Maeser Updates: 1 April 2022

In This Edition

Truth | Honor | Virtue, Maeser Mechatronics, Senior Prom, Lands’ End Uniform Sale, Assessment Announcements & FAQs, Volunteer Opportunities (Maeser Appreciation Week, Counseling Candy Donations, Report Your Volunteer Hours), Sports Announcements (Q4 Sports Academic Eligibility, Sports Physicals, Maeser Sports Guide), Counseling Announcements (MTech Registration for Fall 2022, Miss Krystal’s Counseling Corner Podcast, Ms. Sorenson’s Middle School Podcast, MS Students of the Week, Scholarship Opportunities, College Information Sessions), Are You Missing Important School Communications? (Opt In For School Text Messages, Update Your Contact Information)

Front Office Hours This Week

CLOSED for Spring Break

Upcoming Dates and Deadlines

April 4-8
Spring Break: School & Office CLOSED

Wednesday, April 20
MTech Registration Opens for Fall 2023 (rising seniors only)

April 18-28
RISE Testing in MS English, Math & Science Classes

Friday, April 22
Utah Aspire Plus Testing
9th & 10th grades ONLY on campus — NO ADVISORY FRIDAY

May 2-13
AP Exams

Saturday, May 14
7:30pm Senior Prom

Truth | Honor | Virtue

Each week in this new feature, we’ll be celebrating some of the great things our school community is doing!

National Honor Society Welcomes New Inductees

Congratulations to the outstanding students who were recently inducted into the Karl G. Maeser Preparatory Academy charter of The National Honor Society. An Induction ceremony was held in their honor the evening of March 30th.

HS Drama Students at Region Drama Competition

Last week, 33 Maeser HS actors competed in Region Drama Competition. We not only fielded a FULL TEAM, but ALL 25 PIECES qualified for State Competition! Other highlights included:
One-Act: 2nd Place
Scout Jones and Alaina Hadfield: Best Supporting Actors in a One-Act
Dramatic Monologue: 1st place Ethan Lewis
Comedic Monologue: 1st place Alex Curtis
Pantomime: 1st place Keira Hamilton and Jacob Muhlestein
Contemporary Scene: 2nd place Maverick Jarman and Ivy Nelson, 3rd place Abbie Nelson and Alaina Hadfield
Classical Scene: 2nd place Sarah Hailstone and Ella Wright
All 4 of our Pantomimes (Jordyn Jackson, Cuen Rogers, Sam Vick, Harmony Bahr, Scout Jones and Eric Naylor) made it to the Medals Round
Alyssa Lowry, Alex Kreiner, Leo Sanjinez, and Porter Watts made it into the very competitive Musical Theatre Medals Round
Other Medals Rounders were Ash Hawks in Dramatic Monologue, and Alyssa Lowry/Erin Mortensen in Classical Scene

Maeser Mechatronics

Our amazing robotics team is competing in the Utah regional Friday April 8 and Saturday April 9 at the Maverick Center! We would love to have an audience and cheering section. Times for the robot battles are Friday 9-12 and 1-5:45; Saturday 9-12 and 1:30-4:30. Come cheer on our amazing robot – and its gifted engineers!

Senior Prom

This year’s Senior Prom, “A Night At The Oscars”, will be held May 14 at the Vista at Cedar Hills, from 7:30-10:30pm.

Lands’ End Uniform Sale

Land’s End will be holding a Limited Time 40% off sale April 14-27! Use promo code LEARN and PIN 2731 when you shop the sale online at https://www.landsend.com/school between April 14-17 and receive 40% off school uniform items!

Assessment Announcements

It’s that time of year again… when we start assessing student’s growth and proficiency in core subject areas!

The Utah State Board of Education has implemented summative assessments for our students in grades 7-10 (as required by Utah Statute 53E-4-303): middle school students take RISE tests for English, Writing (8th grade only), Science and Math; students in 9th and 10th grades take Utah Aspire Plus – a special pre-ACT test for 9th and 10th grade students that provides a predictive ACT score and areas for improvement to prepare for the ACT, as well as growth and proficiency scores for Utah standards.

These changes provide our students with improved assessments that help prepare them to succeed on the ACT and other college readiness exams.

