Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Reminder: Register Today for Iowa Culture & Language Conference; Heartland AEA Will Reimburse for Attendance

Iowa Culture and Language Conference (ICLC) 
November 10-12, 2014 • Coralville-Marriott Hotel and Conference Center • Coralville, Iowa 

Awards Nomination deadline has been extended until October 15, 2014: 
Dr. Carmen P. Sosa Leadership Award • Dan Chavez Beyond the Horizon Awards The Individual Advocate Award • The Organization Award • The Teacher Award 

Visit the ICLC website for Conference and Pre-Conference Registration links PRE-REGISTRATION ENDS SEPTEMBER 30! 

Reminder: District support/reimbursement available from Heartland AEA Title III for attendance at ICLC 
Heartland AEA will reimburse districts for early bird registration costs of district staff to the conference, substitute teacher costs and a one-per district stipend of $200 toward expenses. (Participants will be responsible for picking up one district reimbursement claim form, completing it and mailing it to the address listed on the form by Nov. 21. A district administrator must sign the form.) The allowable number of teachers/administrators per district is based on the following rough estimates of the district’s ELL enrollment: 

• 0-30 ELLs: 2 
• 31-100 ELLs: 3 
• 101-200 ELLs: 4 
• 201-300 ELLs: 5 
• 301-400 ELLs: 6 
• 401 or more ELLs: 7

Morningside College ESL Licensure Opportunity

Morningside College has been getting inquiries from teachers needing AD licensure for ESL. The college’s course sequence has already started, and in their program, students have to start in the fall to complete 9 credits by next summer. To meet this need, the college is considering starting a late section of the first course, as it did last year. In order to do this, it needs at least 12 participants for a late section. Right now there are six on the list. 

Please let teachers know about this opportunity, and if they would like to participate, they should contact Linda Goode at Morningside College as soon as possible. 

The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.

Upcoming Social Studies Opportunities

Shared by Stephanie Wager, Social Studies Consultant at the Iowa Dept. of Education 

Iowa Council for the Social Studies Conference 
Takes place October 6 (evening) and October 7 (all-day) at the Prairie Meadows Events Center. The 2014 conference theme is “Sailing the Cs: Getting to the Core with Social Studies.” The Cs include sessions about the C3 Framework, Iowa Core, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, etc. Over 25 sessions are being offered on social studies topics in these areas. Keynote speakers include Dr. Bob Bain (University of Michigan) and an expert on historical thinking and Dr. Scott McCleod (Prairie Lakes AEA) speaking on technology integration in the 21st century. To register go to www.iowasocialstudies.org. 

FREE Online (MOOC) Courses 
There are two online courses being offered on social studies that start in the next month or so. These courses are MOOCs (Massively Open Online Courses). This means that the courses are open to anyone and that they are FREE. See below for more information. 

The first course is focused on the C3 Framework and is a partnership with the Smithsonian’s National Museum for American History, entitled Teaching Historical Inquiry with Objects. It runs six weeks starting October 7 and is co-taught by Dr. Kathy Swan and Naomi Coquillon of the museum. Check it out at https://edge.edx.org/courses/SmithsonianX/ED1.1/2014_T1/about 

The second course is focused on disciplinary literacy and is offered by the New Literacies Collaborative at NC State. The course is entitled, Disciplinary Literacy for Deeper Learning, and Dr. John Lee is featured. This course begins October 28. Check it out at https://courses.mooc-ed.org/dldl1/preview

Reminder: Programming Change Approaching for Licensure Classes

All Drake University Extension Education courses offered after July 1, 2015, must be offered for EDMA credit. Drake EDMA courses must have 30 hours of outside work for each credit offered in the course. For example, if you offer a one-credit course (15 contact hours), there must be an additional 30 hours of work the participants are required to do outside of class. There must also be a way to document or assess that work. Courses that start before July 1, 2015, can be offered for EDEX credit even if the course ends after July 1. Drake is currently working to develop a web page that outlines this change and include other resources and updates as we move forward. Our Heartland AEA Professional Development Advisory Council will be drafting procedures for this change as we move forward. 

Please see our professional development web page for information.

Reminder: Teacher Leadership & Compensation Grant Peer Review to be Held Oct. 10

Heartland AEA will host a Teacher Leadership & Compensation (TLC) Grant Peer Review on Oct. 10, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, in Conference Room 107A. Interested districts can register here. 

