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

Happy Holidays to You and Yours!

Click above for an e-card (with sound) from chief administrator Paula Vincent wishing you all a happy holiday season! (Click the full screen button in the right hand corner to expand.)

125 School Districts Chosen for Teacher Leadership System, 20 From Heartland AEA Area

Today Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck announced the next group of school districts chosen to launch local teacher leadership plans through Iowa’s new Teacher Leadership and Compensation System.

This effort to tap into the expertise of top teachers to improve classroom instruction and raise student achievement is the centerpiece of the state’s landmark education reform package passed by the Legislature in 2013. The system paves the way for more support and greater collaboration for all teachers to learn from each other instead of operating largely in isolation within their classrooms. 
 
Buck said 170 school districts from across the state applied to join the teacher leadership system in the second round.

Of those, 125 school districts were chosen to put in place local plans – 74 of them during the 2015-16 school year and another 51 during the 2016-17 school year. The school districts serve a mix of urban, suburban and rural communities. The 125 selected districts join 39 other districts that were chosen to implement the first teacher leadership systems this fall. The goal is to have all Iowa school districts participate in the optional system by 2016-17, Buck said.

School districts were chosen based on recommendations of the Commission on Educator Leadership and Compensation, which evaluates the applications.

Teacher leadership plans promise to help students learn more by better meeting their individual needs. They also will attract and retain more effective teachers by enhancing career opportunities and paying stipends for taking on extra responsibilities.

“The more I visit schools that are implementing teacher leadership plans, the more convinced I am that this system will improve learning and achievement for all students,” Buck said.

The entire list of grant-winning schools can be found on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.

Data collection for Smarter Balanced Readiness Coming in January

This message has been sent to superintendents and tech directors, but is being reposted as an added measure.

Dear Technology Directors, Curriculum Directors and School Administrators:

As you may know, the Iowa Assessment Task Force is finishing up its legislatively mandated work and voted recently to recommend to the Legislature that the state implement the Smarter Balanced Assessment suite as our state assessment starting with the 2016-17 school year.  It’s unclear what action the Legislature may take based on the recommendation, but we understand there are questions about how ready Iowa schools will be to give an online assessment. This is an important question for Iowa to consider at this time because most states are moving to online testing programs. To this end, the Department, in collaboration with the AEAs, will conduct a brief survey of school districts to help Iowa answer this question. The survey will be sent to you in early January.

Please work within your districts to determine who will be responsible for collecting the information to ensure the information can be collected in a timely manner once the survey is sent. Thank you in advance for your help with this important information collection.

Dave Tilly and Lisa Wilson

TAF Announcement Out & Applications Due Jan. 20

Applications for Teaching Ambassador Fellowship and Principal Ambassador Fellowship at the U.S. Department of Education have been released!

Recognizing that teachers and principals are the most trusted sources of information about education policy for policymakers, the Teaching and Principal Ambassador Fellowships serve to connect ED's programs, policies, and resources directly to the field.

Since 2008, the Department has employed 87 outstanding teachers on a full- or part-time basis through the Teaching Ambassador Fellowship program. Last year, ED piloted a Principal Ambassador Fellowship that brought in three talented principals.

The Washington Fellowship is a full-time appointment, based at the Department’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Classroom Fellowship enables teachers and principals to participate on a part-time basis, while allowing them to fulfill their regular school responsibilities.

Learn more about the Teaching and Principal Ambassador Fellowships. The application window for the coming school year closes on January 20, 2015 at 11:59 p.m., ET.

BoEE January 2015 Superintendent Notes

The BoEE has released their January Superintendent Notes early as there have been changes to the substitute authorization, activities director and special education endorsement regulations that took effect earlier this week.

Capitol Girls Event Set for Feb. 11

The 6th annual Capitol Girls event, a collaboration between the Office on the Status of Women and the Girl Scouts of Greater Iowa, has been set to occur on Wednesday, February 11, 2015.  Registration is now available.

Capitol Girls is a chance for high school age girls (9th-12th grade) to spend a day at the Capitol shadowing female legislators to learn more about State government and to foster women in leadership roles. Girls will also be able to meet legislators from their home district, hear from the Lt. Governor, and tour the capitol.

Attached is the flyer for this year’s event which contains the link to the registration page.  Please forward it on to anyone you believe would be interested, and feel free to contact me with questions.  

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.

Reminder: Chapter 62 Resources Now Available

This fall a variety of resources have been shared for implementation of Chapter 62. Many of these resources have been pulled into a Google Drive folder for easy access. It may be helpful to bookmark the link as additional resources will be added throughout the year. Some of the resources in the folder include: 

• DE Parent notification template and family partnership tools 
• DE guidance documents for Early Literacy Implementation 
• Q & A for Chapter 62, September 2014 
• Archived Zoom session facilitated by Heartland AEA on 11/3/2014

28 Days of OLLIE Coming this February!

Mark your calendars! 28 Days of OLLIE is coming! Starting Feb. 1, 2015 and lasting throughout February, AEA PD Online kicks off its brand new OLLIE online community for teachers. Part of their Online Learning for Iowa Educators (OLLIE) series, the community provides educators resources, live events, discussions, sharing and networking with other educators. It is the perfect learning place for teachers looking to add blended or flipped learning to their classroom.

