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
District Administrators with ELLs: and your ELL Teams:
Please register, in the Heartland Professional catalog, and attend the Lau Plan Writing Workshop to be held on May 11 at Heartland AEA at 8:30 -11:30 a.m. in Rooms 107 A and B. The course number is ES009092111501.
Participants will take away clear guidance and a checklist to ensure that their district Lau Plan is approved following the 2015 upload.
Your ESL/Diversity Consultants Janet Hiatt and Stephaney Jones-Vo look forward to seeing you there!
For the past several years, DMACC Libraries have sponsored the One Book One College One Community program. The idea is to use a single, common book in DMACC classrooms to foster opportunities for creativity, academic dialogue, critical thinking and fellowship. For the 2015-16 school year, they have selected title Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. The author will be at the Ankeny and Boone campuses on October 22, 2015 for open presentations about her book.
This year, they’d like to invite high schools in the surrounding DMACC communities (i.e. high schools in the Heartland AEA area) the opportunity to participate as well, so as to expand on the notion of “community” in the program. DMACC Libraries have 100 copies of the book that they will give away to area high school classes that would like to use the book as part of the curriculum. There is no cost to participate and the books are given to the school to keep.
Please feel free to forward this email to a teacher(s) in your high school who might be interested. Any high school course is eligible to apply. (DMACC dual-credit course are already eligible for this program.) There is a very short application process with a deadline of May 15, 2015. More information on this short application is available here.
Visit the DMACC site to learn more about the One Book One College One Community program.
Find more information about Iowa State University’s PreLEAD Program for Principal Licensure and Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) Program, starting this fall and summer respectively.
We are excited to announce a professional development opportunity for school teams and AEA staff - Showcase of PBIS Systems and Practices
–happening May 6 at the DMACC Ankeny FFA Enrichment Center. We will
have content related to a variety of topics and age/grade levels. The
presentation will showcase local schools sharing examples of systems and
practices that have been effective within the Heartland AEA area.
Scheduled topics include:
- Restructuring of PBIS Leadership team to align with TLC grant (within an MTSS system)
- Building Relationships
Community Involvement
- Family Involvement in an Early Childhood setting
- Sustainability of PBIS practices
- Implementation at the Middle School level
- Tier 2 Systems at the Elementary level
- Evidence-based practices in Tier 3
- Building consensus and involving students in a High School PBIS system
Target Audience: Schools
interested in learning more about implementing MTSS systems for behavior
and teams already implementing PBIS
Registration is now open.
AEA PD Online has released a new Self-Paced Course called Financial Literacy. The course can be found on the online training system, and like other self-paced courses, is available for one license renewal credit. This course, built with consultation from Stefanie Wager (Iowa Department of Education), helps teachers learn more about financial literacy with the modules on savings, banking, credit and payment types, credit scores and financial planning, and be able to use that understanding to integrate financial literacy into their teaching. This course supports the Iowa Core’s 21st Century Skills framework.
Intended Audience: All educators
Cost: $60, paid at the end of the course
Credit: 1 license renewal credit
Time to complete: 15 hours+
Instructor: Denise Krefting (dkrefting@aeapdonline.org)
To access the course: 1) go to http://training.aeapdonline.org and login, 2) click on the “catalog” tab (underneath “courses” at the top), and then select “Financial Literacy (License Renewal)” from the list, 3) click the register button in the pop-up text.
This course features 5 modules, in addition to an introduction and cumulative activities:
• Savings
• Banking
• Credit and Payment Types
• Credit Scores
• Financial Planning
The National Autism
Center has recently released the new review and analysis of
interventions for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on research
conducted in the field from 2007 to 2012. The new publication
provides an update to the summary of empirical intervention literature
(published in the National Standards Report in 2009) and includes
studies evaluating interventions for adults (22+), which have never been
systematically evaluated before now.
This project is designed to
give educators, parents, practitioners and organizations the
information and resources they need to make informed choices about
effective interventions that will offer children and adults on the
spectrum the greatest hope for their future.
