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
Kevin Honeycutt’s presentation is part of the Heartland AEA 2018-19 Leadership Series. The session was originally scheduled to be held on Sept. 4 but has been moved to April 2. Because of the need to reschedule Kevin’s superintendent presentation and afternoon workshop, the HAA meeting has been moved to Heartland AEA in Johnston. Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise will be speaking. More details on the morning’s agenda will be coming out soon.
HAA Meeting - Sept. 4
Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Rm 152A/B/C in Johnston
Kevin Honeycutt - New Date: April 2, 2019
Morning Session - Superintendents; Afternoon Session - All Educators
Location: TBD
Registration coming!
Heartland Administrators’ Association meetings will be held at the Ankeny DMACC Campus, Student Center Building 5 in Ankeny in October, November, January, March and April (see schedule below). Meetings will be held from 8:30 a.m. – Noon.
Meetings in September, December, February and May will be held at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, Rooms 107A/B from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. Meeting dates and locations are as follows:
- Sept. 4, 2018, Guest speaker Ryan Wise, Heartland AEA in Johnston
- Oct. 2, 2018, Guest speaker Brad Waid, DMACC
- Nov. 6, 2018, Guest speaker Shannon Suldo, DMACC
- Dec. 4, 2018, Heartland AEA in Johnston
- Jan. 8, 2019, Guest speaker Anthony Muhammad, DMACC
- Feb. 5, 2019, Heartland AEA in Johnston
- March 5, 2019, Guest speaker Trevor Ragan, DMACC
- April 2, 2019, Guest speaker Kevin Honeycutt, Heartland AEA in Johnston
- May 7, 2019 Heartland AEA in Johnston
Superintendent Advisory Council Members (SAC) 2018-19 Schedule
SAC meetings will be held in December, February, April and May at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, Room 109 from 8:00 – 8:45 a.m. Meeting dates are as follows:
- Dec. 4, 2018
- Feb. 5, 2019
- April 2, 2019
- May 7, 2019
The Heartland AEA Curriculum Network meets the first Friday of the month from September through May at the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center in Johnston. Meetings begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude by 11:30 a.m. The first part of the meeting is devoted to statewide updates including information from the Iowa Department of Education. The second half of the meeting is focused on districts within the Heartland AEA service area. The meeting dates for 2018-19 year are as follows:
- Jan. 4, 2019 (Zoom meeting only from 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.)
Meetings are also broadcast via Zoom. Here is the link to the Curriculum Network Google Site. All agendas are posted to the Google Site and video links for each agenda item are posted in the agenda within one week of the agenda.
Training begins next week to support districts and schools that signed up to use the FASTBridge behavior and math assessments suites in 2018-19. These sessions will support schools using the K-6 assessments, but also are applicable for schools using them for grades 7-12. You may check this list of schools that have signed up by AEA. Training attendees might include administrators, teacher leaders and teachers responsible for selecting which math measures will be administered and those who are responsible for training staff on the math and behavior measures. View the complete list of training opportunities in this document. Register at this Registration Link. For additional assistance, contact Kevin Fangman, Heartland AEA Chief Academic Officer, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.
In the August 2018 School Leader Update, the Iowa Department of Education announced a two-day, no-fee EL professional development opportunity for educators of English Learners. The target audience for this opportunity includes general education and content teachers who teach English Learners. Attendance is limited. If you would like to be considered for this opportunity, submit this EL Professional Development application form by Sept. 15. Share this announcement with others who might be interested. Here are a few additional details about this opportunity:
Where: TBD
Facilitator: Diane Staehr Fenner
Tentative Topics:
- Specific strategies for making content accessible to ELs
- The importance of oral language and student interaction
- How language facilitates learning
- How to build on instructional strengths to meet the unique needs of ELs
Heartland AEA has created a new course designed for Instructional Coaches who are new to their role. The Instructional Coaching Academy is an opportunity to explore the foundational practices of effective instructional coaching and practice coaching moves that have a high impact on student learning. Each new coach will be paired with an experienced instructional coach to serve as a mentor and provide additional practical learning opportunities. More detailed information about this course can be found in this flyer or at this site (including a detailed course syllabus). Sign up through this short Google form.
Instructional Coaching Academy
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston
Dates:
Aug, 30, 2018
Sept. 11, 2018
Jan. 22, 2019
Jan. 31, 2019
April 18, 2019
May 9, 2019
Register
Sign up through this short Google form.
Counselor Academy: Refining and Revising Your School Counseling Program is a four-day academy designed for teams of new and veteran counselors to come together to review and revise the K-12 school counseling program at their district. The format of the academy follows the requirements from Iowa Code regarding school counseling programs as well as the American School Counselor Association's national model. Teams of counselors are encouraged to attend with at least one administrator. For more information, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant at sschirmer@heartlandaea.org.
Counselor Academy: Refining and Revising Your School Counseling Program
Dates: Sept 10, Dec 11, 2018, Feb 11 & Apr 29, 2019
Time: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
Registration: Register at this link
Nine EdCamp-style workshops will be held throughout the 2018-19 school year to provide additional learning, collaboration and conversation for those interested in Standards-Based Learning (SBL) including Grading and Reporting. The workshops coincide with specific strands of the Standards-Based Learning Framework developed by Heartland AEA. You can attend whatever sessions are of interest to you–you do not need to attend all nine. More information is available in this flyer. Register for any of the workshops at http://www.heartlandaea.org/sbl-framework-fridays.
Presenter Tom Schimmer will lead learning on big picture ideas in the study of standards-based learning, including grading and reporting. He will share ideas about what our grading “True North” should be, growth versus fixed mindset, and the belief that all kids can learn through criterion-referenced learning and standards-based mindset. As part of big picture learning, Tom will provide an overview of the five myths of standards-based grading.
Date: Sept. 27, 2018
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Location: Adventureland Park, Palace Theater,Registration: Register at this link
Save the Dates! For These Additional Heartland AEA-hosted Standards-Based Learning Opportunities!
Strand of SBL Framework: Standards-Based Learning
Presenter: Jan Chappuis, Nov. 29, 2018
Strand of SBL Framework: Learning Targets, Scales & Rubrics
Presenter: Tammy Heflebower, Ed.D., Feb. 28, 2019
Strand of SBL Framework: TBD
Presenter: Myron Dueck, June 11, 2019
Linked in this article are the Special Education Statewide Procedures Manual (July 1, 2018 with July 23, 2018 corrections) and Release Notes (July 1, 2018 with July 23, 2018 corrections).
These are posted on the Iowa IDEA website as well as on the Heartland AEA website under Special Education Services > Guidance Documents. They are currently posted on the front page of the IDEA website, in addition to their permanent location under the IEP drop down menu > Statewide Special Education Procedures > Manual.
The Iowa Department of Education is sharing this ESSA support information with districts. It was shared last spring but it is a good reminder as the school year starts. The first set of trainings will occur very soon so districts will want to make the necessary arrangements with staff.
ESSA School Improvement Timeline - Outlines dates, resources and support opportunities for the upcoming year.
Fall/Winter 2018/19 DA Support Training - Contains the dates, times, locations and registration links for upcoming ESSA/DA Trainings.
