Let's Have the Highest Response Rate in the State!

Yesterday a letter was sent from our chief administrator, Maxine Kilcrease, urging schools in our area to complete the Iowa AEA Customer Satisfaction Survey. The window for completing the survey will close on Thursday, April 9, 2009. Please go to the following link and take a few minutes to share your thoughts about Heartland's services. Remember to remind all of your staff to participate as well.

You can reach the survey by clicking the following link: http://survey.aea267.k12.ia.us/survey/5520/1706/

Thank you very much for all those who have already participated!

Superintendents: Agenda for April's Heartland Administrators Association Meeting

Click here for the agenda of the April 7th Heartland Administrators Association meeting.

Heartland AEA to Co-Host 1 to 1 Learning Seminar with Apple

Heartland will be co-hosting a 1 to 1 Learning Seminar with Apple on April 17, 2009. This seminar is your opportunity to hear how schools are achieving academic excellence by putting technology in their students' hands. Heartland will be sharing current 1 to 1 research and resources for districts. Apple will presenting on their partnerships with Iowa schools and the planning process that goes into implementing a 1 to 1 program.

Click here for an informational invitation flyer with directions for registration. It is recommended (but not required) that interested districts send a team composed of representatives from IT, administration, teaching and integration.

What You’ll Learn
The agenda focuses on the key success factors for 1 to 1 learning: visionary leadership, curriculum design, professional development, infrastructure, assessment, community involvement and funding. We’ll discuss these success factors with educators who are currently implementing successful 1 to 1 learning programs. We’ll also demonstrate resources available for teachers and digital tools today's students use to create knowledge-learning skills.

When and where
Friday, April 17, 2009
Breakfast and registration – 8:00 a.m.
Seminar – 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Heartland AEA, Room 3 & 4

There is no cost for this seminar.

Heartland AEA Online Instruction Courses

Online instruction is playing a bigger role in professional development and K-12 instruction every year. Heartland is seeking to build online teaching capacity by developing quality instructors for both the AEA and local districts. To do so, Heartland will be offering a sequence of courses to help would-be online instructors become proficient and comfortable teaching online. All courses are taught online and are available for Drake graduate credit.

• Technology for Online Instruction: Moodle and Adobe Connect Pro (2 credits - May 11th-June 14th) Activity Number: TE081599990901
• Developing Professional Learning Networks (1 credit - June 8th-17th) Activity Number: TE081799991001
• Introduction to Online Teaching and Learning (2 credits - July 6th-August 9th) Activity Number: TE081699991001
  
• Web 2.0 Tools for the 21st Century Classroom (2 credits - June 15th-July 24th) Activity Number: TE082599991001
  

More courses will be added this fall. For registration and a complete course description, please visit the Heartland Professional Development Catalog, linked from our home page or click here. For specific questions, contact Evan Abbey at eabbey@aea11.k12.ia.us or 515-270-0405 ext. 14511.

District Negotiation Settlements

Below are the latest reports on negotiation settlements.

Corning: 3.9%
Forest City: 4% (2 year agreement)
I-35: 3.98%
South Tama: 4.44%
Turkey Valley: 4.11%
Schleswig: 3.92%
MOC: 3.25%
Albert City-Truesdale: 3.25%
Alburnett: 2.17%
Bedford: 3.25%
Dows: 4.99%
Allamakee: 3.59%
Elk Horn-Kimballton: 2.55%
Garner-Hayfield: 3.74%
Odebolt-Arthur: 2.26%
South O’Brien: 3.8%
Stanton: 3.69%
West Marshall: 3.32%

MULTI-YEAR CONTRACTS
Charles City: 4.6% 2nd of 2 years
Dallas Center-Grimes: 6%+ 65% of new money 2nd of 3 years
Emmetsburg: 4.3% 2nd of 2 years
Harlan: 4.99% 2nd of 2 years
Laurens-Marathon: 3.99% 2nd of 2 years
North Fayette: 4.3% 2nd of 2 years
Oelwein: 5.2% 2nd of 2 years
Southeast Webster Grand: 4.5% 2nd of 2 years
Sumner: 4.05% 2nd of 2 years
West Central: 4% 2nd of 2 years