During the 28 Days of OLLIE, they will have daily events, activities and even contests with prizes, where you can get acclimated to the community. Be sure to check out the AEA PD Online website in the upcoming weeks for more details.

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

Happy Holidays!

Letter to Parents about Early Literacy

A note from Brad Buck, Director of the Iowa Dept. of Education

Dear Colleagues,

I'm very proud of our hard work as an education system to make sure all children read well by the end of third grade. Communicating this work to parents and asking for their support is an important piece of our early literacy efforts in Iowa. That's why I'm writing to ask for your help in distributing the attached letter from me to parents in your area.

This letter explains why we are focusing on early literacy in Iowa, how the early warning system for literacy is helping students improve their reading skills as directed by a 2012 state law, and where families can find reading resources to help at home. The letter also brings attention to the parental notification component of the 2012 law.

Thank you in advance for your efforts to distribute this letter to parents using the communication tools you see fit, including email, online parent portals, newsletters and websites.

As the letter to parents emphasizes, it's critical that we all work together to improve literacy -- especially in kindergarten, first and second grades -- because prevention, not retention, is what everyone wants.

Respectfully,
Brad

Apply for Teach Iowa Scholar Award

The Teach Iowa Scholar Program provides qualified first-year Iowa teachers with awards of up to $4,000 a year, for a maximum of five years, for teaching in Iowa schools in designated shortage areas. This year, qualified teachers are those currently teaching in designated shortage areas under their first contracts in Iowa schools. The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) is seeking applications from teachers who graduated from teacher education programs during the 2013-14 academic year. For more information and to apply, please go to Iowa College Aid’s website.

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.

Broken iPad? Call Heartland AEA!

Heartland AEA is pleased to now offer a repair service for iPads that are no longer under warranty. Our repair technician should be able to repair any iPad model, but we are not currently providing repairs for iPhones.

We will use our van delivery service to pick up and drop off iPads, but schools are always welcome to bring them directly to our repair technician at our Johnston Regional Education Center. During the school year, we anticipate an approximate turn around time of 2 weeks, counting pickup and delivery.

For items that need repaired, please complete the Equipment Repair Form and attach a hard copy to each iPad. After repairs are completed, we will return the iPad(s) via our vans, and we will send a repair invoice to your school business office.

Many districts use Specialty Underwriters to pay for repairs. If you plan to use Specialty for your iPad repairs, please get a purchase order from them ahead of time and send a hard copy of that order with the iPad(s) you need repaired. Remember that we also need that information on the Equipment Repair Form for each item you send to us.

Contact your Tech Coordinator or visit our website for more information.

New Family & Community Engagement Toolkit Available on Agency Website

Purpose of Family & Community Engagement 
To ensure that the students of today are ready for the careers of tomorrow, families, schools and community groups need to work together to promote engagement that is systemic, sustained and integrated into school improvement efforts. 

Research over the past 30 years has shown that engaging families in their children’s education increases student achievement and decreases dropout rates. Effective family engagement is not a one-time program or the choice of a good school, but rather a set of day-to-day practices, attitudes, beliefs and interactions that support learning at home, at school, after school and during the summer. - SEDL National Center for Family and Community Connections with Schools 

Family & Community Engagement ties directly Heartland AEA’s goals: Growth, Gaps, Graduation and Gateways. “The evidence is consistent, positive and convincing: families have a major influence on their children’s achievement. (Gaps) When schools, families and community groups work together to support learning, children tend to do better in school, stay in school longer and like school more.” (Growth/Graduation) This statement summarizes the conclusions of A New Wave of Evidence: The Impact of School, Family and Community Connections on Student Achievement, the most recent comprehensive review of the research. 

Key findings include: 

• Students whose families are involved in their learning earn better grades, enroll in higher-level programs, have higher graduation rates and are more likely to enroll in post-secondary education. (Graduation/Gateways) 
• When families take an active interest in what they’re learning, students display more positive attitudes towards school and behave better both in and out of school. 
• Children do best if parents can play a variety of roles in their learning: helping at home, volunteering at school, planning their children’s future and taking part in key decisions about the school program. 
• Children from diverse cultural backgrounds tend to do better when families and school staff join forces to bridge the gap between home and school cultures. 

