Friday, January 28, 2011

Section 504/ADAA 2008 Workshop for Public Schools

Heartland AEA will be hosting a Section 504/ADAA 2008 workshop for public school districts on March 21, 2011 at the Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The session, which will be held from 1:00-3:30 p.m., will combine the legal interpretation of Section 504/ADAA 2008 with practical application that outlines implementation steps. Participants will also be introduced to a variety of AEA resources designed to support districts as they implement Section 504.

District administrators, guidance counselors, school nurses and others who routinely identify or evaluate students for 504 eligibility are greatly encouraged to attend. Participants can register through the Heartland Professional Development catalog. The activity number for this professional development opportunity is DL005992111101.

Superintendents: February HAA Meeting Agenda

Download a Word Doc or PDF version of the February Heartland Administrators Association meeting agenda. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 1 at the West Des Moines Learning Resource Center from 9:00-11:50 a.m.

During the first hour of professional learning we will begin a series of conversations using portions of the book, District Leadership That Works by Marzano and Waters. We will have copies of the book available for anyone who needs one. If you have your own copy of this book, please bring it.

Curriculum Network: February Curriculum Network Meeting

The February Curriculum Network meeting will be held on Friday, February 4 at Zion Lutheran Church in Des Moines. There will be four breakout topics during the meeting. The agenda can be accessed at
http://curriculumnet.pbworks.com/w/page/35519019/February-2010-agenda

New IEC Products and Services for 2011

The Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC) is proud to announce that 2011 includes new contracts from a wide variety of vendors. New vendors/contracts for 2011 include:
  • Janitorial Supplies – Martin Brothers, Paper Corp./First Choice Distribution, Staples
  • Office Supplies – Point Nationwide, Staples
  • Classroom Supplies – School Specialty, Quill
  • Website Content Management – Edline, Global Reach, SchoolinSites, SOCS
  • Modular Buildings – Modern Building Systems, Williams Scotsman
  • Utility Vehicles – Polaris
  • Clay – Continental Clay
Just like all company partners, each vendor listed above has their own online IEC profile detailing who they are, what they do and the type of contract/discount that’s available. Visit the IEC website at www.iec-ia.org, and check out the savings your school could utilize!

Iowa Department of Education AEA Task Force Study Report Available

Click here to download a pdf of the final report about Iowa's Area Education Agencies (AEAs) presented by the Iowa Department of Education AEA Task Force. It presents the Task Force's review of the present mission, structure, governance and funding of the area education agency system to determine if the current model is applicable to the challenges and requirement of 21st century learning.

National School Counseling Week, Feb. 7–11, 2011

National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), will be celebrated from February 7-11, 2011, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems and how students are different as a result of what school counselors do. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career. For more information and ideas on how to celebrate your counseling staff during National School Counseling Week, please visit the ASCA’s website at http://www.schoolcounselor.org/content.asp?pl=325&sl=127&contentid=271

Friday, January 21, 2011

EdInsight Training at Heartland AEA 11

What is EdInsight?
EdInsight is the Iowa Department of Education’s new data warehouse and analysis system. It holds data from Project EASIER, the IMS system (IEP info) and the Iowa Testing Program. There is a package of reports available in the current version:

  • Many of the reports related to ITBS/ITED data are similar to reports in HEART. Additional data tools involve drill-through capability and individual student reports (depending on appropriate security levels).
  • Curriculum reports analyze current offerings against requirements.
  • An equity report compares population statistics against enrollment and other variables by subgroup.
  • A report examines suspension/expulsion data for IEP students as required on the State Performance Plan for special education.
  • A utility that allows the user to search for comparable buildings and districts based on various factors.
In addition to these reports, there is an ad hoc data analysis tool that allows more flexible query and summary work with ITBS/ITED data. Training for the Analysis Studio will be offered separately at a later date.

An EdInsight project goal for the 2010-2011 school year is to have one person per district trained on the use of the system. To help the DE meet this goal, Heartland AEA will provide several training opportunities around the AEA during the next few months.


Who should participate?

In this initial phase, consider one or two people from the district who are most likely to use the system, evaluate if for district use and lead the district in further use of the system over time.

What is involved?
Training sessions will be three hours. We are in the process of setting the schedule and locations for training opportunities around the Heartland area. There will be multiple, regional opportunities to attend training over the next few months. The list of training opportunities will be published as soon as it is finalized.


Where can I learn more?

