Friday, February 28, 2014
Superintendent: March 4 HAA Meeting
Click here for the agenda for the March 4 HAA Meeting. Please be reminded that due to the HVAC remodeling project at our Johnston REC, this meeting, as well as the April and May meetings, will take place at the Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus (815 8th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265).
Curriculum Network: March 7 Meeting
The next Curriculum Network meeting will be held on Friday, March 7 in Room 209 of the Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus (815 8th St, West Des Moines) and will begin at 8:30 a.m. The agenda and handouts will be posted on the Curriculum Network Google Site.
Don't Miss This Great Opportunity on March 29 -- Diverse Learners Resource Fair!
Central Iowa families, educators, community and agency staff and others who support children with special needs are cordially invited to attend our annual Diverse Learners Resource Fair! The Resource Fair is a FREE event that focuses on linking families of children and youth with special needs to valuable community and agency resources. The fair is hosted by Heartland Area Education Agency’s Parent & Educator Connection. Please pass on the flyer to any teacher, parent or student who may be interested in attending.
Diverse Learners Resource Fair
March 29, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus
815 8th Street, West Des Moines, IA
Diverse Learners Resource Fair
March 29, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus
815 8th Street, West Des Moines, IA
June Session on Improving Transition Plans for Secondary Students
Join us June 23 & 24 for a session on how to successfully build transition plans for secondary students. This course would be beneficial for secondary staff, teachers, counselors and AEA staff who wish to learn more about ways to better identify strengths and needs in order to successfully transition students from high school to employment and post-secondary education.
Improving the 4 Gs Transition Network for Students with IEPs - Growth, Gap, Graduation and Gateways
Dates: June 23 & 24, 2014
Location: Johnston REC, Room 13 A/B
Credit: Drake EDEX Graduate Credit (1 hour) and/or License Renewal (1 hour)
Activity Number: DL013492111501
Click here to register.
Questions may be directed to Sue Severson, Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant, at sseverson@heartlandaea.org.
Improving the 4 Gs Transition Network for Students with IEPs - Growth, Gap, Graduation and Gateways
Dates: June 23 & 24, 2014
Location: Johnston REC, Room 13 A/B
Credit: Drake EDEX Graduate Credit (1 hour) and/or License Renewal (1 hour)
Activity Number: DL013492111501
Click here to register.
Questions may be directed to Sue Severson, Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant, at sseverson@heartlandaea.org.
Reminder: Heartland AEA/Drake ESL Endorsement Meeting, March 4
Date: March 4, 2014Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: West Des Moines Heartland AEA Campus, 815 8th street, West Des Moines, Iowa, Room 117
Register here: ES007592111402
The purpose of this meeting is for participants to explore the possibility of participation in the ESL endorsement partnership between Heartland AEA and Drake University. Participants should bring copies of their college transcripts. Classes would begin June 2014, and finish summer 2015. It includes six courses. You may need fewer based on transcript analysis.
Use the sharing functions below to email this post to interested teachers or post on your professional blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ pages.
Update on English Language Proficiency Standards
Click here for the document/procedure to follow if you have exempted any ESL students from the reading part of the Iowa Assessments. (attachment)
The following text is a direct message from Dr. Jobi Lawrence at the DE.
Esteemed Colleagues,
On behalf of the Iowa Department of Education, I am pleased to provide official notification that the Iowa Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards created in collaboration with CCSSO and the consortium of English Language Proficiency Assessment 21st Century (ELPA21) states. The ELP Standards were originally presented to the Board of Education in November and were posted for public comment for 60 days prior to that meeting.
The newly developed and adopted standards are currently in the process of being vetted for posting on the Department website and then will be widely distributed with specific training instructions very soon. The new ELP standards will begin to be implemented in the 2014-2015 academic year, with initial training to be provided statewide beginning in late spring and early summer of 2014.
***Please note: Districts are not required to fully implement the ELP standards until the 2015-2016 academic year, however, we anticipate intensive training and district level "unpacking" and "linking" work to begin during the 2014-2015 academic year. Iowa is proud to have been a lead state in the development of the new ELP Standards and look forward to supporting implementation of the College and Career Ready linked standards in the field.
Should you have further questions or concerns related to this notification, please don’t hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.