Purpose of the FCE Toolkit Family engagement is a shared responsibility of families, schools, and communities for student learning and achievement; it is continuous from birth to young adulthood; and it occurs across multiple settings where children learn. Toward that end, the Family & Community Engagement Toolkit provides users with resources, tools and opportunities to: 

• Connect (make positive connections with families) 
• Engage (create opportunities for families to be fully engaged) 
• Sustain (strategies for staying connected and keeping families/community engaged) How can the toolkit help? 

How can we put these findings into action? 

• Recognize that all parents—regardless of income, education or cultural background are involved in their children’s learning and want their children to do well. 
• Design programs that will support families to guide their children’s learning, from preschool through high school. 
• Develop the capacity of school staff to work with families. 
• Link efforts to engage families, whether based at school or in the community, to student learning. 
• Focus efforts to engage families and community members on developing trusting and respectful relationships. 
• Embrace a philosophy of partnership and be willing to share power with families. 
• Make sure that parents, school staff and community members understand that the responsibility for children’s educational development is a collaborative enterprise.  
• Build strong connections between schools and community organizations.
•  Include families in all strategies to reduce the achievement gap among white, middle-class students and low-income students and students of color. 

If you have any questions about the toolkit or its contents, contact Terry Mendell, Lead Parent Coordinator, at tmendell@heartlandaea.org or ext. 17135.

Heartland AEA Holiday Schedule

New this year, all Heartland AEA offices will be closed to the public Dec. 24-Jan. 2. Please take note of the following schedule as you plan to send and receive items through our van mail.

    Dec. 22 & 23 Regular Van Delivery
    Dec. 24-Jan. 2 No Van Delivery
    Jan. 5 Regular Van Delivery Resumes

Additionally, there will be no Administrator Connection blog updates on Dec. 26 or Jan. 2.

Spots Filling Quickly for ISFIS Budget Workshops

We were recently informed that the IFIS budget workshops are being quickly filled. The Heartland area afternoon session is already at capacity, but the morning session is not. The Heartland area workshop is scheduled for Jan. 27 at the Johnston REC (6500 Corporate Drive). The 2015 ISFIS Budget Workshops will leave superintendents and business managers with a thorough understanding of the best possible budget scenarios to set a desired tax rate and prepare a budget based on the status of legislative activity.

Morning session: 9 a.m.-12 p.m. for newer Superintendents and Business Managers that would benefit from a little extra assistance

Afternoon session: 1-4 p.m. geared towards Superintendents and Business Managers that have been through the budget process before, want to get in and out, and do not anticipate needing much one-on-one help. You must complete the following worksheets BEFORE the session: FY14 Worksheet 1 and Worksheet 2 AND FY15 Re-estimated Worksheet 1 and Worksheet 2

For those who didn't make the space for the afternoon session, IFIS is doing a session here in the metro on March 2. Register for a session here.

Upcoming Course for Those Working with Students with Challenging Behaviors

Your special education or early childhood staff may be interested in our course, Best Practices in Developing FBA/BIPs that Improve Outcomes for Students, coming Jan. 7 and 8. The course will focus on the design and development of quality functional behavioral assessments (FBA) and subsequent behavior intervention plans (BIP) to address the needs of children and youth who display inappropriate or challenging behaviors. Interested staff may register through the Heartland AEA PD Catalog.

Changes Coming to Substitute Authorization

Effective Dec. 17 all substitute authorization holders will be able to sub K-12. Previously, they could only substitute in the secondary level. All other sub regulations still apply.

Correction to Last Week’s Graduate Credit Policy Post

There was a misprint in last week’s update about the graduate credit policy change. All graduate credit courses must now include 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time. We apologize for the mix up. Also, we have added two workshop times in light of a request for workshops during the day.

There are two policy changes impacting the way we offer credits at Heartland AEA. They both go into effect July 1, 2015, but we want to alert you of these changes as you plan for your professional learning opportunities after that date.

LR/EDMA Policy Changes
1) All graduate credit courses must now include 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time.
2) All license renewal classes offered for graduate credit will need to include the 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time. (You may still offer a course for LR only, but if it is offered for graduate credit, the expectations for both LR and graduate credit will be the same.)

Instructor Meetings Scheduled
Because we anticipate many questions regarding the change and the process for rewriting courses, we are holding two instructor meetings in early February. This is entirely voluntary, however, we encourage you to register for one of the sessions to collaborate with other instructors, Heartland AEA and Drake University as we move to this change in practice. The sessions will be held at the Heartland AEA Johnston REC in room 107B as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015 from 4-7 p.m.
Activity Number: MT000792111501

Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015 from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Activity Number: MT000792111502

Monday, April 20, 2015 from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Activity Number: MT000792111503

Monday, April 20, 2015 from 1-4 p.m.
Activity Number: MT000792111504

Please contact Sue Schirmer at sschirmer@heartlandaea.org if you have any questions or concerns.