9th and 10th Grades: Utah Aspire Plus – Friday, April 22
Fixed-form high school assessment with subtests in Reading, English, Math, and Science; provides students with a predictive score for the ACT

8th Grade: RISE – April 19-29
Multistage adaptive summative tests in English, Math, Science and Writing

7th Grade: RISE – April 19-29
Multistage adaptive summative tests in English, Math, and Science

2022 State Testing Schedule for Students in 7th-10th Grades

Middle school students will take their RISE tests in their regular English and Science classes beginning Monday, April 18.

9th and 10th grade students will take the Utah Aspire Plus on Friday, April 22. This is a special testing day – Advisory Friday is canceled and only students taking Utah Aspire Plus are allowed on campus on Friday, April 22.

Please make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments during state testing, to avoid interruptions and distractions during testing.

We appreciate your help in creating a focused and productive testing environment for our students!

Assessment FAQs

7th & 8th Grades: Readiness Improvement Success Empowerment (RISE)

What is RISE?
The RISE assessment is a multistage computer adaptive criterion referenced assessment system that includes summative tests for English, Math, Science, and Writing.

Will RISE be computer adaptive?
Yes, the statute requires these tests to be computer adaptive, but this assessment will be multistage adaptive instead of item adaptive.

How does a multistage adaptive test differ from an item adaptive test?
Both testing methods are algorithm-based approaches to administering testing, but rather than selecting individual items, groups of items are selected, building the test in stages.

The biggest advantage for our students is that they will now be allowed to navigate backward and forward within each stage or test section, so they can review and revise their answers as needed! The inability to go back and change an answer to a previously submitted question was one of the biggest frustrations our students had when taking prior state tests, so we’re thrilled that this functionality has been built in to RISE.

Which students will participate in RISE and for which subjects?
Maeser students in grades 7-8 will participate in RISE. Both grades will be tested in English, math, and science; in addition, 8th grade students will be tested in writing.

Why aren’t we assessing writing in all grades anymore?
The Utah State Board of Education made a policy decision to only assess writing in grades 5, 8, and 11. Writing is still part of the Utah English Language Arts standards and it is expected that students will be taught and assessed in those standards in their English classes.

Where can I get more information about RISE?
The USBE has produced a short video introducing the new test – you can access it here: Introducing RISE (Readiness, Improvement, Success, Empowerment).

9th and 10th Grades: Utah Aspire Plus

The Utah Aspire Plus is a hybrid of the ACT Aspire and test items covering Utah standards. This is a computer delivered, fixed-form high school assessment for students in grades 9 and 10. The test includes subtests for Reading, English, Math, and Science. The tests will provide students a predictive score for the ACT, which is taken by all Utah 11th grade students and is the most commonly submitted college readiness assessment for local universities.

What is Utah Aspire Plus? I’ve never heard of that test…
Utah Aspire Plus is a hybrid between ACT Aspire and assessment items covering Utah’s 9th and 10th grade standards in English, Math, Reading, and Science.

Will the test be administered in one sitting, like the ACT?
USBE left this up to local schools and districts to decide. Maeser has opted to offer Utah Aspire Plus in one sitting, to help students practice in a setting similar to taking the ACT. Because Utah Aspire Plus is slightly longer than the ACT, students will have a 30-minute lunch break before the Science subtest.

Will Utah Aspire Plus be timed?
Yes, Utah Aspire Plus is a timed test – practice taking exams under timed conditions helps prepare students for success on timed high-stakes tests like the ACT.

Is Utah Aspire Plus computer-adaptive like RISE?
No. While the text will be taken online like RISE, Utah Aspire Plus is a fixed-form test like ACT.

Why aren’t we assessing writing in all grades anymore?
The Utah State Board of Education made a policy decision to only assess writing in grades 5, 8, and 11. Writing is still part of the Utah English Language Arts standards and it is expected that students will be taught and assessed in those standards in their English classes.

What kind of score report will my student receive?
Utah Aspire Plus score reports will be very similar to the report provided by ACT for the ACT Aspire, including a predictive ACT score.

Maeser’s State Testing Schedule

When will Maeser be giving RISE and Utah Aspire Plus?
Middle school students will take their RISE tests in their English and Science classes beginning Monday, April 18.

9th and 10th grade students will take the Utah Aspire Plus on Friday, April 22. This is a special testing day – Advisory Friday is canceled and only students taking Utah Aspire Plus are allowed on campus on Friday, April 22.