Check with your region’s assessment consultant. The assessment consultants have been trained on the system and will be able to answer questions. You may also contact Heartland AEA’s EdInsight contact, Connor Hood, at chood@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-0405 ext. 14506. Mr. Hood is
scheduled to give a brief overview of EdInsight is at the Superintendent HAA meeting on February 1.

You can also learn more about EdInsight at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1691&Itemid=2490

DMACC to host Early Childhood Sign Language Classes

The purpose of the DMACC course is to assist childcare providers in learning basic American Sign Language for use with pre-verbal infants and toddlers. Click here for more information.

21st Century Community Learning Centers RFA and Application Workshops

The Iowa Department of Education is working in conjunction with the State Public Policy Group to promote a federal grant for the development of after-school programs. Below is information about the grants and workshops that give insight on requirements and goals. Questions about the grants and/or workshops can be directed to Michelle Rich, Senior Program Manager at State Public Policy Group, at (515) 243-2000.

21st Century Community Learning Centers Grants

Letters of Interest due February 1 to chris.fenster@iowa.gov

Proposals due by 4:00 p.m. on March 4, 2011

Approximately $4 million in grant funds this year have been set aside to fund new programs across the state. The intent of the 21st CCLC funds is to enable communities to design and implement effective out-of-school programs that will result in improved student achievement and be enhanced by and sustained through community partnerships beyond the term of the grant.

Applications must be submitted through www.iowagrants.gov. For information on how to register and use iowagrants.gov, please reference the documents below.

Registration Training
Application Submission

21st Century Community Learning Centers Application Workshops

January 31 - February 9, 2011; Statewide

The Iowa Department of Education is hosting five workshops across the state to give applicants the opportunity to learn more about the requirements and goals of the 21st Century Community Learning Centers program. Each workshop will run from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with lunch provided at no cost to attendees. An ICN will be held on February 22 in addition to the workshops to answer any final or additional questions regarding the grant goals, requirements and application submission. The workshops are NOT required to apply for the grant.


January 31: Ames, Location TBD
February 1: Waterloo, Waterloo Public Library
February 2: Ottumwa, Location TBD
February 8: Red Oak, Red Coach Inn
February 9: Spencer, Clay County Events Center

February 16-18 are reserved in case of cancellation due to inclement weather.
Workshops are capped at 20, so each organization is limited to one representative.

2011 Diverse Learner’s Resource Fair & Mini Conference

Heartland AEA’s and Des Moines Public Schools’ Parent & Educator Connection coordinators are combining two informative events for one great day! The 2011 Diverse Learner’s Resource Fair & Mini Conference will be held on Saturday, February 5 at the Botanical Center in Des Moines. Please pass on the attached flyer to educators, parents and students who may be interested in attending.

Reminder About Inclement Weather Closing & Cancellation Communication

Since we are in the thick of the winter season, here’s a friendly reminder about how the Agency will be communicating about inclement weather office closings and professional development cancellations. We have changed our way of communicating closings and cancelations to make sure the information is communicated correctly, consistently and in a timely manner. We will no longer broadcast closings via TV and radio stations, but through the following ways:

Website
We will post closing/cancellation information on the front page of the Agency’s website (www.aea11.k12.ia.us) at the top of the Latest News section.

Cancellation Hotline
We will record closing information on a “cancellation hotline” at (515) 270-0405/(800) 255-0405 ext. 14041. When you call in, you will hear a recorded message that says the date and offices/classes that have been closed/canceled. If there are no closings/cancellations, the message will reflect that.

Social Media
We will post closing/cancellation information on the Agency’s Facebook & Twitter accounts at www.facebook.com/heartlandaea & twitter.com/HeartlandAEA.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Transitional Life Skills Training Coming in April

Sign up now to attend Transitional Life Skills training that will be held April 7, 2011 in the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). During this session teachers and staff will focus on functional programming in the area of transition planning for students with disabilities. This learning opportunity will provide Level II and Level III teachers information about resources, curriculum and units of study to help successfully incorporate transition activities to enhance post-secondary living, learning and working. Learn more by clicking here.

NOTE: Heartland AEA will reimburse schools the substitution pay for teachers to attend.

Attention: ESL Teachers and Administrators

I-ELDA Training
If you not have already taken advantage of available I-ELDA trainings, go to the link below to register for the I-ELDA training in Marshalltown, Iowa on January 18, 2011.