Collaboratively,
Jobi B. Lawrence
Director, Title III
Education Program Consultant
Iowa Department of Education
The following text is a direct message from Dr. Jobi Lawrence at the DE.
Esteemed Colleagues,
On behalf of the Iowa Department of Education, I am pleased to provide official notification that the Iowa Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards created in collaboration with CCSSO and the consortium of English Language Proficiency Assessment 21st Century (ELPA21) states. The ELP Standards were originally presented to the Board of Education in November and were posted for public comment for 60 days prior to that meeting.
The newly developed and adopted standards are currently in the process of being vetted for posting on the Department website and then will be widely distributed with specific training instructions very soon. The new ELP standards will begin to be implemented in the 2014-2015 academic year, with initial training to be provided statewide beginning in late spring and early summer of 2014.
***Please note: Districts are not required to fully implement the ELP standards until the 2015-2016 academic year, however, we anticipate intensive training and district level "unpacking" and "linking" work to begin during the 2014-2015 academic year. Iowa is proud to have been a lead state in the development of the new ELP Standards and look forward to supporting implementation of the College and Career Ready linked standards in the field.
Should you have further questions or concerns related to this notification, please don’t hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.
Collaboratively,
Jobi B. Lawrence
Director, Title III
Education Program Consultant
Iowa Department of Education
Opportunity for Teachers of ELLs
Please share the upcoming opportunity with your math and ESL teachers:
Empowering ELLs in the Middle and High School Mathematics Core is a new class that will be offered on April 12 and 26, 2014 at Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston. Taught by collaborating math and ESL experts, the class will share strategies to develop math content knowledge, skills and abilities while also promoting English language development. ESL teachers and math teachers are encouraged to bring a team. Teachers completing course requirements will receive a stipend of $200 through Title III. Click here to register.
Empowering ELLs in the Middle and High School Mathematics Core is a new class that will be offered on April 12 and 26, 2014 at Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston. Taught by collaborating math and ESL experts, the class will share strategies to develop math content knowledge, skills and abilities while also promoting English language development. ESL teachers and math teachers are encouraged to bring a team. Teachers completing course requirements will receive a stipend of $200 through Title III. Click here to register.
Blog Showcases Impact of Iowa's AEAs
AEA Customer Survey to Launch March 3
Next Monday, March 3 you and your staff will receive an email asking to complete the 2014 AEA Customer Survey. The survey will be available March 3 through April 4, 2014.
The survey provides us with your insight on how to improve our services to your school(s) and students. The more feedback we receive, the more comfortable we will feel making program decisions that benefit all schools in the Heartland area.
We will send reminders later this month and early April to ensure that all district staff have a chance to participate. Since the survey responses are anonymous, we have no way of knowing who has contributed and who has not. You are only asked to fill out the survey once. After you complete the survey, you may disregard the reminder notices.
Please encourage your staff to participate. We look forward to your input!
The survey provides us with your insight on how to improve our services to your school(s) and students. The more feedback we receive, the more comfortable we will feel making program decisions that benefit all schools in the Heartland area.
We will send reminders later this month and early April to ensure that all district staff have a chance to participate. Since the survey responses are anonymous, we have no way of knowing who has contributed and who has not. You are only asked to fill out the survey once. After you complete the survey, you may disregard the reminder notices.
Please encourage your staff to participate. We look forward to your input!
March 2014 Each & Every Child Newsletter
In the May issue, the Department would like to feature your thoughts on how to prevent the summer education slide. Ideas? Success stories? Send them to jim.flansburg@iowa.gov.
STEM Opportunities for Iowa Educators
Applications are now being accepted for summer externships in industry for secondary math, science and technology teachers. Click here for more information.
2014-15 STEM Scale-Up Programs
Announcing STEM scale-up programs for the 2014-15 year, K-12 educators welcome. Click here for more information.
2014 Statewide STEM Conference
Iowa's third annual statewide STEM conference will be held March 28, 2014 and is free and open to educators and the public. Learn updates on tactics of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council including STEM Schools, STEM teaching license, STEM professional development, STEM curriculum and much more, as well as input opportunities for attendees to shape the future of the initiative. Agenda and registration at http://www.iowastem.gov/2014-statewide-stem-conference
Please make sure to check out these sites!
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.
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