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

Dec. 2014 School Leader Update

The Iowa DE’s Dec. 2014 School Leader Update includes Director Brad Buck’s thoughts on the year coming to a close. Attorney Nicole Proesch writes about those pesky snow days. And you’ll want to know which schools in Iowa are the best of the best – all of them recipients of this year’s Breaking Barriers to Teaching and Learning Award.

Dec. 2014 Each and Every Child

The Dec. 2014 of Each and Every Child showcases the top school in Iowa when it comes to delivering a quality education for students on Individualized Education Programs. At the school – Davis Elementary in the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District – a full 82 percent of its students on IEPs are proficient in reading and math.

Iowa BOEE Nov. 2014 Newsletter

The Iowa BOEE's Nov. 2014 newsletter includes topics such as STEM scholarships, loan forgiveness, December grads, student overnight trips and more.

UNI's College of Education to host town hall meeting in Des Moines area

The University of Northern Iowa College of Education will host several town hall meetings across the state to discuss education in Iowa. The next meeting will be held in Johnston from 6:30 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 10, at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston.

Meetings will allow educators, parents, students, community leaders, lawmakers and others to join in the conversation about what is needed for the future of education. Topics will include recent Iowa education laws and how UNI is working to support these initiatives; the upcoming renovation of Schindler Education Center on UNI's campus and how it relates to the preparation of highly effective teachers for Iowa; UNI's new Center for Educational Transformation and its role in the future of education in Iowa; and what is needed for Iowa's students to be college-, career- and citizenry-ready.

Meetings will be held across the state from now until December. For more information, contact Dwight Watson, dean of the College of Education, at (319) 273-2717 or dwight.watson@uni.edu.

DMACC Surplus

DMACC West Campus has 18 round tables (42 in. diameter) and 7 booths (booths- 12 tables 48 x 30 and 24 benches) available for surplus. Please e-mail Julie Klocke at jaklocke1@dmacc.edu if interested.

 

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.

Reminder: Applicants Sought for 2014 STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching

Recently, the 2014 STEM Education Award for Inspired Teaching sponsored by Kemin Industries was launched to honor educators and their dedication to STEM education in Iowa. 

This award will honor one teacher from each of the six STEM regions who will be awarded $1,500 with an additional $1,500 to be used in their classroom. 

Anyone can submit a nomination online at stemaward.fluidreview.com from now until Dec. 12, 2014. After a teacher is nominated, they will be asked to fill out an application. They will have until Jan. 9, 2015 to send in their completed application. These forms will then be sent to a panel of judges who will select the six winners who will be announced at the Statewide STEM Conference in March 2015. 

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.

Agency Holiday Schedule

All Heartland AEA offices will be closed to the public Dec. 24-Jan. 2. Please take note of the following schedule as you plan to send and receive items through our van mail.

    Dec. 22 & 23 Regular Van Delivery
    Dec. 24-Jan. 2 No Van Delivery
    Jan. 5 Regular Van Delivery Resumes

Additionally, there will be no Administrator Connection blog updates on Dec. 26 or Jan. 2.

Professional Learning Instructors: Changes for Offering Credit Courses through Heartland AEA

There are two policy changes impacting the way we offer credits at Heartland AEA. They both go into effect July 1, 2015, but we want to alert you of these changes as you plan for your professional learning opportunities after that date.

LR/EDMA Policy Changes
1) All graduate credit courses must now include 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time.
2) All license renewal classes offered for graduate credit will need to include the 30 hours of learning/application in addition to the 15 hours of collaborative team time. (You may still offer a course for LR only, but if it is offered for graduate credit, the expectations for both LR and graduate credit will be the same.)

Instructor Meetings Scheduled
Because we anticipate many questions regarding the change and the process for rewriting courses, we are holding two instructor meetings in early February. This is entirely voluntary, however, we encourage you to register for one of the sessions to collaborate with other instructors, Heartland AEA and Drake University as we move to this change in practice. The sessions will be held at the Heartland AEA Johnston REC in room 107B as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015, from 4-7 p.m. 
Activity Number: MT000792111501

Saturday, Feb. 7, 2015, from 9 a.m.- 12 p.m.
Activity Number: MT000792111502 

Please contact Sue Schirmer at sschirmer@heartlandaea.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Iowa Framework for School Counseling

Many schools are interested in updating the school counseling program but are finding it difficult to come to a class. There is now an online, self-paced course for the Iowa Framework for School Counseling. The course is housed on the AEA PD Online Training System and can be found under "Self-Paced Courses."

The course can be completed at your leisure. If you are just interested in working on one area at this time, you can do that at no charge. You will have to pay if you complete all the modules and want to submit for one license renewal credit.

We hope this is helpful to you as you work towards an ASCA Model program. We are interested in your feedback and comments can be sent to Sue Schirmer at sschirmer@heartlandaea.org.