Go to http://eventactions.com/ea.aspx?ea=Rsvphttp://eventactions.com/ea.aspx?ea=Rsvp


Title III-Funded Workshops for ELL Teachers
Title III funds are providing two workshop opportunities that will benefit classroom teachers who have ESL students. We encourage you to send teams of classroom teachers or ESL and classroom teams to these workshops. For a complete description, go to the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog.

Introduction to Sheltered Instruction for Teachers of ELLs
Dates: January 29 & February 19, 2011

Instructors: Stephaney Jones-Vo & Shelley Fairbairn
Activity Number: ES004292111101

This workshop is not for teachers who have previously attended unless they come with a team of at least four other classroom teachers. A $200 stipend will be given for full attendance and completion of the assignment. Graduate credit is available.


Empowering ELLs in the Mathematics Classroom
Dates: February 5 & 26, 2011

Instructor: Judy Kinley
Activity Number: ES006192111101

Participants will receive the book Supporting English Language Learners in Math Class and a $200 stipend upon completing the attendance and assignment requirements. Graduate credit is available.

Heartland AEA setting the Agency’s Direction

We have had the opportunity this fall to establish our goals based on current achievement outcomes. It is our hope to work in partnership with families and local districts to accomplish these goals. The goals are as follows:

Goal 1: By 2015, Heartland AEA will enhance student learning.
Indicators:
  • Increase learning growth as measured by the number of districts/schools demonstrating growth in student performance
  • Increase in core preparation rate of high school graduates by minimum of 5 percent per year until all students meet criteria for post-secondary education/career success
  • Decrease the gap in achievement for students with disabilities, English Language Learners, students living in poverty and all racial/ethnic groups to proficiency within three years using standardized measures
Goal 2: By 2015, Heartland AEA will cultivate a high performance workplace.
  • Indicators (development in progress)
Goal 3: By 2015, Heartland AEA will increase operational efficiency and effectiveness.
  • Indicators (development in progress)

Based on these goals, the plan for our regional structure is to reflect better focus our efforts on student achievement. Click here to download the Agency’s new regional structure. We have established regional meeting dates where leaders in Heartland AEA will share these changes and gather input from District Leadership.

January World of Media

The newest World of Media issue is online at http://wom.aea11.k12.ia.us. The blog outlines interesting resources that can be used in classrooms. You can also receive it as an RSS feed.

From the Desk of Kevin Jennings--Bullying: Setting a Clear Policy

The following message comes from the desk of Kevin Jennings, Assistant Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Education

This fall, a rash of student suicides linked with bullying has startled the nation and galvanized action. On December 15, in response to requests for assistance from state and local officials across the country to deal with bullying-related suicides, Secretary Duncan distributed a memo to state leaders outlining key components of strong state bullying laws and policies. The technical assistance memo is intended to serve as a reference for state and local officials developing or revising anti-bullying legislation or policies. You can access the memo at : http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-education-secretary-highlights-best-practices-bullying-policies


Some might say “a policy is not going to solve this problem.” And they’re right -- by itself, a policy won’t end bullying. But there can be no solution to this problem without a clear policy. When we put in place clear policies, we set expectations for student conduct and empower educators to uphold standards for good behavior. Without policies, that work becomes all that much harder if not impossible.


We know that a policy alone can’t solve the bullying problem, but it’s the foundation on which a solution can be built. We hope you will find this memo useful as you craft state and local policies to help reduce the number of tragedies we have experienced in the past year.

OJJDP Bulletin Provides Overview Of Gang Prevention Research

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs. The bulletin presents an overview of gang research and programs in the United States and examines how gangs form and why youth join them. It also describes how community members can start assessing their gang problems and enhance prevention and intervention activities to help prevent delinquency and gang violence. The author identifies promising and effective programs for gang prevention.

Resources:
Gang Prevention: An Overview of Research and Programs (NCJ 231116) is available at www.ojjdp.gov/publications/PubAbstract.asp?pubi=253165

Print copies can be ordered online from the National Criminal Justice Reference Service.

Friday, January 7, 2011

School Counseling Program Refinement, Jan. 17 and Feb. 18

K-12 school counseling programs in the state of Iowa are required to be articulated and sequential. They are also required to be comprehensive in scope, preventive in design, developmental in nature, driven by data and integral to the school district's curricula and instructional program. This two-day, one-credit course is designed to assist teams of school counselors to analyze their current programming, determine gaps and create plans to fill those gaps. Register through the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog. The activity number is CN005392111101.

