December Edition of “Impacting Lives” Newsletter

Go to http://aeas4iowa.wordpress.com/ to read the latest edition of "Impacting Lives." The blog newsletter is a statewide effort to communicate AEA success stories and services across the state. The newsletter is sent to all school administrators, legislators (in-session) and AEA staff in Iowa. The issue includes:

• Discover the Savings through the Iowa Educators Consortium
• Twin Rivers Makes SMART Use of Technology
• Student Improvement Through Relationship Building
• New Teacher Center: Developing Teacher Leaders and Instructional Coaches

Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council Information

Click here for information about the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council that was shared earlier this month at the December HAA meeting.

Holiday Office & Van Route Schedule

Heartland offices will be closed December 26, 27, 29 and 30 during the holiday season. Please take note of the following schedule as you plan to send and receive items through our van mail.

December 19-22, 2011 Regular Van Delivery
December 26-30, 2011 No Van Delivery
January 2, 2012 Regular Van Delivery Resumes

Additionally, there will be no Administrator Connection blog update on December 30.

Reminder: IEC Winter Paper Buy to End Jan. 6

Don’t miss your chance to save big money on your paper supply needs through the Iowa Educator Consortium (IEC). Supplying this winter’s supply is the Paper Corporation which offers excellent pricing on a large variety of paper weights, colors and sizes. Additional discounts are available for orders at or above 440 assorted cases, 880 assorted cases and 880 white only. Ordering and pricing information is available on the IEC website at http://www.iec-ia.org/vnews/display.v/ART/4cea867abe0cf.

If you have questions regarding the IEC ordering process, contact Joni Puffett at jpuffett@iec-ia.org or (319) 268-9008.

Reminder: New Prices for Printing/Copying Services Effective Jan. 1

During the Fall 2011, Heartland AEA performed a cost analysis of our printing services. It was found that what was being charged did not allow the agency to recover the service, supply and labor cost when producing printed documents from the Print Center. In order to continue to provide printing services for the schools we serve, we needed to increase the prices. Our cost analysis findings were presented to area superintendents who approved the increased print prices. Click here for our revised print prices that will take effect January 1, 2012.

Despite the cost increase, the price per copy remains considerably lower than commercial printers and school copiers. We would be very grateful if you would pass the new pricing information on to teachers and other school staff who use our Print & Production services. If you would like information about the cost formula that was used to determine the revised printing costs, click here.

Urbandale Schools to host Langford Four-Day Quality Learning Seminar

The Urbandale Community School District is hosting the Four Day Quality Learning Seminar, facilitated by David Langford, June 11-14, 2012. At this seminar participants will learn to:

• Manage data-driven learning and improvement
• Create performance-based learning
• Create student-led learning
• Create and manage portfolio assessment
• Inspire passionate learners

This seminar has a tight alignment with the Iowa Core, as it focuses on student-centered learning. Cost for the seminar is $450. This includes continental breakfast, lunch and snacks throughout the day. The learning presented in this seminar lays the foundation for educational transformation and improvement.

For preliminary registration, contact Maggie Lichtenberg at lichtenbergm@urbandale.k12.ia.us. For more information, please see www.langfordlearning.com.

Reminder: Expert to Lead IPI Introductory Level Workshop, Jan. 5 & 6

The Instructional Practices Inventory (IPI) Process is used to track useful data about student engagement and learning. Join Jerry Valentine, Professor Emeritus at the University of Missouri and a leading expert on the IPI process, for an intriguing introductory level workshop at Hoyt Middle School (Des Moines) January 5 and 6. Click here for more information on the IPI process and the workshop being offered.

Iowa-English Language Development Assessment Training Opportunities in Jan. 2012

Training for the administration of the Iowa-English language Development Assessment will be repeated January 12 in Coralville and January 18 in Council Bluffs. To register for this training:

https://docs.google.com/a/nwaea.org/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dGwtUU1SUWJvUTlCVXZIWlRxQndSeWc6MQ#gid=0

There are several changes that you need to become familiar with:

• Orders for the test materials will be done on-line here.
• You will need to complete a 504 or IEP accommodations' checklist on the front page of the answer sheet.
• This year form "2" that used the short-form format will be used.
• There will be a late fee for districts that do not submit their completed test prior to May 1.

You will still need to fill out the bar code template just as in the past. The form is also on the I-ELDA website and must be turned in at the same time as your Google order for materials. It is currently posted. Please expect all documents concerning I-ELDA to be updated on this site by January 2012. Visit the I-ELDA website.

It is strongly encouraged that new staff responsible for the administration of this test attend one of these training opportunities. Seasoned staff are also strongly encouraged to attend for a refresher. The one-year time lapse between the administration of these tests is sufficient to allow test administrators to forget or only partially remember the details involved with scoring the most difficult and technical portions of this test.