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

Schedules for Heartland AEA Leadership Networks

Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) 
The Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) meets from 9:00 to 11:50 a.m. on the first Tuesday of every month, September through May, in Rooms 107A & B of Heartland AEA’s Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The agenda items are both informational and professional learning driven for superintendents. The Superintendent Advisory Council and Heartland AEA personnel, including the chief administrator, jointly plan the meetings. 

The meeting dates for 2014-15 are the following:

• September 2, 2014
• October 7, 2014
• November 4, 2014
• December 2, 2014
• January 6, 2015
• February 3, 2015
• March 3, 2015
• April 7, 2015
• May 5, 2015 

Join us on September 2 for a Welcome Back Brunch!

September 2 Meeting Agenda

For meeting agendas, handouts and other important documents, visit:

• HAA Google Site

Superintendent Advisory Council
The Superintendent Advisory Council is comprised of elected area superintendents and meets quarterly from 7:45 to 8:45 a.m. in Room 109 of the Johnston Regional Education Center.

The meeting dates for 2014-15 are the following:

• September 2, 2014
• December 2, 2014
• March 3, 2015
• May 5, 2015

Membership
Region 1                    Kathy Elliott, Panorama, Chair
Region 2                    Lynn Ubben, Perry
Region 3                    Delane Galvin, Southeast Warren and Melcher Dallas
Region 4                    Thomas Ahart, Des Moines
Region 5                    Lisa Remy, West Des Moines
Region 6                    Doug Stilwell, Urbandale
Region 7                    TBA
Region 8                    Shane Ehresman, Lynnville-Sully
Non Public Schools      Glenn Vos, Des Moines Christian
Community Colleges   Rob Denson, DMACC

Curriculum Network
The Curriculum Network meets from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the first Friday of every month, September through June, in Rooms 107A & B at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive).

The meeting dates for 2014-15 are the following:

• September 5, 2014
• October 3, 2014
• November 7, 2014
• December 5, 2014
• January 9, 2015
• February 6, 2015
• March 6, 2015
• April 3, 2015
• May 1, 2015
• June 5, 2015 

Go to the Curriculum Network Google Site for meeting agendas, handouts and other important documents. 

For more information about the Curriculum Network, contact your regional director or Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of Learning & Leadership, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org or (800) 255-0405 ext. 14374.

Counselor & At-Risk Site Visit Preparation Workshop

Are you wondering what is included in the Iowa Department of Education Site Visit with regard to school counseling programs and at-risk programs? Join Beth Happe, School Improvement Consultant from the Department of Education, and Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant at Heartland AEA, for a three-hour workshop on Sept. 17 in preparing your K-12 school counseling and at-risk programs for the DE Site Visit. Registration is available through the Heartland AEA Professional Development catalog.

Iowa ASCD Fall Institute to Feature Dr. Nell Duke: “K-3 Literacy: Implementing the Core”

Mark your calendars now and register for Iowa ASCD’s Fall Institute with Dr. Nell Duke. 

"K-3 Literacy: Implementing the Core" 

Sept. 19, 2014
9:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M.
Olmsted Center, Drake University

Learn how to:

• increase student motivation in literacy
• help K-3 students demonstrate the Iowa Core literacy standards
• organize reading and writing around real purposes for kids, including project-based learning 

Registration is available on the Iowa ASCD website. The fee is $125 for members and $170 for non-members. 

All participants will receive the book Inside Information: Developing Powerful Readers and Writers of Informational Text through Project-Based Instruction. 

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: 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.

Reminder: Assessing Academic Rigor Offered in September & October

The next session of Assessing Academic Rigor is now available for registration in the Heartland AEA Professional Development Catalog. The dates are September 23, 30, October 14 & 21, 2014. This course is required for school administrators (superintendents, central office administration, building principals, assistant principals, etc.) and other educational leaders responsible for evaluating educators who are renewing their licenses.

Early Bird Registration Available for November Iowa Culture & Language Conference

Iowa Culture & Language Conference
Nov. 10-12, 2014
Coralville-Marriott Hotel and Conference Center

Conference Registration Rate
Pre-Registration (early bird): Aug. 1 to Sept. 30, 2014 -- $130.00
After Oct. 1, 2014, the rate goes up to $150.00.

Visit the Iowa Culture & Language Conference website to register!

I Have A Plan Iowa to be Phased Out by May 2015

Over the past several years, the Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) provided the web-based tool, I Have A Plan Iowa®, to assist students in career and post-secondary exploration and planning. Due to recent federal funding cuts, Iowa College Aid is no longer in a financial position to fund I Have A Plan Iowa®, or any successor system, after the contract expires on May 30, 2015. The I Have A Plan Iowa® system will remain available and maintained through the 2014-15 academic year; however, Iowa College Aid will no longer provide regular onsite training for the program. 

Iowa College Aid will provide web-based resources, including training materials and recorded webinars, to assist educators using the system during the 2014-15 academic year. In addition, phone support will be provided by both Iowa College Aid and the system vendor, XAP Corporation, through the current contract expiration date of May 30, 2015. In order to better assess your training needs for I Have A Plan Iowa®, you are invited to complete a survey. Please complete the survey by August 27 and feel free to forward this message to others who may have I Have A Plan Iowa® training needs. 

In the meantime, the following services will be available to districts during the 2014-15 academic year: 

• XAP will provide toll-free phone support at 800-281-1168 from 7 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and other non-business days. XAP will assist with technical assistance, account creation, password resets and system troubleshooting.
• Iowa College Aid will provide support for non-technical questions at 877-272-4456 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and other non-business days. 
• The Iowa Department of Education will address compliance questions at 515-281-3169 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and other non-business days. 
• XAP will provide email support at tech-support@xap.com. XAP will attempt to respond to all e-mails received prior to 10 a.m. CST within the same business day. E-mails received after that time or on non-business days will receive a response by the end of the following business day. 
• Release notes on system updates will be shared as applicable. 
• A new menu of training resources for educators and other staff will be available on the I Have A Plan Iowa® Educator page, including recorded webinars, guides and handouts. A limited number of training opportunities will be announced in early fall based on the results of the training survey. 

The changes outlined above do not rescind the Student Curriculum Plan requirements for career and educational planning, as outlined in Iowa Code section 279.61. The Iowa Department of Education is exploring options for ensuring appropriate student education and career planning beyond the 2014-15 academic year. 

Iowa College Aid thanks you for your role in preparing Iowa students for career and education beyond high school. 

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.

DMACC Surplus Items for Sale

Des Moines Area Community College has surplus items available. The surplus items are free and are available for pick up. If you are interested in any of the below items, please contact Julie Klocke, DMACC Purchasing, at jaklocke1@dmacc.edu. 

• Booths and Tables: 24 total bench seats and 12 48 x 30 tables 
• Round Tables: 12 round tables 42 in diameter 
• Computer Chairs: 12 Green computer chairs with arms and wheels