Iowa Department of Education Request for Information

We recently received a request for information from the Iowa Department of Education (DE). The DE needs specific information about the number of paraeducators employed by Iowa’s school districts and the training of them. The DE is requesting the AEAs collect this information because it does not currently have access to these data.

We would like to have this information compiled by Wednesday, April 29, 2009. Please alert your district's Human Resources representative to have the numbers to the following questions ready for when a Heartland representative calls next week. If you would rather not be called, you may e-mail the answers to the following questions to the Heartland Communications Department e-mail address at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us. Questions can also be directed to Heartland Communications or Connor Hood at chood@aea11.k12.ia.us.

1. How many paraeducators are employed by your district who are certified? (include all paraeducator certifications recognized by the Iowa Department of Education or other state agency and their associated licensing boards)

2. How many paraeducators are employed by your district who are NOT certified, but have a degree in education?

3. How many paraeducators are employed by your district that are neither certified nor have a degree in education?

4. What is your starting wage for paraeducators?

5. Do paraeducators receive additional pay if certified?

Customer Satisfaction Survey: The Results are In...And Our Schools Delivered!

The results are in on the Iowa AEA Customer Satisfaction Survey, and Heartland AEA has reason to celebrate. Although we did not reach our goal of a 36% participation rate, we are thrilled with the 30.72% rate that we received! That's a 61.1% increase from last year! We appreciate the 4,594 individuals who took the time to complete the survey. The data collected from the survey will be used to make important program decisions that benefit all schools in the Heartland region. Relevant data results and more information from the survey will be shared by your Partnership Director at a later time. Please be sure to extend our sincere gratitude to your school staff who completed the survey.

Department of Education's Title I Spring Update

Mark your calendars for the Title I Spring update meeting which will be held on Friday, May 8, from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. at the Johnston Library. Please share this information with others in your district who should be included. Click here for an informational flyer.

To register, click here or visit the Heartland Professional Development Catalog and enter activity number RE011799990901.

Corporal Punishment Chapter 103B Training Modules

Heartland AEA now has Corporal Punishment Chapter 103B Training Modules available on our Web site. There are seven sections (none longer than 10 minutes). Viewing all sections takes 53 minutes. We recommend that a group of people view the training together and have discussions between each section. At the end of each section, the viewers will need to scroll down to the the bottom of their screen and hit "return to menu" or hit the back button on their browser to get to the main menu and select the next section.

Districts are to document the training. You may develop your own documentation or request certificates from Heartland by e-mailing Anita Davids at adavids@aea11.k12.ia.us. A district administrator will need to sign the certificate.

To view the Corporal Punishment Training, click the following link: http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/spedresources/video/index.html

Earn Your Elementary or Secondary Reading Endorsement from Drake University

Classes are available in online and face-to-face formats. Complete the entire endorsement in as little as one summer or take classes at your own pace throughout the school year. This endorsement can be used towards Drake's Masters of Science in Education degree in Effective Teaching.

Click here for an informational flyer, or attend an informational session to find out more. One session will be April 23, 2009, at 4:30 p.m. at Valley High School, West Des Moines. The other session is on April 28, 2009, at 4:30 p.m. at Heartland AEA's Johnston office.

For more information, contact reading@drake.edu or 1-800-DRAKE, ext. 3888.

Summer Professional Development Opportunities

It is an exciting time in the world of professional development. Our summer catalog of offerings is on the Web, and we are pleased to showcase some new opportunities available for teachers and administrators.

Vocal Pedagogy for the High School Voice is being offered by Dr. James Tener from Iowa State University. In this 1 credit course, Dr. Tener will instruct high school vocal music instructors on vocal music pedagogy in the morning, then in the afternoon, will observe and coach that instructor in working with their high school students. For more information or to register for the course, go to: https://prodev.aea11.k12.ia.us/4DCGI/FA013699171001INV*

We are again partnering with Des Moines Area Community College to offer several courses in the Career-Technical Area. Courses in Engines, Cabinet Making, Robotics, Programming and Cryptography are just a few of the offerings in this area. They can be found on the Heartland Professional Development Catalog under "Career-Technical Education" and "Mathematics."

Time is running short for educators to apply for the 21st Century Workplace Skills Experience. Applications must be sent in by May 1, 2009. For more information on this exciting opportunity to learn at a job site, go to: http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/prodev/counseling/workplace.html.

For more information about these and other opportunities, please see the professional development catalog on Heartland's Web site.