This is a reminder that homebound students (usually for medical reasons) and students on shortened school days who receive educational services from a district are required to be tested for NCLB.
Homebound students take the same assessments as if they were in a school building. Iowa Code does not provide exemption of assessment for students on shortened school days. For homebound/shortened school day students where instruction and assessment on the Iowa Alternate Assessment requirement of 15 items per content area assessed may be problematic, IEP teams must convene and come to consensus that a reduction of the requirement is warranted and then submit a request to the Department. The Department will then make a determination on the number of rating scales required for assessment.
If you have questions about IAA requirements, contact your regional director or Angela Calhoun at acalhoun@heartlandaea.org.
Friday, November 1, 2013
Superintendents: November 5 HAA Meeting
Click here for the updated HAA agenda for next week’s meeting. The meeting will be held from 9:00-11:50 a.m. on Tuesday, November 5 in Rooms 13 A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). Meeting topics include a session with SAI Legal Counsel Matt Carver about school safety and related legal issues and breakouts dealing with district-wide technology and negotiations.
Assessing Academic Rigor, Spring 2014
Spring dates for Assessing Academic Rigor courses are set! If you are looking to renew your Administrative License, one of the courses you may want to take is Assessing Academic Rigor. The spring dates are January 23, 30, February 20 & 27 at Heartland AEA. Click here to register.
Teacher Leadership and Compensation Model Google Site
Heartland AEA has a Google Site of resources to support schools as they plan their teacher leadership and compensation model. The site can be accessed here. One key resource listed under the October 30 meeting documents is the planning template. Districts that attended the first planning workshop really found this template helpful.
Background Checks Requirements for School Employees
This guidance is from Iowa Department of Education website.
Under Iowa Code section 279.69, the Legislature has closed the gap on the requirement for school district employees to have background checks. The newly passed law requires that all school district employees have a background check conducted in compliance with various Iowa laws by July 1, 2014. This legislation includes other school employees such as cooks, custodians, paraprofessionals, and administrators who are not licensed with the Board of Educational Examiners. These employees must have a background check upon initially being hired and then every five years on the anniversary date of the employee. The law requires the school district to review information in the Iowa court information system, the sex offender registry, the child abuse registry, and the central registry for dependent adult abuse for information regarding the applicant. The school district must pay the costs of the checks and maintain documentation of compliance with this law. Click here for an ISFIS report for guidance with the new background check law.
Under Iowa Code section 279.69, the Legislature has closed the gap on the requirement for school district employees to have background checks. The newly passed law requires that all school district employees have a background check conducted in compliance with various Iowa laws by July 1, 2014. This legislation includes other school employees such as cooks, custodians, paraprofessionals, and administrators who are not licensed with the Board of Educational Examiners. These employees must have a background check upon initially being hired and then every five years on the anniversary date of the employee. The law requires the school district to review information in the Iowa court information system, the sex offender registry, the child abuse registry, and the central registry for dependent adult abuse for information regarding the applicant. The school district must pay the costs of the checks and maintain documentation of compliance with this law. Click here for an ISFIS report for guidance with the new background check law.
November-December 2013 Each & Every Child Newsletter
Click here to for a link to the November-December 2013 edition of the Each & Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. This issue introduces you to the school that is simply the best in the state when it comes to bringing their students on Individualized Education Plans up to grade-level achievement. Take a bow, Northeast Elementary in Ankeny!
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