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
Note: Superintendents will receive this information next week via the Heartland AEA van mail.
Heartland AEA is partnering with other AEAs this year to implement an electronic version of the Request for Transportation Approval form.
Chapter 285.9(3), Code of Iowa, requires the Area Education Agency Board of Directors to approve all bus routes outside the boundary of the school district operating the buses. This has been interpreted to mean regular routes and regular special education routes, not field trips or activity trips.
The Code requires you to request permission from your neighboring district(s) before your bus route crosses district boundaries. The approval form that was used last fall has been converted to an electronic process for ease and efficiency. Video tutorials are included in the instructions to help explain the new process, which is very user-friendly.
Please note the new timeline this year. Last year, and in previous years, the process was always completed in the fall of the current school year. However, we are asking that the process be completed this spring for the upcoming year.
Please review the attached instructions and timeline below. Questions can be directed to Jennifer Ugolini, Board Secretary at jugolini@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 ext. 14441.
Timeline:
• April 20 – May 22, complete steps 1-3
• May 25 – June 5, complete step 4
• September 1 – September 30, complete step 5
Members of Iowa’s Science Standards Review Team today recommended adoption of the Next Generation Science Standards with modifications as Iowa’s new science standards.
The recommendation will be formalized in a report next month and will be sent to the State Board of Education for consideration.
The Next Generation Science Standards is the name of science standards developed by 26 states, including Iowa, that all states can consider adopting and adapting to meet their needs. Academic standards represent consistent expectations for what students should know and be able to do from kindergarten through 12th grade. Iowa’s academic standards are being reviewed, starting with science, as part of Gov. Branstad’s Executive Order 83.
The review team’s recommendation proposes modifying the Next Generation Science Standards for Iowa so that only the performance expectations section is used, rather than the entire standards document. Members said the performance expectations are easier to understand, especially for teachers in subject areas other than science, and allow for more local control because they are broader than other parts of the standards document.
The team’s recommendation also proposes modifying the Next Generation Science Standards for Iowa by separating them by grade level for kindergarten through 8th grade and organizing the high school standards into a span of grades.
The Science Standards Review Team’s recommendation was based on the expertise of members and feedback from Iowans gathered through public forums and a statewide survey.
Team members said the Next Generation Science Standards represent an improvement from Iowa’s current science standards for a number of reasons. They reflect more modern practices in science, were developed by experts in a process led by states including Iowa, and include engineering practices – which is important as Iowa grows its commitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, said Kris Kilibarda, a review team member.
“These standards will prepare our students to be scientifically literate citizens and will provide the base for more advanced study for Iowans who pursue careers in science and engineering,” said Kilibarda, who is director of the Jacobson Institute for Innovation in STEM Education at Grand View University.
The recommendation capped off more than five months of work by the Science Standards Review Team, which is made up of education and business leaders with expertise in physical science, life science, earth and space science, and engineering, technology and application. Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck convened the team last fall to review Iowa’s science standards, as well as rigorous science standards from other states and organizations, and to make a recommendation for improvement.
In December, the review team made a preliminary recommendation to take the Next Generation Science Standards to the public for feedback.
A statewide survey and four public forums throughout the state generated about 2,600 comments in February. A majority of comments were in favor of the Next Generation Science Standards. For example, the survey results showed 69 percent of survey participants agreed that the Next Generation Science Standards will prepare students to be ready for college, careers and other postsecondary options.
Review team members studied and discussed the public feedback at two meetings in March. At their March 24 meeting, team members agreed that the Next Generation Science Standards should be the basis for their work on a final recommendation.
At the April 14 meeting, the review team approved the following recommendation on a 9-2 vote:
- We recommend the Next Generation Science Standards performance expectations be adopted in Iowa as grade-specific standards for grades K-8 and grade-span standards for grades 9-12.