Heartland AEA Thanks School Building Support Staff

We’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all school building support staff who have graciously taken the time to help us get our PeopleBox contacts database up-to-date. Thanks to them, it is easier to reach the right people for the right purposes. Keeping this information accurate is foundational for Heartland’s communications efforts. If your building has not yet responded to our requests for updates or if there have been recent changes to your staff roster, please contact the Heartland Communications department at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Required Item: Use Iowa-ELDA to Meet Title III Mandates

After checking the list of Heartland AEA 11 school districts that have ordered the I-ELDA, it was discovered that several schools have not ordered the testing materials from Northwest AEA. The testing window is now open for administering the I-ELDA but will be closing April 30, 2009.

All ESL students must be assessed using I-ELDA to meet Title III mandates. To order the I-ELDA, click here or go to the Northwest AEA Web site www.nwaea.k12.ia.us, choose Programs and Services, then click on Iowa English Language Development Assessment. Information under the subheadings will answer many of the questions you may have about the I-ELDA. The forms and template headings provide the information you will need to order your tests and bar codes for the bubble sheets. It is important that your district provide the correct state ID number for the bar codes.

If you have any questions, contact Stephaney Jones-Vo, sjonesvo@aea11.k12.ia.us or Pat Latham, platham@aea11.k12.ia.us. A PowerPoint or DVD training manual can also be provided to assist you with the I-ELDA process if needed.

We Need Your Help By Completing the Iowa AEA Customer Satisfaction Survey

Why?
We use data from this survey to make program decisions that benefit schools in the Heartland region. Our goal is to double our response rate from 18% to 36%.

When?
Monday, March 9 - Thursday, April 9

How?
You can reach the survey by clicking the following link: http://survey.aea267.k12.ia.us/survey/5520/1706/

Please remind all of your staff to participate.

Help Spread the Word, "Iowa's AEAs....Impacting Lives"

Heartland and Iowa's Area Education Agencies ask for your help in spreading our “Iowa’s AEAs …. Impacting Lives” campaign to further awareness and understanding about Iowa AEA services. We feel that one of the best ways to reach our stakeholders is to campaign through our schools. If you are willing, we would greatly appreciate the addition of the following tag lines in your school, parent and/or staff newsletters and a link to the Iowa AEA Web site, http://www.iowaaea.org, on your school district's Web site. If you have questions, please contact the Heartland Communications department, comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Classrooms aren’t places of learning by accident. Dedicated teachers provide nurturing environments where high levels of learning take place. But who supports teachers? Who provides professional development and on-going support? Area Education Agencies.

When teachers succeed, students achieve. Contact your Area Education Agency for support and assistance.
http://www.iowaaea.org

Area Education Agency consultants provide strategic professional development opportunities for teachers; curriculum consultants provide resources and classroom strategies; media specialists recommend and provide materials to support lesson planning; specialists provide effective assessments and special education teams identify and support youngsters with special needs.

When teachers succeed, students achieve. Contact your Area Education Agency for support and assistance.
http://www.iowaaea.org

No two children are alike. Some race through life at top speed, some are thoughtful and inquisitive and some require help for basic learning and physical skills. Area Education Agencies support and impact the lives of all children in our education system. For more information about your Area Education Agency, go to http://www.iowaaea.org.

Youth in Action for a Healthy Iowa

This spring, the Iowa Department of Education’s Team Nutrition program and the State of Iowa Youth Advisory Council (SIYAC) are sponsoring four regional “Youth in Action for a Healthy Iowa” symposiums. The symposiums are designed for high school teams to identify the problems, suggest solutions and discover ways to support their healthy school environments through nutrition and physical activity.

Click here for more information and here for a registration form.

We Need Your Help By Completing the Iowa AEA Customer Satisfaction Survey

Earlier this week we sent out the annual Iowa AEA Customer Satisfaction Survey to our schools. We strongly encourage you to fill out the survey. Our goal is to double our response rate from 18% to 36%.