This review is intended for districts submitting a TLC application by Oct. 31, 2014. In order to participate, districts must send 2-3 people who are knowledgeable about the TLC grant. Participants will be assigned to read the same 2-3 sections of grants submitted by participating districts and give feedback. Districts will have all their feedback before they leave at noon. 

The deadline to register is Oct. 7. Participating districts must email a copy of their grant to Kevin Fangman by 3:00 p.m. on Oct. 9. 

If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Invitation to Participate in Colo-Nesco Career & College Fairs

The Colo-Nesco Community School District invites you to participate in one or both of their Second Annual Career and College Fairs. All 5th-12th grade Colo-Nesco students, their parents and students and parents from neighboring school districts are invited to attend. 

The Fall Career and College Fair will take place on Nov. 6, 2014 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the high school gym in Colo. Students will also take part in the Iowa College Application Campaign in association with the Iowa College Student Aid Commission on this night. The fall fair will focus on these career clusters: 

• Arts, A/V Technology & Communications 
• Government & Public Administration 
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security 
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
• Health Science 
• Information Technology 
• Finance 

The Spring Career and College Fair will take place on March 12, 2015 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the high school gym in Colo. The spring fair will focus on these career clusters: 

• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources 
• Architecture & Construction 
• Business Management & Administration 
• Education & Training 
• Hospitality & Tourism 
• Human Services 
• Manufacturing 
• Marketing 
• Mathematics 
• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics 

Contact one of the following C-N staff if you are interested in participating in this event.

Jessica Radmaker
K-12 Professional School Counselor
(641) 377-2282 ext. 226 

Kandice Roethler  
K-12 TAG Coordinator    
(641) 377-2282 ext. 244 

The Big Picture Schools Coming to Storm Lake

Shared by our colleagues from Prairie Lakes AEA 

The Met School in Providence, Rhode Island is a special place. Consistently recognized as one of the best, most innovative schools in the country, it and the other schools that are now part of the Big Picture Network are organized around several principles that make them very different places than most traditional schools: 

• Students work with adult, non-educator mentors to complete real-world projects; 
• Curricula, projects, use of time and learning environments are personalized to students’ needs and interests; 
• Authentic assessments, not traditional tests or grading systems; 
• Advisory groups that actually work well and mean something; 
• A focus on collaboration and teamwork; 
• A college preparatory focus; and 
• A learning framework focused on empirical reasoning, quantitative reasoning, social reasoning, communication and personal leadership. 

The Big Picture Schools is coming to Storm Lake on October 21! Many of these principles are ones that we are trying to make happen in our own schools here in Iowa and around the country. We have some spots for others to join us for this powerful day of thinking and learning. The registration link is below. 
http://bit.ly/leavingtolearn

Director Buck Supports Long-overdue Revision of Federal NCLB Law

More Iowa schools and districts were identified as “in need of assistance” under the federal No Child Left Behind law based on student performance on state tests taken during the 2013-14 school year, according to the 2014 State Report Card for No Child Left Behind released this week by the Iowa Department of Education. 

The results say more about the arbitrary accountability system under No Child Left Behind than it does about the work under way in Iowa classrooms, Director Brad Buck said. 

“No Child Left Behind has outlived its usefulness as a lever for improving student achievement in our country,” Buck said. “We need some different solutions. In Iowa, we embrace high expectations and accountability, but we must have an approach that dignifies growth and progress as much as proficiency on a test.” 

While most states have obtained a waiver from key components of No Child Left Behind, Iowa must continue to follow the federal law unless it is reauthorized by Congress or Iowa’s system for educator evaluation is changed by state legislators to meet waiver criteria. 

“I continue to fully support Congressional reauthorization, which is long overdue, as well as a significant overhaul of this law,” Buck said. “We want a rigorous system that both acknowledges growth and holds schools and districts accountable without labeling schools that fall short of proficiency targets as failures.”

Adding Other Administrators to Administrator Connection Distribution

The Administrator Connection is emailed out every Friday during the school year to superintendents, principals and curriculum directors. If you have other school administrators who you would to add to the distribution list, please send their name, position and email address to the Heartland AEA Communications Dept. at comms@heartlandaea.org.