The team will work on a final report to the State Board of Education, which has the legal authority to determine the content of Iowa’s academic standards.
Find out more about the Next Generation Science Standards and Iowa’s academic standards.
For more information about the Science Standards Review Team, visit the Iowa Department of Education’s website.
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn from ELL experts! The session outlined below is intended for district administrators, building leaders and AEA leaders.
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for School and District Administrators
Date: April 22, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Facilitators: Diane Staehr Fenner & Teddi Predaris
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Pioneer Room
Activity Number: ES008799991501
The workshops will be grounded in Diane Staehr Fenner’s book Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators. A copy of this book will be purchased for each participant in the Heartland AEA region. The facilitators will also work with the administrators for about an hour on teacher evaluation that’s inclusive of all teachers of ELLs. That segment will be based on Diane Staehr Fenner, Perter Kozik and Ayanna Cooper’s newest book, Evaluating All Teachers of ELs and Students with Disabilities: Supporting Great Teaching.
Find more information about Iowa State University’s PreLEAD Program for Principal Licensure and Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS) Program, starting this fall and summer respectively.
American Association of School Administrators (AASA) established a two-tiered governance structure in 2004. Iowa currently has three seats on AASA's governing board, one of which is up for renewal.
The governing board provides overall direction for AASA, with special emphasis on policy-related areas. A smaller executive committee, consisting of regional members, oversees the more specific day-to-day responsibilities.
Of Iowa's three current representatives, one is the elected general administrator officer on SAI's executive committee, Tim Kuehl, Clear Creek-Amana superintendent; one is elected from the general administrators who serve on Rep Council, Mary Jo Hainstock, Vinton-Shellsburg superintendent; and one is an at-large Iowa AASA member elected by SAI's AASA active members, Theron Schutte, Bettendorf superintendent, whose term is expiring.
SAI is currently seeking candidates for election to the at-large seat. Responsibilities include attendance at two national meetings, one held during AASA's National Conference in Education in February and the other in July. Travel and expenses are covered for the July meeting. The individual (or his or her district) will be responsible for covering all expenses for the February meeting. This at-large term is for three years. Eligible candidates must have been an SAI and AASA member for the past three consecutive years.
To indicate your interest in being a candidate, please include a letter (or email) from your board president indicating that the district/organization will support your candidacy through time away from the district and any financial responsibilities that accompany the office, if the district is covering them. Please also submit a paragraph indicating why you are interested in serving on the AASA governing board, and a résumé.
Deadline to indicate your interest and submit your application is April 30, 2015. Application materials may be directed to Tracy Harms at tharms@sai-iowa.org or to the mailing address below.
SAI - Linking Leadership and Learning
Tracy Harms, Communications Director
School Administrators of Iowa
12199 Stratford Dr., Clive, IA 50325
Heartland AEA will offer Section 504 trainings to districts in fall of 2015. Sites will include Ames, Johnston, Adel and Colfax. Trainings are open to all schools within the Heartland AEA area, but the primary standard taught will be free and appropriate public education. Districts are encouraged to send teams consisting of counselors, administrators and school nurses and to bring their district 504 manual (plan). The courses are offered at no charge to Heartland AEA districts.
Topics to be covered include:
- Changes to the interpretation of Section 504 since the ADAA 2008
- How to review and update your district-wide Section 504 Plan
- The interaction of a Section 504 plan and an Individual Health Plan
- Review of obligations under the Child Find and grievance procedures
- Evaluation requirements
- Eligibility determination and eligible but not in need of a plan
- Section 504 vs. IDEA 2004, understanding the distinction
- Resources available to assist districts including, access to a Section 504 Google Site
Choice of Location and Dates (Space is limited so register soon):
Colfax
Colfax Historical Building (1720 IA 117, Colfax)
September 15
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002599991601
Ames
Heartland AEA Ames Office, Iowa Main Conference Rooms (511 S. 17th St.)
