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
Heartland AEA’s Parent & Educator Connection will hold its annual Diverse Learners Resource Fair in February for educators, families and others who support children with special needs. 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.
Feb. 20, 2016
Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center
9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
A wide variety of community and agency providers will be on hand to provide information about the programs and services they have to offer. There will also be five breakout sessions:
• Managing Your Child's Challenging Behavior
• Section 504: Separating Fact from Fiction
• Seizure Recognition and First Aid
• Helping Youth Develop Work Skills
• Transition to Postsecondary Education
Beginning at 10:00 a.m., over 40 community and agency providers will be on hand to provide information about the programs and services they have to offer.
Heartland AEA is pleased to announce that it will hold its second annual Education Career Fair in March!
March 2, 2016
2:00-6:00 p.m.
Heartland Area Education Agency
Johnston Regional Education Center
The job fair will be an opportunity for teachers and other education professionals to meet with 15 central Iowa school districts at one location to apply for jobs for the next school year.
The job fair will be packed with opportunities for job seekers, including:
- career fair etiquette class
- mock interviews
- resume critiques
- graduate program information from area universities
- free gift for early registrants!
Visit the Career Fair page on the agency’s website for all the info! Pre-registration is encouraged this year, but the fair is again free of charge.
In order to be certified to administer ELPA21, Test Administrators must complete the 2-part module, General Test Administration Guidelines and Accessibility and Accommodations. This is displayed as one training, but with two parts and two certificates of completion. The training can be accessed at http://training.aeapdonline.org.
Each part contains a short quiz and you will need to pass each quiz in order to be certified to administer ELPA21. The Iowa Department of Education is required to monitor compliance relative to the training according to federal regulations and the AEA PD Online system provides detailed reports for each training completer.
For more information, contact Dr. Jobi B. Lawrence, Director, Title III, Iowa Department of Education or Colleen Anderson, Assessment Consultant, Iowa Department of Education.
To be able to answer your questions accurately during the first year of ELPA21 testing and to allow districts to hear consistent information, Heartland AEA is hosting a face-to-face support meeting with Colleen Anderson from the Iowa Department of Education for district leaders and others regarding the ELPA21. Colleen is heading up the ELPA21 at the Department of Education and has the most up-to-date and accurate information. Colleen has requested
that participants browse the the below documents as well as the ELPA21 portal site prior to the meeting.
ELPA21 Directions for Administration
ELPA21 Test Coordinator's Manual
ELPA21 Test Information & Distribution Engine User Guide
Feb. 11
8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Johnston Regional Education Center
Conference Room 152A
Go to our Professional Development Catalog to register.
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners Feb. 2016 newsletter includes topics such as Conditional Licensure, Tips for Licensure Applications and Case Summaries.
The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council is now taking applications for the 2016-17 STEM Scale-up Programs. Online applications are due March 1 for 11 programs, some of which are new this year. Heartland AEA staff are available to partner with you to help determine which of these programs will meet the needs of your district.
The most current information and the application can be found online using these links:
For more information or support, contact your Heartland AEA team or Paul Gibbins, North Central Regional STEM Manager, Iowa State University at (515) 294-0645, Twitter @NC_Iowa_STE, Facebook North Central Iowa STEM Region.
The Feb. 2016 issue of School Leader Update is available from the Iowa Department of Education. In this issue, read about Science Standards, Early Literacy Guide and Summer Meals.
