Our Mission
To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.
Our Goals
- Increase learning growth for students
- Decrease the gap in achievement
- Increase annual graduation rates
- Increase gateways to post-secondary success
The Heartland Area Administrators’ Association Meeting is Oct. 4, 2016 from Noon - 1:00 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn Conference Center, 8600 Northpark Dr., Johnston, IA.
Oct. Meeting Agenda
For up-to-date meeting information, please refer to the HAA Google Site.
The Heartland AEA Curriculum Network meets Oct. 7, 2016 from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston. The meeting agenda, handouts and other important documents are located on the Curriculum Network Google Site.
For more information about the Curriculum Network, contact your regional director or Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org or (800) 255-0405 ext. 14374.
Iowa's schools are implementing successful reading interventions every day! These efforts are being supported with a symposium to share effective practices in reading interventions. If you would like to share your school’s interventions and/or instructional strategies with supportive data, consider being a part of the Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids (C4K) annual event and share your knowledge and successes with other educators in our state.
Call for Presenters: Celebrating Iowa’s Success!
Date: Jan. 23, 2017
Location: Iowa Events Center, 730 Third Street, Des Moines
Presenter Application Deadline: Nov. 29, 2016
Selection Date: Dec. 9, 2016
Application Form
For more information, contact Mary Jane Stites or Mark Crady, Coordinators of C4K Training Cadre, at mstites@heartlandaea.org or mcrady@heartlandaea.org.
All Heartland AEA area districts are invited to send a representative(s) to quarterly ESL Advisory/Networking meetings. Participants identify professional development needs and provide input on Title III support for the school year. They also find out firsthand about mini grant opportunities for implementation in their districts.
Meetings are held from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The 2016-17 schedule is the following:
2016 Dates:
Sept. 27
Dec. 15 *New Date*
2017 Dates:
Feb. 21
May 9 *New Date*
**This communication provided by Dr. Jobi B. Lawrence, Director, Title III, Iowa Department of Education, (515) 281-3805.
We know that the timeline for getting abbreviated ELPA21 scores has created a very fast-paced process for districts to work with parents on parental notification and meaningful data driven conversations regarding LIEP program waivers. We also know that data files that were sent to Superintendents may have some missing data due to student transfers, testing issues in the spring, etc. We are working with individual districts to help them locate missing data and districts are working together to transfer data for students that have moved within the state. These issues are a normal part of transitioning between assessment systems, and we don’t anticipate these issues in future ELPA21 administrations.
All of these scenarios may create a delay in reporting “final” accurate information for a small number of ELs in our system related to SRI reporting. We have met with the legal team at the Department and collaborated with the SRI team as well to provide the following supportive guidance:
- Districts need to report the students based on the data they have on Oct. 1, 2016 (if they are missing ELPA data, the student remains coded with a status of “1” in the system unless they have a parent waiver on file in which case they can be coded with a status of “2” pending data that may permit exiting).
- When we locate the data for students who may be missing in a district file we will work with that district to clean up their SRI reporting after the certification deadline passes.
- If districts have students who were waived last year and they are working on meeting with parents to secure the waiver for this year, the student must be coded “1” until the waiver is signed. Our Legal Counsel concurred. Again, understanding that we will work with the districts that have waiver dates to make adjustments after they receive the parent signatures. This will be a “corrective” process on our end in collaboration with LEAs.
We are working hard to provide the best transition possible from IELDA to ELPA21 and we greatly appreciate everyone’s continued patience as we work towards improving our assessment system for ELs.
The two-day Iowa Science Standards Module 2 workshops are a continuation of the work that was begun last year with the Iowa Core Science Standards Overview (Module 1). Participation in Module 1 (or something equivalent) is a prerequisite for Module 2. The focus this year will be on unpacking the standards and developing coherent science lessons/units. This will include identifying "the right" (scientific) phenomena to use in a lesson/unit, using portions of the EQuIP Rubric to measure the alignment to the NGSS and overall quality of lessons/units and bundling standards in a lesson/unit. All workshops are scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Educators have the option of taking the Iowa Science Standards Module 1 from AEA PD Online. This can be used as a review or as new learning for those who were unable to take the PD last year. If you choose to take the online Module 1, we encourage you to take this session as a group, so you have meaningful group conversations. To access Module 1 Online visit the AEA PD Online website, click on the "Catalog" button and search for "science standards." Participants will need to login (or create a login) in order to take this online module.
All Module 2 workshops and registration links can be found on this page of our website.
Are you seeking clarity on how to be more efficient and effective in building a system of supports for your students? Do you have a culture of collective responsibility? Or maybe you need assistance on improving your Iowa School Report Card rating? To get answers to these questions and more, leadership teams are invited to attend this MTSS Academy.
An Academy for Middle Schools and High Schools MTSS: Creating a Systematic Process to Ensure all Students Learn at High Levels
Dates: Oct. 14 and Oct. 21, 2016
Location: Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Register here
For more information, call (800) 255-0405 ext. 14701.
As widespread reform in teacher evaluation sweeps across the United States, school districts are responding by developing new professional performance review protocols for use in the evaluation process. Experts agree (Danielson & McGreal, 2000; Hammond 2013: Silverberg & Jungwirth, 2014), however, that it is not the evaluation instrument, but the evaluation process, particularly the communication between the evaluator and the teacher, that will determine whether or not evaluation supports growth and learning.
The maps and tools of Cognitive Coaching℠ offer the skill set needed for administrators and supervisors to conduct an evaluation process that supports professional development and promotes self-directedness in those they are evaluating.
This 2-day session is specially designed for administrators who have not taken the Cognitive Coaching Foundation Seminar. Participants will learn one conversation structure, the four basic tools of Cognitive Coaching℠, along with concepts and practices related to giving feedback and supporting thinking. This knowledge and skill can be integrated into any evaluation system in order to bring a growth-producing dimension often missing from traditional evaluation.
Self-Directed Evaluation Conversations
Date: Nov. 1-2, 2016
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA
Register here
Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids (C4K) is a partnership between schools and leaders with a commitment across the educational system to work effectively and efficiently to achieve statewide priorities, like the Iowa Core, Learner Strategies and Supports, School Improvement, Educator Quality and Teacher Leadership.
The C4K leadership team is offering administrators ongoing webinars related to the tools and resources for MTSS and the early literacy initiative.
Plan to engage in the first administrator webinar with your colleagues on Nov. 8, 2016, from 2:00-3:15 p.m. Additional information about this webinar will be forthcoming. Learn more here
The 2016 Global Education Institute for teachers will be held on the University of Iowa campus, Dec. 10-11, 2016. Forty middle, junior and high school teachers will be selected to attend this year's institute and will receive free tuition. The first 20 teachers to register who live outside a 25-mile radius of Iowa City will receive free housing. Sponsored by the Stanley Foundation and UI International Programs, the institute provides 1 license renewal credit for participants.
Apply by Oct. 30, 2016. Application forms are available on the Institute's website.
If you have any questions, contact Amy Green, UI International Programs, at (319) 335-1433 or amy-green-1@uiowa.edu.
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 Ankeny Campus has the following surplus supplies available. If interested, contact Julie Klocke at jaklocke1@dmacc.edu.
20 sled based desks
Welcome to the October issue of Each and Every Child. This month takes a refreshing – and successful – look at comprehensive work being done district wide on behavior.