September 17
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111601
Johnston
Heartland AEA Johnston REC, Rooms 107 A&B (6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston)
September 22
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111602
Adel
Heartland AEA Adel Office (602 Visions Parkway, Adel)
September 29
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111603
To register, click on the links above or fill out and send in the appropriate forms. Questions can be directed to MaryAnn Strawhacker MPH, RN, Section 504 Consultant and Special Education Nurse Consultant at mstrawhacker@heartlandaea.org.
It’s never too early to
start planning for the future! Let’s Talk Transition is an event linking
transition-age students with special needs to community and agency
resources. Jasper County parents, teachers and students 14 and older are
invited to this FREE event. Please pass on this flyer to interested students and teachers.
Let’s Talk Transition
Date: April 21, 2015
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Newton Public Library, meeting room A/B
Registration: http://bit.ly/TransitionTalk15
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
Recent research suggests that American school children are falling behind their international cohorts in academic skills at all education levels (Center for Research on Human Capital and Education; ETS, 2013). Creating and delivering quality education requires a complex system of institutions. Institutional change (reform) is always difficult; however, it becomes significantly more probable if relevant stakeholders are involved at all levels of the reform process. This necessary connectedness among stakeholders is essential for lasting systemic change to occur. Speakers and participants at the UNI Education Summit will discuss topics related to education reform, with particular emphasis on the areas of literacy/reading, rural education and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) instruction.
Governor Branstad, the Iowa Legislature and the Iowa Department of Education have signaled their understanding of the need for education reform as follows:
- Passed and signed HF 215, an omnibus education reform bill addressing issues such as: school funding, teacher recruitment, teacher advancement and accountability requirements.
- Passed and signed SF 2319, a bill that directly addresses assisting young children who underperform in reading, specifically because of dyslexia.
- Created and funded Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC).
The purpose of the annual UNI Education Summit is, and will continue to be, to provide a venue and an opportunity for discussion among institutions and individuals involved in, and necessary for, the successful, systemic reform of Iowa education.
For more information and to register, visit the UNI Education Summit website.
The move to standards-based grading poses real challenges as we implement this practice with learners of diverse abilities. In this session, participants will learn about an inclusive grading and intervention-planning model for grading and reporting achievement of exceptional learners in a way that is fair, meaningful and legally defensible. For more information and to register, visit the Drake University registration website.
This position is to lead and direct the AIW Consortium in the state of Iowa. This consortium is a collaboration of school districts and area education agencies. The consortium’s mission is to develop and grow a network of supports for Authentic Intellectual Work (AIW) practitioners as they continue their efforts toward educational reform.
The position will start as a part-time position with the possibility of full-time employment as the consortium grows. Visit the TeachIowa.gov website for more information and to apply.
Contact Greg Ebeling at greg.ebeling@pella.k12.ia.us if you have questions about the position.
The 2015 Paul Engle “Glory of the Senses” contest is a project of the Iowa City UNESCO City of Literature organization. As you may know, Iowa City has been designated as one of eleven Cities of Literature in the World. One person celebrated in Iowa City is Paul Engle, the late long-time director of the University of Iowa’s Writer’s Workshop and co-founder of the UI’s International Writing Program. Without Engle’s entrepreneurial spirit and love of Iowa, the city may not have caught the eye of UNESCO and earned the designation.
We also seek to offer education opportunities. We know that the student writers of today are the communicators who will help to tell our story tomorrow.
Find more information about the contest for sophomores.
The overall winner will receive one year of free tuition to the University of Iowa. Other top students will receive a $500 cash scholarship.
Please note that the essay contest deadline is May 15, 2015.
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
Iowa’s four-year graduation rate has climbed statewide for the fourth year in a row while dropout rates continue to fall, according to figures released this week by the Iowa Department of Education.
The data show 90.5 percent of students in Iowa’s Class of 2014 graduated within four years.
