2011T12 ANNUAL BUDGET - Granite School District

Granite School District
2011-12 Budget
Organizational Section
World Language
In response to an increasingly “flat” world and global interdependence, Granite District continues to
enhance opportunities for its students by expanding offerings in the world language field. Secondary
students now have access to Mandarin Chinese in four each junior and senior high schools At the
elementary level, sixth graders in many schools have access to the FLES program, a world language
exploratory curriculum that exposes students to a variety of languages and cultures. A dual language
immersion program now available in seven elementary schools allows students to study the core curriculum
in both English and a world language – Spanish, French or Chinese - beginning in first grade, culminating
in bilingual facility and an enriched curricular experience by the end of the sixth grade year. A gifted
Spanish immersion program also is provided in an additional elementary school.
Preschools and Extended Day Kindergarten
Research shows that early intervention and a high quality classroom experience for all children, especially
for those who are at-risk for low academic achievement, are critical for kindergarten readiness and future
school success. Granite School District has adopted a research-based curriculum in all preschool
classrooms district wide which has a strong emphasis on oral language development, early literacy skills,
early numeracy skills and social development. Granite School District continues to support preschool at
more than half of its elementary schools and includes services at no cost to the families in all of the Title I
schools.
Early intervention on behalf of children below level in academic skills pays big dividends in decreasing the
gap between them and their peers. Granite District has had five Early Reading First Title I extended-day
preschools with kindergarten readiness as the primary goal of the program. Further, Granite expanded
extended-day kindergarten to all Title I schools and eight non-Title I schools.
College and Career Readiness
Key findings of our former comprehensive guidance program implementation study indicate that when a
school guidance program is implemented at a high level, students report a greater sense of support, safety,
and belonging; and, parents report efforts to involve them in their students’ education as more extensive.
Granite District continues moving toward a seamless K-12 counseling and guidance program, refining the
SEP/SEOP process, and personalizing counseling and guidance support to meet individual student
academic and career goals. In an effort to move these initiatives forward and to support the Board of
Education’s goal of increased achievement for every student, Granite District has created the Department
of College and Career Readiness in the Teaching and Learning Services division which integrates the
comprehensive guidance program, the AVID program, and the College Advising Corps services in efforts to
have every Granite School District student graduate from high school prepared for success in postsecondary
education efforts as well as career competent and life ready.
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