Changed Tab on Web IEP Reporting System

Click here for an important announcement about the Required System Data (RSD) Tab on the Web IEP program. This memo was sent yesterday to district/school special education staff. Please ensure that your special education staff members received it.

Weighted Enrollment Factor Matrix Available

Click here to download the Weighted Enrollment Factor (WEF) Matrix which has been revised and was released in the Special Education Procedures Manual on July 25, 2013, on pages 500-501. All IEPs with a Prior Written Notice will be weighted using the WEF matrix. If interested in learning more about applying the WEF matrix to an IEP, click here to find information on completing the AEA PD Online Moodle Weighted Enrollment Factor Matrix Training. Please contact the regional director for your district if you have any questions regarding a student’s IEP weighting.

Considerations for Special Education Records

Important questions have been recently raised regarding progress monitoring and special education records. Click here to download a document that provides additional information to assist us in supporting our districts with this information.

Changes to Homeschool Instruction for Students Entitled to Special Education Services

In 2013, legislation was passed and signed by the Governor that significantly changed the homeschooling options in Iowa. These changes are indicated in the 2013-14 Private Instruction Handbook; however, these changes are not reflected in the current Statewide Procedural Manual dated July 25, 2013. Additional guidance documents have been developed to support AEA and LEA staff in meeting the new requirements and to assist with ensuring the appropriate paperwork is completed for students who are entitled to special education services.

Below are links to three additional guidance documents related to this topic: 

• Click here for the Heartland AEA Guidance Private Instruction Requests for Special Education Entitled Individuals
• Click here for the CPI Worksheet
• Click here for the 2013-14 Private Instruction Handbook which includes Form A, referenced throughout the guidance

If you have any questions regarding this information, contact Keri Steele, Regional Director/Assistant Director of Special Education, at ksteele@heartlandaea.org or Sara Mercer, School Psychologist, at smercer@heartlandaea.org.

Heartland AEA PEC to Host Transition Times Workshops this Fall

The Heartland AEA Parent & Educator Connection (PEC) Coordinators together with Des Moines Public School professionals have organized two fall workshops to benefit families and educators of 7-12th grade students who are served on an individualized education plan (IEP). Below is information on the two upcoming workshops.

ASPIRE Transition Times Workshop
October 1, 2013
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Ames AEA Office
ASPIRE is a parent-led support group for parents, educators and professionals who have or work with children who have special needs. Click here for more information for our co-sponsored Transition Times workshop that feature a panel of persons with disabilities who will share their success stories and what helped them along the way.

Transition Times Workshop
October 3, 2013
7:00-8:30 p.m.
Johnston REC
Click here for more information on the Transition Times Workshop on October 3, 2013. A panel of experts will describe job-seeking skills. Discover how to build on your child’s/student’s current skills. Join us for an interesting discussion with time for questions.

Ed Tech Expert Mancabelli to Speak About Globally Connected Classrooms on Oct. 1

There are still opportunities to attend a session with national educational technology expert Rob Mancabelli on Oct. 1! We'd love for you, your school leadership teams and your school board members to take advantage of this opportunity!

Rob has fifteen years of experience working in schools, working as a teacher before accepting roles as a Chief Technology Officer. He sits on the Educational Advisory Boards of Dell Computer and Acer Corporation, and he is a columnist for leading education publications. Rob is also an education entrepreneur, and he has earned an MBA in innovation and global leadership from MIT.

Heartland AEA will host Rob for three speaking engagements on October 1, 2013. See below for information on each session.

Superintendent Presentation
Time: 9:00-11:00 a.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston REC, Rooms 13A & B
Audience: Superintendents only
No registration required.

Presenter Rob Mancabelli will present during the Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) meeting. He will share information about the partnership between Heartland AEA and BrightBytes to collect and analyze information about how technology is being used to impact teaching and learning in districts.

Globally Connected Classroom
Time: 1:00-3:00 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston REC, Rooms 13A & B
Audience: Principals, technology coordinators, district administrators and curriculum directors. It will be a great opportunity for superintendents or principals to bring in school teams.
Activity Number: AD014992111401

Presenter Rob Mancabelli will share ideas on how to create globally connected classrooms, implement powerful project-based curricula and introduce students to tools and technologies with transformative potential.

Overview of the Globally Connected Classroom
Time: 6:00-6:45 p.m.
Location Change: Eastview School Cafeteria (1600 North Avenue, Norwalk)
Audience: Superintendents and their school board members.
Activity Number: AD015047971401

Presenter Rob Mancabelli will share information about the role of school board members and impacting teaching and learning in districts.

Superintendents: September 3 HAA Meeting

Click here for the October HAA agenda for next week’s meeting. The meeting will be held from 9:00-11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, October 1 in Rooms 13 A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). As part of the meeting, Rob Mancabelli will present information about the partnership between Heartland AEA, local schools and BrightBytes to collect and analyze information about how technology is being used to impact teaching and learning in districts.

Curriculum Network: October 4 Meeting

The next Curriculum Network meeting will be held on Friday, October 4 in Rooms 13 A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive) and will begin at 8:30 a.m. The agenda and handouts will soon be posted to the Curriculum Network Google Site.

Sudanese Author to Share Personal Story of Refugee Survival at Sept. 30 Event

As part of the Drake University/Heartland AEA ESL Endorsement partnership, a first-person account of Sudanese survival, sorrow and triumph will be presented on September 30, 2013, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Drake University, Meredith Hall, Room 106.

Abeny Kucha Tiir, author of Tears of a Mother, will share her personal narrative, insights and reflections as a refugee from South Sudan. Photos and video footage from three return trips to her former homeland will enhance audience understanding of the realities faced by Ms. Kucha and other refugees from the world’s newest democracy.

The event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Principal Financial Group Center for Global Citizenship, Heartland AEA and the Drake University School of Education.

October 2013 Each & Every Child Newsletter

Click here to for a link to the October 2013 edition of the Each & Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. The e-newsletter is designed to enhance communication between parents and teachers.