Box Elder School District - Learning is Everything

Utah Kindergarteners Show Significant Reading Gains SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) is pleased to announce that Utah’s kindergarten students are demonstrating remarkable improvements in reading proficiency, according to the latest Acadience Reading data. The Acadience Reading assessment measures basic early literacy skills and is a valuable tool for tracking student progress and identifying areas for improvement. Currently, 93 schools, representing 22 districts and three charter schools, have 70 percent or more kindergarteners at the “above benchmark” level. Scoring “above benchmark” means a student has a 90-99 percent chance of meeting subsequent literacy benchmarks and may benefit from instruction on more advanced skills. “At benchmark” means that a student has a 70-85 percent chance of achieving future literacy goals and is likely to make adequate progress with effective core instruction. “These achievements demonstrate the effectiveness of Utah's educational strategies in providing our youngest students with a strong foundation in literacy. By equipping students with essential reading skills early on, Utah is supporting long-term academic success and empowering students to reach their full potential,” said State Superintendent of Public Instruction Sydnee Dickson, “as Utah continues to prioritize early literacy development, the state is positioned to continue its upward trajectory in reading proficiency and prepare students for academic challenges in the future.” Key highlights from the data include: • An 11 percent increase in kindergarten students achieving at or above benchmark reading levels since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. • A 16 percent increase in kindergarten students achieving above benchmark reading levels, indicating reading on grade level (ROGL), since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. • A 70 percent or higher number of kindergarten students making typical or better growth on Acadience Reading from the beginning of the school year to the end of year, representing 62 LEAs across the state. This measurable progress is likely linked to the expansion of full-day kindergarten programs statewide and initiatives focused on enhancing reading instruction. www.schools.utah.gov

Hey Patrons of Box Elder County, You are invited to attend our 2024 BOND Town Hall Meetings to learn more about the BOND and to ask questions to best inform you prior to the November 5, 2024 Election. Please click the link below for dates, times and locations. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1GhYbu3sqlTTRs_Zp8SOuHhWS72f8BjBdg93UV-vVukM/edit?usp=sharing For more BOND Information, click below: https://www.besd.net/o/besd/page/bond-information

Congratulations to Willard Elementary who moved up a spot in the 2023-2024 official state scores, and had the TOP Reading scores in the state of Utah! There are 803 elementary schools in the state! Congratulations, and we are so proud to work with such amazing students and staff in Box Elder.

Nucor Steel donated over $23,000 to teachers of Box Elder School District as teacher grants. Thank you Nucor Steel for your support of teachers and students! These grants will be a big boost in the classrooms. Some of the teachers receiving grants were able to attend the September 11, 2024 School Board Meeting to receive the grant and to give a big thank you to Nucor Steel.

The Bear River High Student School Board Member, Easton Johnson, was sworn in at the September 11, 2024 School Board Meeting. Easton will represent the students of Box Elder School District for the 2024-25 school year.

Congratulations to BEHS and BRHS! In the 2023-24 school year, both high schools had a 68% pass rate on the ACT assessment and increased the number of tests taken by over 10%!

Congratulations to Fielding Elementary who had the 12th highest Acadience Math scores in Utah!

Bond Proposal- Financial Impact for home, business, and farm owners.

Our western schools have had a great start this week! We wish our Park Valley, Snowville, and Grouse Creek students and staff a wonderful school year. 📚📝

The excitement is in the air as we kicked off the 2024-25 school year today! We can't wait to see all the learning, growth, and fun that will happen this year across our amazing schools. Here's a peek at our south schools as they welcomed back students for the first day! 🤩

The excitement is in the air as we kicked off the 2024-25 school year today! We can't wait to see all the learning, growth, and fun that will happen this year across our amazing schools. Here's a peek at our north schools as they welcomed back students for the first day! 🤩

Congratulations to Willard Elementary! They had the 2nd highest reading scores in Utah during the 2022-23 school year! Congratulations to Box Elder Middle School! The math department outscored the state average by 15% on RISE math in the 2023-24 school year!

Coach Donald Hawes and the Bear River Baseball Team were recognized at the August School Board Meeting. Coach Hawes is the NHSBCA Region 7 Coach of the Year and the BRHS Baseball team received the ABCA Team Academic Excellence Award for the 3rd year straight! Congratulations to Coach Hawes and the Baseball Team!

Thank you to all our school volunteers! Volunteers donated 3,500 hours in Box Elder School District schools in the 2023-24 school year. These hours equate to $117,110!

Lakeshore Learning has partnered with two schools in the Box Elder District and has donated furniture for a new library at Box Elder Middle School and a Kiva/Entry area at Garland Elementary for the students and faculty of both schools. This is in conjunction with Lakeshore opening a new 1.2 million square foot distribution center in Northern Utah that will employ over 550 people. For70 years Lakeshore has been known as the premier provider of high-quality furniture and learning materials for early childhood and elementary schools. Recently we have launched a furniture line for middle and high schools and we have been working closely with the principals at both schools to create newly updated areas that we believe the students and faculty will love.

Hey parents, students and employees, Each year, the Utah State Board of Education (USBE) administers an annual survey (https://usbe.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_4VknBAIwwN9VdY2 ) seeking feedback from educators, parents, students, and other interested community members on Utah’s Core Standards. Core Standards serve as the basic knowledge, skills, and competencies­ each student is expected to acquire or master as the student advances through the public education system. The survey provides USBE with key insights into potential need for revision to the current standards. You can review the current core standards by visiting https://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/utahcorestandards. The survey will be open for 30 days, from July 23 to August 23 and the results are expected to be reported to the Standards and Assessment Committee on September 6, 2024. Thank you in advance for your engagement in this feedback process. Contact Person: Jennifer Throndsen Contact Email: jennifer.throndsen@schools.utah.gov

In the June School Board meeting Jeremy Young, BESD Assessment Director, shared Acadience Reading scores for the School District over the past three years. The number and percentage of students in the district that are reading at or above the end of year benchmark has not only steadily increased over the past three years, but is also well above the state percentages. BESD is excited about this growth as it represents significant progress toward our mission of high levels of learning for all students. It is evidence of the dedicated work of our wonderful teachers and students and we are confident that this trend of improvement will only continue for years to come.

Congratulations to Alice C. Harris Intermediate School Principal David Lee who was recognized as UAESP Special Contributor of the Year and to North Park Principal Dax Sederholm who was recognized as UAESP Rookie of the Year.

Teachers came together for LETRS Training on Thursday, May 23rd.

More Retirees!