The survey provides us with opportunities to improve our service to your school(s) and students. This is part of Heartland’s continuous improvement effort. The information is used to evaluate the quality of our programs and services and to ultimately improve our services.

The survey is available from now until Thursday, April 9, 2009. It can be accessed at http://survey.aea267.k12.ia.us/survey/5520/1706/ and only takes a few minutes to complete.

Here are some frequently asked questions about the Iowa AEA Customer Satisfaction Survey.
Q: I’m really busy. Why should I take the time to do this?
A: Heartland uses data to make decisions that affect every school administrator and their staff. Your voice needs to be heard.

Q: Lots of people will be filling this out, one person won’t make a difference.
A: Only 18% filled out the survey last year. That means approximately 2 out of every 10 individuals’ thoughts were used to make decisions for everyone. We know that having more individuals filling out the survey gives us more representative data to make better decisions.

Q: Will I be able to see the information gathered?
A: Yes. Each year we report information from this survey in our annual progress report. In addition, we share specific findings at various stakeholder meetings throughout the year. You can also contact your Partnership Director to request summary information.

Please remind all of your staff to participate. Let's have the highest response rate in the state!

“Iowa's AEAs...Impacting Lives” is Theme for AEA Marketing Campaign

“Iowa’s AEAs …. Impacting Lives” is the theme of a campaign planned statewide beginning in March 2009 to further awareness and understanding about Iowa AEA services.

The campaign will kick off across Iowa with feature ads on cable TV’s “Discovery,” “Food Network” and “Nickelodeon” channels. The channels will feature 30-second ads that will focus on the following three themes:
• An ad called “She Will” will highlight special education services
• An ad called “Rocket Scientist” will highlight that AEAs provide services to help prepare children for learning
• An ad called “When Teachers Succeed” will highlight professional development services

The campaign also includes a variety of other advertising methods, posting on blogs for Iowa parents, radio public service announcements and public service announcements on local access cable channels. Legislators were also welcomed at a coffee in the rotunda at the State Capitol building to kick off the campaign. Heartland is also sharing news about some of our success stories through presentations to local school boards.

The campaign is supported by funds received from the Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC), an initiative of Iowa’s Area Education Agencies. The IEC provides a statewide voluntary purchasing program for K-12 schools. All materials were prepared with support from the AEA Communications Committee. For questions, contact the Heartland Communications Department, comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

New Statewide AEA Logo
At the same time, a new statewide AEA system logo is being introduced. A consistent visual identity is an important element of an organization’s communication plan. Print or online materials are often the first introduction individuals have to the Iowa AEA system.

The updated logo features the letters AEA and the words, Iowa Area Education Agencies and the AEA tagline, “Partners in Education,” in the AEA colors of maroon and gold. Along with the new logo, a revision to the AEA Graphic Identification Guidelines has been completed and will be posted to the Iowa AEA Web site at http://www.iowaaea.org.

Suicide Protection: Prevention, Intervention and Postvention

Click here for the flyer and agenda for a suicide conference hosted by Southeast Polk Community School District. The conference will be held on Wednesday, April 1, 2009 from 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at Adventureland Inn.

Superintendents: SAI Leadership Link, March Edition

Click here for this month's edition of the SAI Leadership Link that was shared at the March AEA Superintendents meeting.

Why Use Com Cat at Heartland?

Students think that finding information should be as easy as doing a Google search. A 2005 study of Iowa college freshmen showed that 62% go to the Internet first when doing research and 36% never rejected a piece of information from the Internet. Students’ information-seeking behaviors and expectations have changed. Information silos aren’t a good fit for 21st century learners. Fortunately, the technology has evolved so that students can have the Google-like interface they expect to be valid, reliable information sources that teachers want them to use.

Students can use a single portal to search the school library, Heartland collections and online databases such as EBSCO, SIRS, World Book, netTrekker, etc. at the same time. Com Cat provides the single portal interface that matches student information-seeking behaviors. It is a valuable support to discovery learning, inquiry approach, focused-learning approach and personal learning. More information is available from the school teacher librarian.