Programming Change Approaching for Licensure Classes

All Drake University Extension Education courses offered after July 1, 2015, must be offered for EDMA credit. Drake EDMA courses must have 30 hours of outside work for each credit offered in the course. For example, if you offer a one-credit course (15 contact hours), there must be an additional 30 hours of work the participants are required to do outside of class. There must also be a way to document or assess that work. Courses that start before July 1, 2015, can be offered for EDEX credit even if the course ends after July 1. Drake is currently working to develop a web page that outlines this change and include other resources and updates as we move forward. Our Heartland AEA Professional Development Advisory Council will be drafting procedures for this change as we move forward. 

Please see our professional development web page for information.

Teacher Leadership & Compensation Grant Peer Review to be Held Oct. 10

Heartland AEA will host a Teacher Leadership & Compensation (TLC) Grant Peer Review on Oct. 10, 2014, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, in Conference Room 107A. Interested districts can register here. 

This review is intended for districts submitting a TLC application by Oct. 31, 2014. In order to participate, districts must send 2-3 people who are knowledgeable about the TLC grant. Participants will be assigned to read the same 2-3 sections of grants submitted by participating districts and give feedback. Districts will have all their feedback before they leave at noon. 

The deadline to register is Oct. 7. Participating districts must email a copy of their grant to Kevin Fangman by 3:00 p.m. on Oct. 9. 

If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

Reminder: DE Mini-Summit on Oct. 3; Session Descriptions Announced

Here is some specific information about the Iowa Department of Education Mini-Summit.

Date: Oct. 3, 2014 
Location: Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, 4800 Merle Hay Road, Urbandale 
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. 

Intended Audience: Superintendents, curriculum directors, special education directors and other administrators and teachers who are responsible for providing oversight for a federal or state program/initiative 

Topics: Alternate Assessment, Bullying and Harassment Iowa Youth Survey Data, C4K, Competency Based Education, Data Quality, Early Childhood, Early Literacy, Federal Reporting Updates, Fine Arts, Gifted and Talented, Homeless Education, Iowa Core Website/Resources, Iowa Learning Online, Legal Lessons, Legislation, Licensure/Ethics Updates, MTSS, Open Enrollment, SINA/DINA, Special Education, Teacher Leadership and Compensation, Whole Grade Sharing/Reorganization, 504 

Important Links: 

• Registration 
• Agenda 
• Session Descriptions 

If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org. We hope to see you there!

Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Differentiated Math Instruction for English Language Learners Coming This Fall

Course opportunity for Grades 2-12 math teachers: “Differentiated Math Instruction for English Language Learners” 
Bring a team! 

$200 stipend through Title III for full participation Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 

Register through the Heartland AEA professional development catalog.

Reminder: Iowa Culture and Language Conference Coming in November

Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center 
November 10-12, 2014 

Pre-Conference Sessions 
Strategies for Working with ESL Students for the First Time 
Dr. Wayne Wright 
Purdue University 

English Proficiency Standards 
Dr. Jobi Lawrence 
Title III Director, Iowa Department of Education 
Stanford University, CA 
Council for Chief State School Officers 

Differentiated Instruction and Accelerated Academic Language 
Dr. Shelley Fairbairn 
Drake University 

New Arrivals and Students with Interrupted Formal Education 
Dr. Brenda Custodio 

Newcomer and ELL Services Literacy Strategies 
Dr. Danielle Garegnani 
WestEd 

Early Childhood 
Tom Rendon 
Iowa Headstart SCO 

Migrant Education 
(Closed Session for Migrant Districts) 

To register, please visit www.iowaclc.com 
PRE-REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS SEPTEMBER 30, 2014! 

Currently Accepting Nominations for the following awards: 
"Dr. Carmen P. Sosa Leadership Award" 
"Dan Chavez Beyond the Horizon Awards" 
The Individual Advocate Award 
The Organization Award 
The Teacher Award 

Visit the ICLC website at www.iowaclc.com for the Nomination Application Form.

Heartland AEA to Host Eight Days of Instructional Coach Training Through New Teacher Center

Heartland AEA will be hosting eight days of instructional coach training through the New Teacher Center beginning Oct. 29 and 30. The remaining six days are spread throughout the year. Grant Wood AEA opened two cohorts over the summer, and they filled both of them. The state has asked Heartland AEA to host a cohort for the west side of the state due to inquiries from other districts around the state. 

