The Iowa Department of Education has just released its plan for Iowa's Race to the Top application.
Click here for a flyer detailing the plan proposal and the meeting schedule for regional school administrators. The meetings will be an opportunity for school district leadership (superintendents, school board presidents and teacher association presidents) to review exactly what will be required of them if they sign on to Iowa’s Race to the Top application. This will help inform your decision about participating in Race to the Top.
As was mentioned yesterday in an e-mail from Sheila King to area superintendents, the regional meeting for Heartland area school administrators will be on January 6, 2010. Technical assistance meetings for superintendents will be from 4:30-5:45 p.m., and a joint meeting for superintendents, school board presidents and teacher association presidents will be from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
The meetings will take place at Iowa Public Television, 6450 Corporate Drive, Johnston, in the McElroy Room. Ames High School and the Carroll and Newton DMACC campuses will serve as satellite sites. District teams who cannot travel to the sites may take part over the ICN.
Information about Race to the Top is now posted on the Iowa Department of Education Web site at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/
- Race to the Top Fact Sheet
- Race to the Top Webinars: The overview webinar from December 7 and the specific criteria webinar from December 15
- Rosters for the Race to the Top Advisory Group and all of the work groups
- Timeline of events
- FAQ, which will be posted very soon
- Survey for people to submit questions is still available on the site
Parents, teachers, principals, school board members and the associations that represent them are coming together as work teams and advisory groups to provide input on Iowa's Race to the Top application. Each working group has now met and the Race to the Top Advisory Group and most of the work groups will meet again on either December 21 or 22 to continue to provide input and guide planning of the application content. The first draft of the comprehensive proposal is expected to be submitted to the work groups and advisory group the week of December 28 and revisions will take place throughout that week.
On behalf of our Board of Directors and 700 staff members, I'd like to extend our best wishes to you for a very joyful holiday season and a happy and healthy new year.
We have chosen to send an e-card this year, as we stay focused on containing our costs and providing important programs and services to our stakeholders. This is also a green alternative to traditional printing. Please click here to view our card. Happy Holidays!
Sheila King
Interim Chief Administrator
Click here for a word document or here for a pdf download of the agenda for the Heartland Administrators' Association (HAA) meeting which will be held on January 5 at the West Des Moines Learning Resource Center from 9:00-11:50 a.m.
As has been communicated several times this week, the second quarterly reporting for Part B ARRA funds is due next Monday, December 21. The Heartland ARRA Reporting Work Team is still planning to be stationed in the computer lab of the main Johnston office all day on Monday for any district staff wishing to come in for support in finishing the reporting. If you do not wish to travel to Johnston but still need assistance, you can reach members of the team via phone at (515) 270-0405 at extensions 12721 and 12722 or their emails listed below.
David King, Director of Finance – dking@aea11.k12.ia.us
Rebecca McCreary, Business Manager - rmccreary@aea11.k12.ia.us
David Tilly, Director of Innovation and Accountability - dtilly@aea11.k12.ia.us
Kristi Upah, Assistant Director of Innovation and Accountability - kupah@aea11.k12.ia.us
Diane Schnelker, Assessment Consultant - dschnelker@aea11.k12.ia.us
Jennifer Swanson, Assessment Consultant - jswanson@aea11.k12.ia.us
There is a wonderful opportunity for educators in your building/district to participate in ICN sessions focused on supporting military youth and teens. Due to the projected deployment that the Iowa National Guard could face in the next year, increased support for those in the military community has never been greater. Many families and communities throughout our state have been, or will be, directly impacted by the deployment of a Service Member. Those working in schools play a vital role in the success and resiliency of a child who's loved one may be deployed.
Below is a listing of sessions being made available through a partnership between Iowa Public Television and the Iowa National Guard Youth and Teen Program. All of the sessions are scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and will not last more than one hour. These are great opportunities for those in the classroom to gain valuable information and resources for use in future planning.
To register or find more detailed descriptions of each session, click on the following links:
January 19, 2010 - Supporting Children in Military Familieshttp://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=10234
January 26, 2010 - The Impact of Deployment on Youth and Teens http://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=10171
February 16, 2010 - Supporting Military Youth Through Literature http://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=10173March 9, 2010 - Classroom Activities with a Military Connectionhttp://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=10175
April 20, 2010 - Supporting Military Parents During Deploymenthttp://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=10177
May 18, 2010 - The 7 Cs of Resiliencyhttp://www.iptv.org/iowa_database/event-detail.cfm?ID=10179
All questions can be directed to Jeremy Van Wyk, State Youth and Teen Coordinator for the Iowa National Guard, at (515) 252-4040 or jeremy.vanwyk@us.army.mil.
January is a busy month for ESL activities! Please let your ESL educators know about the following training opportunities. Interested persons can register through the Heartland AEA Professional Development catalog located on the left panel of our home page or at https://prodev.aea11.k12.ia.us/4DCGI/YYYYYYYYYYYYYYSRCH. Enter the activity number listed with the sessions into the correct field.
Introduction to Sheltered Instruction for Teachers of ELLs
The targeted audience is all educators who work with K-12 English language learners including content and grade level teachers who have NOT taken Sheltered Instruction previously. This 2-day course will provide participants with a research-based framework to guide differentiated lesson planning, delivery and assessment that meet the needs of ELLs and other diverse learners in the mainstream or sheltered classroom. Teaching strategies and demonstrations specifically designed to facilitate simultaneous learning of language and content will be presented and demonstrated. A stipend of $200 will be provided to participants who complete all course requirements. Details on how to receive the stipend and submit the assignment will be given at class.
NOTE: Priority will be given to partner institutions within the Heartland AEA area. Des Moines Public School participants must register with the permission of Vinh Nguyen. Dates: January 9 & 16, 2010 (100% attendance is required for credit.)Times: 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, 5291 NW 84th St., Johnston
Instructors: Shelley Fairbairn and Stephaney Jones-VoActivity number: ES004299991001
Enhancing Inter-Rater Reliability in the Scoring of Writing
The second training opportunity is the I-ELDA training. Please send at least one person from your district to receive this training. The training will provide an overview of this year’s form, how to order it and other technical points. Most importantly, training will also focus on scoring the speaking and writing sections of the test. Participants must register by January 15, 2010.Dates: January 20, 2010
Times: 9:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (Lunch will be on your own)Location: Stoney Creek Inn, 5291 NW 84th St., Johnston
Instructor: Stephaney Jones-Vo
Activity number: ES005799991001
Reminder: Please take note of when our offices will be closed and when van mail will not be delivered due to the holidays.
Offices ClosedDecember 24-25, 2009
December 31, 2009-January 1, 2010
Van Mail Schedule
Regular Van Delivery: December 21-22, 2009
No Van Delivery: December 23-31 2009 & January 1, 2010
Regular Van Delivery Resumes: January 4, 2010