To access Com Cat, go to http://comcat-agent.auto-graphics.com
Click Account Login
Click Lookup and choose your school Enter the username and password assigned to your school.

Iowa Educators Consortium Statewide Online Database Trials

The Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC) statewide online database trials will run March 1 through April 15. Teachers are encouraged to build lessons and use these trial resources during this time. A three page handout of the databases, which can be copied and forwarded to staff, is available from the school teacher librarian. AP, social studies, debate, science and gifted/talented teachers will be especially interested in these free resources!

Heartland is interested in knowing which databases should be considered for purchase in the 2009-2010 school year. Teacher librarians are asked to talk with staff and forward recommendations for purchase to Heartland. If there is enough interest and need, Heartland will consider purchasing the database(s) for all schools in the service area.

Log-in information is in the handout and below:
http://tinyurl.com/ckxepl
User ID: iec2009
Password: iowalibrary

Note: Heartland already subscribes to BookFLIX, netTrekker and Rosen Teen Health and Wellness. Those databases are listed on the IEC Web site but are not included on the three page handout.

Iowa Department of Education's 2009-2010 HIV Prevention Teacher Training

HIV, sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy are still concerning issues in our society. Click here for information on the Iowa Department of Education's 2009-2010 HIV Prevention Teacher Training Program. Classes offered this year are entitled, Draw the Line/Respect the Line, Making A Difference and Making Proud Choices. Click here for dates and locations of the classes, all of which start at 8:15 a.m. and finish by 3:45 p.m. To register for the classes, click here. All registration forms must be sent to the following:

Mary Jo Clark
HIV/AIDS Program
Iowa Department of Education
Grimes State Office Bldg.
Des Moines, IA 50319 – 0146
maryjo.clark@iowa.gov
Fax: (515) 281-6548

Contact Sara Peterson (515) 281–4804, sara.peterson@iowa.gov or Mary Jo Clark, (515) 281 – 4751, maryjoclark@iowa.gov for questions concerning classes, registration or reimbursement.

Heartland Provided Summer Workshop: Effective School Team Leadership

Schools and districts interested in learning how to build effective leadership teams will have the opportunity to send staff to one of two Effective School Team Leadership Workshops this summer. The three-day workshops will be offered across different regions on June 10-12 or August 3-5. Areas of focus will be building culture and trust, doing the right work of a team and reviewing how the team will address implementation of the Iowa Core Curriculum. Click here for more information including dates and locations.

The deadline for registration is May 13, 2009.

National Clean Diesel Funding Available

Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009, "The Stimulus Bill", Congress has made over $300 million available for retrofits, re-powers, replacements, engine upgrades and idle reduction technologies. Of the $300 million appropriation, approximately $26 million will be made available to eligible entities within the Blue Skyways Collaborative Region.

The Request for Application (RFA) is posted at www.epa.gov/cleandiesel, and the anticipated closing date is April 13, 2009.

For additional information on applicant eligibility and projects that qualify for funding under this program, go to www.blueskyways.org/funding/archives/DERA.htm.

To stay current on the latest grant opportunities and other Blue Skyways Collaborative information, email info@blueskyways.org.

See What's New on the Professional Development for Iowa School Leaders Web site

The Professional Development for Iowa School Leaders Web site offers a one-stop resource to locate professional development available from some of Iowa’s foremost providers. Go to http://iowaschoolleadership.org to view upcoming professional development opportunities.

In addition, Iowa school leaders may continue to subscribe to the mailing list to stay abreast of the latest professional development posted on the site. Sign-up is available on virtually any page on the site, below the menus in the right column.

Assessment for Learning around the World: What Would it Mean to Be "Internationally Competitive"

A new article written by Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor, outlines nations whose educational systems thrive without relying on high-stakes testing and standardized tests. To read the article, go to http://edpolicy.stanford.edu/pages/events/kerner/kerner_materials.html scroll down to the section, "Recommended Readings", and choose Assessment for Learning around the World: What Would it Mean to Be 'Internationally Competitive?'