Westland Elementary

Westland Elementary, located in West Jordan City, is committed to educating students to the highest levels of academic performance as well as promoting social and emotional growth. Teachers are dedicated to providing a nurturing learning environment wherein students can progress to their full potential. Parents are encouraged to participate in all aspects of their student’s education and are always welcome in the school. State law requires that all visitors check in at the office before visiting classrooms.

• Westland was originally constructed in a flexible open space design and opened its’ doors in 1972. In 1996 the building was remodeled and walls were added creating a pleasant, comfortable atmosphere for learning.
• The school operates on a traditional calendar and students attend from the end of August to the first week in June.
• The pupil to teacher ratio is 1 to 22.3 in first grade, 1 to 23.1 in second grade, 1 to 24.6 in third grade, and 1 to 26.7 in fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. The actual class size varies.
• Westland is committed to teaching the Utah CORE curriculum integrated into the Balanced Literacy framework.
• The computer lab provides quality technology training. Three classroom sets of AlphaSmarts are also available for teaching keyboarding.
• Westland serves as a magnet school in the Northwest Area of the District for the Accelerated Learning Program (ALPS). Approximately 160 children are enrolled in ALPS grades one – six.
• Special services are offered through resource classes, speech and language, and guidance counseling.
• A quality “5-Star” lunch is served daily. Free and reduced lunches are available to students who qualify and breakfast is offered daily.
• Each day begins with a greeting and announcements by our Student Council representatives.
• Student Council, a service organization, promotes a recycling project, food drive, and other charity causes.
• Westland has a junior and senior chorus. They perform two times each year. We also have an orchestra program.
• Thirty six percent of our teachers have Masters degrees. They also spend many hours in professional development and graduate level courses to stay abreast of new research-based teaching practices.
• Westland serves 650 students.

RISE
In 2018-19, the name for the statewide grades 3-8 assessment was changed from SAGE to RISE (Readiness. Improvement. Success. Empowerment).  In all other aspects, the assessment remains the same.  RISE is a collection of computer-adaptive assessments given to Utah students beginning in grade 3 (science in grade 4) in English language arts (ELA), math and science.  RISE assessments provide questions that assess students’ ability to apply higher-order thinking skills and better emulate real tasks students may encounter in education and in life.

RISE assessments were developed through a joint effort on the part of Utah teachers, parents, test development experts, and the Utah State Board of Education (USBE).  The RISE assessment, together with the state’s suite of assessments in grades K-12, provide information to assist in determining students’ progress towards being prepared for college and careers upon completion of secondary school. Due to the school soft closure in March 2020, scores are not available for the 2019-20 school year.

School Accountability Report Cards
School Accountability Report Cards are issued for each public school once a year by the State of Utah.  The 2017-18 school year marks the first report card under this new accountability system.  Elementary and middle school report cards have four main grade categories: achievement, growth, English learner progress, and growth of the lowest 25%.  High schools have one additional grade category entitled postsecondary readiness.  For the 2017-18 school year, achievement and growth scores are calculated from the statewide end-of-year SAGE assessment.  In future years, achievement and growth will be calculated from the new Readiness. Improvement. Success. Empowerment. (RISE) assessment for grades 3-8 and the Utah Aspire Plus assessment for grades 9-10.  The English learner progress category score is calculated from the annual administration of the WIDA test, which assesses students’ language proficiency in English.  For high schools, the postsecondary readiness score is calculated from 11th grade performance on the ACT, advanced coursework performance, and graduation rates.  The state’s School Accountability Report Cards are intended to inform educators, parents, and community stakeholders about school performance as they work collaboratively to improve student outcomes. Due to the school soft closure in March 2020, scores are not available for the 2019-20 school year.