Budget Workshops for Superintendents & Business Managers Approaching

Heartland AEA will be hosting School Budget Workshops for area school districts with the goal to assist schools in completing their school budget in a single work session. Larry Sigel and Margaret Buckton will facilitate sessions on February 7 and March 9, and Dennis Scudder, AEA 267 Director of Finance, will host a session on February 22. Workshops will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Johnston Regional Education Center at 6500 Corporate Drive on their scheduled days. Click here for more information.

DE and SAI co-sponsored Principal-Counselor workshop, April 5 & 6

Dr. Peggy Hines, Education Trust Director of Transforming School Counseling, will be the speaker for Maximizing the Principal-Counselor Relationship to Increase Student Achievement. Teams of school counselors and their principals will examine the level of congruity regarding each others' roles in increasing student achievement, identify best practices based on the ASCA standards and successfully redesigned districts/buildings and develop a team action plan. The April 5 workshop is reserved for elementary/K-12 principal-counselor teams, and the April 6 workshop is reserved for secondary school principal-counselor teams. The location of both workshops is the Courtyard Marriott in Ankeny (2405 SE Creekview Drive).

A grant was secured to allow the first 150 principal-counselor teams to attend the workshop free of charge. There are still some of these spaces available. Otherwise, registration is $80 for administrators and school counselors who are SAI members; $136 for non-members. Registration includes two books, materials and lunch and can be done through the SAI website.

Urbandale Schools to host Summer Seminar for Area Administrators

The Urbandale Community School District will host the Langford Four-Day Quality Learning Seminar from June 13-16, 2011 in the media Center at Urbandale High School. This intensive seminar will introduce you to Quality Learning principles, history, tools and applications to learning. Gain the vision, purpose and direction for quality implementation in your organization. Click here to download a brochure for the event.

Superintendents: January HAA Meeting Minutes

Click here to download the minutes from the January HAA meeting. The minutes and handouts are also posted on Heartland’s website under the Heartland Networks link which is located under the Leaders tab on the front page of the website. You can also bookmark this address: http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/leaders/ldr/admin.html

Click here for an updated 2011-2012 Legislature Contact sheet. It came to our attention that there were errors in the sheet that was attached in the December 17 Connection. Please also note that newly elected Senator Joni Ernst (Dist. 48) is not included. When the Dist. 35 seat is filled, we will add both Sen. Ernst and that elected person in the final revision of the document. Sen. Ernst’s contact information is the following:

Sen. Joni Ernst - (R) Dist. 48
910 N. 6th Street
Red Oak, IA 51566
(712) 623-4931
joni.ernst@legis.state.ia.us

Transition Times Workshop to be Held For Students With Disabilities

Heartland’s Parent & Educator Connection will be hosting a workshop on January 27 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. for high school students with disabilities and their families. The workshop will focus on post-high school planning for students with disabilities in grades 7-12. The topic of disclosure will also be covered and tips will be provided about how to disclose a student's disability. Please pass on the attached flyer to those who may be interested.

Originating Site:
Estherville High School ICN Room

Satellite Sites: High School ICN rooms in Ames, Audubon, Winterset, North (Des Moines) and the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive)

Iowa Educators Consortium Winter Paper Buy Deadline Extended to Jan. 31

In an effort to be more accommodating for Iowa schools, the Iowa Educators Consortium (IEC) has extended the date for schools to order their winter paper supply to January 31, 2011. Information and downloadable order forms are available at http://www.iec-ia.org/vnews/display.v/ART/4cea867abe0cf

Entities eligible for participation:

• K-12 Schools-public and private

• Colleges and Universities

• Public Libraries

• City, county, state government offices
• Nonprofit educational organizations

Questions can be directed to Marie Hills of the Iowa Educators Consortium at mhills@iec-ia.org or (319) 268-9005.

Final Version of National Technology Education Plan Available

The final version of the National Education Technology Plan (NETP) emphasizes “enhancing academic instruction through Internet-based learning, a decreased emphasis on ‘seat time’ and a preference for more flexibility.” The document also includes plans to fund the creation of open-source resources for schools and online professional learning communities for teachers, among other initiatives. The five goals include recommendations and one of the five essential components of learning powered by technology: learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure and productivity. Go to the following link to view the plan. http://www.ed.gov/technology/netp-2010