What if my student has to miss their scheduled testing?
Missing a test day does not excuse the student from state testing. We will be pulling students out of class in the following weeks for make-up testing. Please make every effort to have your student here on the scheduled testing dates so they can avoid missing class in the last critical weeks of school.

Can I opt my student out of RISE or Utah Aspire Plus?
While we hope you will allow your student to participate in RISE and Utah Aspire Plus – both to receive feedback on areas your student can improve in preparation for the ACT and to help our school improve instruction – we will always respect a parent’s desire to exclude their student from state testing. Though you can submit a Parental Exclusion Form at any point, submitting the form to the school at least 24 hours prior to the test date helps us ensure that your student does not access the test and is not scheduled for make-up testing.

Volunteer Opportunities

Maeser Appreciation Week

Maeser Appreciation Week is coming in May! In preparation for the week, please check out our sign-up sheet for needs: Maeser Appreciation Week. THANK YOU in advance for supporting our Maeser team! For every $5 spent = 1 volunteer hour.

Counseling Candy Donations

Our Counseling Department is in need of candy donations for quarter 4. For more information and to sign up to help, please visit our SignUpGenius: Counseling Candy Donations. Thank you in advance!

Report Your Volunteer Hours

DON’T FORGET! Report your volunteer hours once you’ve dropped off your donation: Report Parent Service Hours. Each $5 spent for donations counts as one hour of volunteer service!

Sports Announcements

Q3 Sports Academic Eligibility

Eligibility for participation in any sports/activities during the 4th term will be based on 3rd term grades. Students (7th-12th) must have earned a 2.7 GPA with no Fs/NGs. In addition, high school students cannot have any Fs/NGs/Incompletes from previous high school terms. If the F/NG/Incomplete is made up by the beginning of the sports season they will be able to participate.

Sports Physicals

All students (middle school and high school) who will be playing sports this year need a physical in order to play. Here is a link to the UHSAA form which Maeser uses for ALL athletes: UHSAA Physical Form

Maeser Sports Guide

For a list of the sports that are available at Maeser for both MS and HS students, click here: 2021-22 Maeser Sports Guide. The Fall Sports Guide includes whether the team is boys, girls, or coed, when tryouts are, who the coach is, and the coach’s contact information, if it is available.

Counseling Announcements

MTech Registration for Fall 2022 (2022-23 Seniors only)

Registration for MTECH classes starting in the Fall of 2023 is rapidly approaching. All students must enroll before registering for classes. The registration portal for many fall classes opens on April 20th and the classes can fill rapidly. Make sure you have taken all the steps to be prepared and ready to register! Visit MTech Admissions to start your admission process. We highly encourage you to talk to a counselor at MTECH and possibly take a tour before making your final decision. Students may be required to take an assessment test in the enrollment process. Based on your scores you may be able to provide a high school transcript in place of the test. You can obtain your transcript by emailing Mrs. Anderson or asking for a print out from the front office. Maeser will require all students choosing MTECH this year to take a morning class session that runs from 7:30am to 10:30am or an evening class. These are the only class time frames that work with the Maeser schedule and other classes you are required to take during Senior year. If you have further questions please contact Mrs. Anderson at .

Miss Krystal’s Counseling Corner Podcast

The Gift of a Better You

Ms. Sorenson’s Middle School Podcast

No new episode this week. Watch for a new episode after Spring Break.

Middle School Students of the Week

Congratulations to this week’s Middle School Students of the Week! This month we are focusing on Leadership.

7th Grade: Penny Clarke, Danny Schaefermeyer

Scholarship Opportunities

The counselors get emailed many scholarship opportunities! We will post these here as we get them: New Scholarship Opportunities

College Information Sessions

Check out this link on our website to join a virtual college information session: College & University Info Sessions.

Are You Missing Important School Communications?

Not getting our emails, phone or text messages? Here’s how to make sure you’re getting all of our important announcements and information:

Opt In For School Text Messages

Our school utilizes the SchoolMessenger system to deliver text messages to your mobile phone with important information about events, school closings, safety alerts, student fees, and more. We will only use text messaging for urgent and important information.

You can participate in this service by sending a text message of “Y” or “Yes” to our school’s short code number, 67587.

You can also opt out of text messages at any time by simply replying to one of our messages with “Stop”.

Update Your Contact Information

If any of your contact information has changed – email address, mailing address, phone number – please let us know asap so we can be sure you’re getting school and teacher communications.

Thank you for helping us keep in contact with your family!