“Iowans should be proud that our students are graduating high school at some of the highest rates in the country,” Iowa Department of Education Director Brad Buck said. “While this is great news, we also must continue to look beyond the high school diploma and ensure all students are prepared for college and career training. This is essential for success in an economy where Iowa workers compete with others from across the world.”
The statewide graduation rate has increased 2.2 percent over a four-year period, from 88.3 percent for the Class of 2011 to 90.5 percent for the Class of 2014. (See chart below.)
Graduation rates increased for all but two subgroups of students in the Class of 2014, with significant increases among students whose first language is not English (7.4 percent), students with disabilities (3.6 percent), students who are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (3.6 percent), and Hispanic students (2.2 percent).
Read more on the Iowa Department of Education website.
The April 2015 issue of the School Leader Update is available from the Iowa Department of Education. Read about Director Brad Buck’s new journey. Shan Sievert gives you a legislative update (hint: progress is being made). And attorney Nicole Proesch writes about everything from prom to privacy.
The April 2015 issue of the Each and Every Child newsletter is available from the Iowa Department of Education. This issue examines classroom behavior. The DE headed to Iowa City to see how a very disruptive classroom was literally transformed in a matter of months. The data points don’t lie – what they are doing in Iowa City works. In addition, read about a Bettendorf girl who was featured in a national advertising campaign.
Our Kids Summer Institute 2015 registration is OPEN! The Institute prides itself on highlighting cultures of students and families in Iowa by incorporating culturally and linguistically diverse voices in panels, cultural performances, planning, etc. Districts are encouraged to send a team(s) of administrators, classroom and ESL teachers and any other staff members who impact the education of ELLs.
Heartland AEA Title III will provide a $200 stipend to Heartland AEA Title III educators to help defray costs, with the reimbursement claim form available at the Institute. (Please note that this reimbursement does NOT include Des Moines Public Schools due to funding requirements).
Dates: June 16 & 17, 2015
Location: Waukee High School
Activity Number: ES009168221601
Osage Community School is accepting applications until April 10 for the position of Superintendent of Schools. Osage is the county seat of Mitchell County. The school has an enrollment of 900+ students. Application materials can be found on the district website.
There have been several requests across the state seeking registration information for the Journey to Excellence Mentor Facilitator Training. This training is for those individuals who organize and facilitate the Mentor & Induction program either at their AEA or district staff that currently hold those positions or aspire to do so. This year’s training is funded through the AEA TLC funds and ISEA NEA grant funds. Learn more below about the training and where to register.
The Journey to Excellence program offers many strong areas of focus: 1) it clearly focuses on effective teaching using the Iowa Teaching Standards as defined in A Framework for Understanding the Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria, 2) it prepares experienced educators to serve as mentors and 3) it provides learning opportunities for mentors to use with beginning educators.
Furthermore, a focus is directed to understand the relationship between the Iowa Teaching Standards and comprehensive evaluation. This relationship helps establish a “firewall” between mentor and evaluator by acknowledging the confidential relationship between the beginning educator and the mentor.
Compared to other programs, the benefits are twofold: for the beginning educator, a qualified teacher is created; for the mentor, a teacher leader is created.
Journey to Excellence Mentor Facilitator Training
Dates: June 23-June 27, 2015 (webinar support dates will be held throughout the school year for implementation assistance)
Location: Stoney Creek Conference Center (5291 Stoney Creek Ct, Johnston)
Registration: http://www.cvent.com/d/qrq0rr
The next HAA meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 7 in Room 107 A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive) and will begin at 9:00 a.m. The agenda, handouts and directions to attend via Zoom are all posted on the HAA Google site.
It’s never too early to start planning for the future! Let’s Talk Transition is an event linking transition-age students with special needs to community and agency resources. Jasper County parents, teachers and students 14 and older are invited to this FREE event. Please pass on this flyer to interested students and teachers.
Let’s Talk Transition
Date: April 21, 2015
Time: 5:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Newton Public Library, meeting room A/B
Registration: http://bit.ly/TransitionTalk15
