesh this out a bit. The district policy does not differentiate among elementary and secondary and the rules are the same for all. ANY movie shown (and it cannot be rented, you need proper licensure to show it – movies rented or bought at the store are typically licensed for home use only) must have an explicit instructional purpose and tie directly to concepts or objectives in the State Core Curriculum. Only G-rated movies can be selected unilaterally by the teacher. PG or PG-13 rated movies must be approved in writing (there’s a form attached to the policy) by the principal, and a parent permission slip (also a form attached to the policy) must be sent home with every student in the class. Obviously movies with ratings beyond PG-13 cannot be shown. Sounds like you have been working hard to create an engaging class activity. I hope this helps clarify the policy.

Thanks to the Teaching and Learning Department for their help in responding to this question.

Question – 4 day school week

Question – What do you think about a 4 day school week?

Response – Interesting question.  After the state board of education granted waivers to a couple of rural school districts we explored having four academic days and scheduling ALL sports and extracurricular activities on Fridays.  Significant scheduling conflicts became obvious immediately.  In any event, the state has indicated (by denying subsequent requests) that requests from districts without the rural transportation issues would not be granted.

9th Grade Reconfiguration – Q&A

Dear Patrons of Granite School District,

The district recently hosted two informational meetings in the Cottonwood and Granger High communities to answer questions regarding the process by which a community could reconfigure the 9th grade into the high school.
It is important to understand that while there is evidence to suggest that such a model can be advantageous, a decision of this magnitude should be supported and advocated by a community as a whole. These informational meetings were held to begin that process and provide information to a community on how to pursue such a change if they desired. We would encourage you to review the presentation (attached below) that outlines the complete process.

While a number of the questions you will read were answered at the meeting, we have chosen to reprint these questions (see attachment below with complete Q&A). If there additional questions, you can submit those to communications@graniteschools.org and they will be added to this document as they are received.

As you can see from the Grade Reconfiguration Attachment (below), we are still very early in the discussion phase of this proposal. We anticipate that those advocating for this proposal will be providing additional information so that our patrons can make an informed choice on this matter.

We have categorized the questions (as some of them are quite similar) into topics and then broken down the individual questions with each letter. The answers directly follow each question in the same subsection and are bolded and colored. While we attempted to be succinct, some questions required additional information to clarify appropriate information.

Thanks for your questions.

Q & A from Informational Meetings

Grade Reconfiguration Process