The cost for this training is reduced due to a state appropriation given to the AEAs. The cost of the training is $1,000 per participant and is open to coaches from districts that did not receive the TLC grant. 

This flyer has additional information. It would be helpful if participants would register by Sept. 26 since the New Teacher Center has to have 40 participants to hold the training.

Heartland AEA Provided News Clips

Each morning, the Heartland AEA Communications Department provides links to local and national education news headlines. We call this service "news clips." If you would like to receive the news clips via email, please email the Heartland AEA Communications Department at comms@heartlandaea.org with the subject line of "Add Me to News Clips." 

Some media sources require digital access subscriptions. News clips receivers are responsible for setting up their own digital access for these media sources. Heartland AEA is unable to provide this digital access for our news clips receivers. We thank you for your understanding.

Branstad, Reynolds, Buck Unveil Financial Literacy Work Team Recommendations

Gov. Terry Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck announced the recommendations of the Financial Literacy Work Team on Sept. 15. Buck convened the 13-member work team in January 2014 to ensure Iowa students are learning the financial literacy skills needed for success. 

The work team included representatives from public and nonpublic schools, financial services, higher education and the Iowa Department of Education. The group’s recommendations included the following: 

1. Take a close look at our financial literacy requirement for K-12 schools. This is included in the 21st century skills portion of Iowa’s statewide academic standards. The work team’s idea is to make sure the financial literacy component is clear and age appropriate. 
2. More support for schools around putting the financial literacy component of the standards into practice. More support would include providing better, more centralized resources to teachers. 
3. Tap into external stakeholder groups with expertise in financial literacy to assist in professional development trainings for teachers. 
4. Review how school districts approach financial literacy education. 
5. Improve communication statewide to keep a focus on this important issue. 

“We must do more to help students understand the power of financial literacy. And given that there’s this groundswell of support among stakeholders to be part of the solution, it made great sense to form the Financial Literacy Work Team,” said Buck. “At the Iowa Department of Education, we have moved forward by designating a staff member to the issue of financial literacy and we’ll work to provide leadership around professional development activities and a central online location for high-quality resources for teachers.” 

The full report, including the Financial Literacy Work Team’s recommendations, can be found here.

Moving Forward with PBIS

This year Heartland AEA will offer four district support days for PBIS in addition to regular course offerings. These days are designed based on feedback we received from districts regarding what would be helpful to keep buildings Moving Forward with PBIS. Please save the date for Sept. 22, 2014, December 15, 2014, and February 3, 2015. A fourth day will be provided in the spring and this date will be provided as soon as speakers are finalized. License renewal credit will be available for participants attending sessions totaling at least 15 hours across all four days. 

TARGET AUDIENCE: 
Sessions for various audiences will be provided and a target audience for each session is provided in the description. 

More information, including how to register, is in the registration flyer.

New Teacher Leadership & Compensation System Virtual Community Created

Iowa’s AEAs and the Iowa Department of Education announce the opening of a new virtual community to support the Teacher Leadership and Compensation system. The purpose of this site is to bring teacher leaders and administrators across the state together to access resources and learning opportunities and to collaborate as we strengthen teacher and administrator leadership. 

This community is an Agora site developed by AEA PD Online. To participate in the community click here. Community Resources include: 

• Self-Assessments – Teachers and administrators will be able to complete surveys, which will help identify areas of need in relation to the Learning Supports Framework. 
• On-Demand Learning – Community participants will find learning opportunities that address the seven focus areas of teacher leadership. The searchable database includes articles, learning modules, websites, videos and more. 
• Community Forums – Participates will have different forum spaces in which to participate, each with a different overall focus. Join in on the discussion, or just choose to follow the conversation. 
• Events – This is a statewide calendar of learning opportunities for teacher leaders and administrators to support the seven focus areas. Participants can search the calendar and find professional development opportunities to address identified areas of growth for teachers and administrators. 

All resources on the site can also be explored by each focus area: Adult Learning, Collaborative Culture, Communication, Content Pedagogy & Assessment, Systems Thinking, Data and Organizational Leadership. 

