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 is beginning year two of the online Request for Transportation Approval process.
Chapter 285.9(3) of the Iowa Code requires the Area Education Agency Board of Directors to approve all bus routes outside the boundaries of the school district operating the buses. This has been interpreted to mean regular routes and regular special education routes, not bussing for field trips or activity trips. The Code requires you to request permission from neighboring district(s) before any bus routes cross district boundaries.
Last year the process was completed for the first time using an online submission process. Please review the instructions and timelines to complete the process for 2016-17, including the updated video tutorials.
Districts are asked to begin the process this month and to complete step IV by May 31.
For more information, contact Jenny Ugolini at (515) 270-0405 ext. 14441.b
We’re just a little over a week away from our 2nd Annual Education Career Fair! The free job fair is an opportunity for teachers, other education professionals and college students in education programs to meet with central Iowa school districts at one location to apply for jobs for the next school year.
Positions will range from administration to teaching to support positions. Heartland AEA will also be recruiting for careers such as speech therapists, school psychologists, school social workers and special education consultants.
March 2, 2016
2:00-6:00 p.m.
Heartland Area Education Agency
Johnston Regional Education Center
The job fair will be packed with opportunities for job seekers, including:
- Career fair etiquette class (begins at 1:00 p.m.)
- Mock interviews
- Resume critiques
- Graduate program information from area universities
- Professional portraits
- Free gift for early registrants!
Visit the Career Fair page on our website for all the info! Pre-registration is encouraged this year, but the fair is again free of charge.
You can now go online to download and print your own official transcripts showing license renewal credits issued by Heartland AEA and AEA PD Online. This comes in response to the Board of Educational Examiners moving throughout this year to a new online licensing system.
It’s easy! As soon as your transcript is available after the course is completed, you will receive an email with instructions to download your transcript. Or, you can download and print your transcript when logged into your account through the Heartland website. Follow these simple instructions to find your transcripts.
If you have questions, contact the Heartland AEA Professional Development Department at (800) 255-0405 ext. 14701 or profdev@heartlandaea.org.
The 1st Annual Iowa Summit featuring Google for Education will take place May 1, 2016 at Saydel High School in Des Moines. This two-day, high-intensity event with Google employees and world-class educational technology leaders focuses on deploying, integrating and using Google Apps for Education (and other Google tools) to promote student learning in K-12 and higher education.
Early bird registration of $279 ends March 1. Come a day early for specialized pre-summit workshops!
May 1, 2016
Saydel High School
5601 NE 7th St, Des Moines, IA
For more information and to register, visit ia.gafesummit.com. Group rates are available!
Heartland AEA’s Parent & Educator Connection will hold its annual Diverse Learners Resource Fair tomorrow, Feb. 20, 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.
We have received questions recently about the requirements for maintaining student records for students requiring special education. Please note the guidance provided from the Iowa Department of Education in this document.
Management of student records is a district decision. However, if districts move to an electronic file, they must be able to ensure that they can access these records when needed. With technology ever-changing, districts need to be very thoughtful when determining what electronic record format will be used.
For example, if a student went to school until he/she was 21 and was entitled until that time, the rules would require the student to be able to access those records for five years past the time of services. The records need to be maintained, according to the Iowa Administrative Rules of Special Education, for five years after special education services end. [41.624(3)].
The Jacobson Institute is hosting a BizInnovator Competition for high school students in grades 9-12. Students don't need a business background to compete! They just need motivation, passion and a good idea. Compete using a new or existing business/invention/innovation idea or build off an innovation developed from an existing program. The deadline to submit an application and executive summary is April 29, 2016. $3,000 in cash prizes will be given away! Learn more at BizInnovator.
Jane Schmidt, an educator from the Maquoketa Community School District, is debuting a new blog on the Iowa Core website. Through this blog, “Voice from the Field,” Jane will describe the progress and challenges faced by her district and others as they continue to put the Iowa Core into practice.
Jane will write about, as she says, “the good, the bad, and the ugly of Iowa Core implementation.” Jane became a passionate voice of support for Iowa’s state standards during her term as 2014 Iowa Teacher of the Year, when she visited schools and community groups in all 99 counties. Join the conversation today!