Resources and learning opportunities will continue to be added to the TLC On-line Community. The Event Calendar is currently the most developed section. Events will be added as they become available. The other areas are at the beginning stages of development, but will soon be a robust source of resources. If you choose to enroll in the community, you will be able to sign up for notifications as well as to participate in community activities. 

If you have questions about the Agora site, contact Lora Rasey at lora.rasey@iowa.gov or 515.281.6719.

Reminder: Heartland AEA to Host DE Mini-Summit on Oct. 3

Heartland AEA will host an Iowa Department of Education Mini-Summit open to superintendents, curriculum directors, special education directors and other administrators and teachers who are responsible for providing oversight for a federal or state program/initiative. The mini-summit will be held on October 3, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. 

The Iowa Department of Education will have representatives available from different program areas and state initiatives to give updates, share new information and answer questions. Some of the programs/initiatives represented include the following: 

• New Iowa Core website/resources 
• C4K 
• Early literacy 
• MTSS
• Competency-based education 
• Special education 
• Early childhood 
• Teacher leadership 
• TAG 
• Fine arts 
• Iowa Learning Online 
• Senior Year Plus 
• Board of Educational Examiners 
• Legal updates 
• Open enrollment 
• Whole grade sharing 
• Bullying and harassment 
• Alternate assessment 

A final agenda will be in the Administrator Connection in mid-September. 

Brad Buck, director of the Iowa Department of Education, will participate in a conversation facilitated by school administrators and speak to the participants over lunch. All participants need to register as lunch will be provided free of charge. Registration is available through the Heartland AEA professional development catalog. 

If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

U of I to Offer Global Education Institute for Teachers

The 2014 Global Education Institute for Teachers will be held on the University of Iowa campus on December 6-7, 2014. The institute is sponsored by the Stanley Foundation and UI International Programs. This year's participants will earn 1 license renewal credit. 

Forty middle, junior and high school teachers will be selected to attend this year's institute and will receive free tuition. The first 20 teachers to register who live outside a 25-mile radius of Iowa City will receive free housing. 

 Application deadline is October 28, 2014. 

More information and an application form may be found on the UI International Programs website. 

If you have any questions, contact Amy Green at amy-green-1@uiowa.edu or 319-335-1433. 

The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not imply sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.

Purchase Orders for IEC Audio/Visual Orders

Please pass the following information on to your district’s business manager. 

Please keep the following in mind when ordering from the IEC AV Co-op! The IEC no longer processes purchase orders for our AV Co-op, and we no longer have an office in Burlington. If you faxed an AV Co-op order to our Burlington office, you will need to re-fax it directly to the appropriate vendor. 

You can find all the latest vendor information by going to http://av.co-op.k12.ia.us/ and clicking on the Vendors link on the left. If you have any questions, contact Robert Ogan, IEC Coordinator, at rogan@iec-ia.org or 563.344.6412.

Heartland AEA to Host DE Mini-Summit on Oct. 3

Heartland AEA will host an Iowa Department of Education Mini-Summit open to superintendents, curriculum directors, special education directors and other administrators and teachers who are responsible for providing oversight for a federal or state program/initiative. The mini-summit will be held on October 3, from 9:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites on Merle Hay Road in Des Moines. 

The Iowa Department of Education will have representatives available from different program areas and state initiatives to give updates, share new information and answer questions. Some of the programs/initiatives represented include the following: 

• New Iowa Core website/resources 
• C4K 
• Early literacy 
• MTSS
• Competency-based education 
• Special education 
• Early childhood 
• Teacher leadership 
• TAG 
• Fine arts 
• Iowa Learning Online 
• Senior Year Plus 
• Board of Educational Examiners 
• Legal updates 
• Open enrollment 
• Whole grade sharing 
• Bullying and harassment 
• Alternate assessment 

A final agenda will be in the Administrator Connection in mid-September. 

Brad Buck, director of the Iowa Department of Education, will participate in a conversation facilitated by school administrators and speak to the participants over lunch. All participants need to register as lunch will be provided free of charge. Registration is available through the Heartland AEA professional development catalog. 

If you have any questions, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

Evaluation Supplement Now Available for School Counselors

School Counselors must be evaluated on the Iowa Teaching Standards, however, the teaching standards do not necessarily correlate with the work of the school counselor. To ease this process, the Iowa School Counselor Association, in conjunction with other stakeholders, has created the Evaluation Supplement for School Counselors. 

This tool crosswalks the Iowa Teaching Standards with the School Counselor Competencies from the American School Counselor Association and provides rubrics to assist both the counselor and the administrator in moving forward. To assist with the process, a series of videos has been prepared and housed on our Heartland EA EduVision site. 

Evaluation Supplement for School Counselors - Overview for Counselors 
This video gives the “high-level” overview of the Evaluation Supplement with the history and process for determining how the Iowa Teaching Standards and SC Competencies intersect. The video also explores the ways in which this supplement can be used as a reflective tool for professional growth or in the evaluation process. 

Evaluation Supplement for School Counselors - Overview for Administrators 
This video gives the “high-level” overview of the Evaluation Supplement with the history and process for determining how the Iowa Teaching Standards and School Counselor Competencies intersect. The video also explores the ways in which this supplement can be used as a reflective tool for professional growth or in the evaluation process. 

Evaluation Supplement for School Counselors - Standards 1-4 
This video examines the first four Iowa Teaching Standards and the intersection of the School Counselor Competencies in the Evaluation Supplement. 

Evaluation Supplement for School Counselors - Standards 5-8 
This video examines the last four Iowa Teaching Standards and the intersection of the School Counselor Competencies in the Evaluation Supplement. 

If you have any questions, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, at sschirmer@heartlandaea.org.

Reminder: Paraeducator Competency Changes, New Curriculum Coming

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners recently changed the competencies for the Paraeducator Generalist Certification and the Area of Concentration-Special Needs Paraeducator. As a result of those competency changes, a statewide group was formed to write new curriculum aligned with the changes. This work is wrapping up and will now be consistent across the state. Heartland AEA will continue to provide a hybrid (on-line and face-to-face) training for paraeducators currently employed by districts. Because of the changes, the course will not be ready for training to begin until late September or early October. Please contact your regional director or the professional learning and leadership Consultant that serves your district for more information.

Digging Deeper into Chapter 62/ELI: Support for District & Building Leadership

Heartland AEA will be offering a professional learning opportunity focused on early elementary reading as it pertains to Chapter 62 requirements. These sessions will be held Sept. 11-25, 2014 at various locations across the Heartland AEA region. The targeted audience includes school administrators, curriculum coordinators, coaches and student services coordinators. These sessions will include presentation of most recent information, review of new guidance documents and discussion of current questions and sharing processes being used by participants to meet Chapter 62 requirements. Areas of coverage include: 

• What does “at risk of substantial deficiency” mean and what is required? 
• What does “substantially deficient” mean and what is required? 
• Discussion of the relationship between substantially deficient and suspicion of a disability. 
• Parent notification. 
• Progress monitoring and monitoring requirements. 
• Data-based decisions based on monitoring data. 
• Considerations around implementation fidelity. 

These meetings are sponsored by Heartland AEA and will be facilitated by Randy Allison and Martha Condon. 

Here is the registration information.

Early Literacy Alternate Assessments Information From Iowa Dept. of Education

The Iowa Department of Education has issued the following guidance document about Iowa’s Early Literacy Alternate Assessments.

Reminder: Student Invitation to the United States Senate Youth Program

The state of Iowa has accepted an invitation to participate in the U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP), sponsored by the William Randolph Heart Foundation. The program is designed to give young Americans a working knowledge of American political life. 

Each year two Iowa students have the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. The William Randolph Heart Foundation pays all expenses. In addition, the two Iowa high school representatives each receive a $5,000 scholarship. 

Selection of the two Iowa high school representatives is based on the outstanding ability and demonstrated leadership qualities of elected junior and senior high school student officers for the 2014-15 school year. 

Each high school may nominate up to three students. Student application materials are available on the Iowa Department of Education U.S. Senate Youth Program webpage. 

Please submit the completed applications to Linda Hoobin, Heartland AEA USSYP contact, at the Johnston AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, AIA by 4:00 p.m. on October 3, 2014. Nominees will take a qualifying examination on October 15, 2014 in Conference Room 125 at the Johnston AEA REC on the U.S. Constitution and government. The award recipients will be announced in December. 

Contact your AEA USSYP contact, Linda Hoobin (lhoobin@heartlandaea.org) or Stephanie Rosenberg Wager (stefanie.wager@iowa.gov) at the Iowa Department of Education for information.