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

McREL Iowa Leadership Academy: A great opportunity for your team!

School leaders, it's been 10 years since McREL Balanced Leadership training has been widely available in Iowa. Grab your team and get registered for the Iowa School Leadership Academy! Seats are limited and the first 200 receive a discount!

The Iowa School Leadership Academy will give school leadership teams in-depth strategies and guidance from McREL’s research- and evidence-based knowledge sets of Balanced Leadership, What Matters Most, and Curiosity Works.

School districts are encouraged to consider bringing a team(s) of 3-6 leaders who can learn and work collaboratively around the presented course content and be willing to engage in this work within their respective districts. The cost is $400 per person. The first 200 members of SAI who register will receive a $50 discount on registration. This course meets the requirements for Evaluator Approval II. Please be sure to sign up for this certification during the registration process.

View the Iowa AEA website for session dates and locations, learning content and links to registration. Three locations! Ankeny, Cedar Falls and Fort Dodge

March 5 HAA Meeting Reminder

The Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) will meet on March 5 at DMACC in Ankeny.

The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. with guest speaker Trevor Ragan, who will present Teaching a Growth Mindset to Achieve Success for All Learners. Trevor’s time is spent writing and producing content for trainugly.com and doing workshops with groups from all over the world. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, MLB teams, Olympic teams, hundreds of schools, and even in a few prisons. Trevor values learning and seeks out the scientists and thought leaders in the world of development, consumes their research and discoveries, connects the dots, and shares it with anyone that will listen.

This is a full day event open to superintendents and other educators. Registration is still open: https://goo.gl/8KjYZ4

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Lunch included
Ankeny DMACC Campus
Student Center, Building 5
2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny

David Ludwig Named Executive Director for Iowa’s AEAs

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEA) have selected David Ludwig to be the system’s next Executive Director. Ludwig has over 30 years of experience as a school administrator in Nebraska, with the past five years serving as the State Executive Director for the Educational Service Unit Coordinating Council (ESUCC) of Nebraska.

On Friday, the AEA Executive Board approved a two-year contract with Ludwig with a start date of July 1. He will be based out of the Heartland AEA office in Johnston.

In his new role with Iowa’s AEAs, Ludwig will facilitate and coordinate Iowa's nine Area Education Agencies in working collaboratively to support and provide services to the children, families and educators served by all of Iowa’s 333 public schools, and 182 accredited, nonpublic Iowa schools. The AEA system also provides direct services to nearly 56,000 students who receive special education services.

"We are extremely proud to offer the position to someone with the leadership and experiences that Mr. Ludwig has,” said Jim Green, president of the IAAEA Executive Board. “David’s experience with rural and urban districts, legislative advocacy, along with his leadership at local and state levels, are a perfect fit for the AEA system."

Ludwig began his education career as a special education teacher and coach, and has also been a special education director, principal and ESU Administrator. A graduate of Midland College with a bachelor’s degree in Special Education, Elementary Education, and Physical Education, Ludwig earned a master’s in school administration and education specialist degree from Wayne State College. He is currently working on a doctorate in education at the University of Nebraska in Omaha and is expected to complete that work in May 2021.

"I’m excited to begin the next phase of my professional career with an organization known nationally for its focus on student learning and outcomes, quality people and programs, and attention to providing equitable services to all Iowa children, families, and educators,” Ludwig said.

Dr. Tom Lane, who has served Iowa’s AEAs since 2013, will retire on June 30.

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies provide services in special education, professional development, technology, media, and instructional resources to every Iowa public school district, and accredited nonpublic school. The Iowa Legislature formed AEAs in 1975 to provide equity and efficiency of educational services for children from birth to 21 years of age, families, educators, and school administrators.

Iowa AEA Legislative Update Feb. 8, 2019

Iowa’s AEA Legislative Update is now available. Topics include SSA, Transportation, Special Education, Online Learning and SAVE.

Save the Date: Our Kids Summer Institute is Coming to Ankeny on June 18-19

15th Annual Our Kids Summer Institute
For ALL educators who support English Learner students

June 18-19, 2019
FFA Enrichment Center
1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy., Ankeny, IA

PK-12 educators will have the opportunity to network with other educational professionals, discover new strategies for working with English Language Learners (EL) in Iowa and meet national and local experts to enrich practices for increasing EL achievement.

Conference topics include:

• Unlocking ELs potential to enhance academic success
• Preventing long-term English Learners
• Supporting strategies for English Learners in core content learning
• Approaches to address English Learner students at the Pre-K Level
• Distinguishing typical language development from special education needs
• Enhancing EL success using data through the MTSS/PLC process

Plan to bring a team! We hope to see you there! Registration information will be communicated in March. For more information, contact Pam McDonnell at pam.mcdonnell@iowa.gov.

Expect to Go Absolutely ALL IN on Learning During Trevor Ragan’s Upcoming Workshop on Growth Mindset

A national leader in growth mindset, Trevor Ragan will lay out the science, unpack the nuts and bolts, and (most importantly) show you how to run with it all in the area of growth mindset. Trevor will help you explore learning, motor learning, feedback, growth mindset culture, jungle tigers, failure and more!

Trevor values learning and seeks out the scientists and thought leaders in the world of development, consumes their research and discoveries, connects the dots, and shares it with anyone who will listen. This workshop is for all educators! If you’re not familiar with Trevor’s approach to mindset, check out his video.

Teaching a Growth Mindset to Achieve Success for All Learners

March 5, 2019

DMACC, Student Center, Bldg. 5, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Register by Feb. 18, 2019 at this link: http://bit.ly/2Tmfoag

Target Audience: All Educators

Kevin Honeycutt is Coming Back to Des Moines! Helping Educators Recognize Poverty and Developing Strategies To Empower Students to Improve Academic Potential

Kevin Honeycutt grew up in poverty and as he witnessed education around the country, he collected powerful experiences that still influence his conversations and his work with educators. He spent 13 years teaching K-12 art in public school and for 17 years spent summers leading creative adventure camps for kids of all ages. Kevin is the author of the book Midnight Run, which is his story of growing up in poverty.

Midnight Run with Kevin Honeycutt
April 2, 2019
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston

Registration
Morning Session (For Superintendents Only)
Register at this link: https://goo.gl/eJAnmT

Afternoon Session (For All Educators)
Register at this link: https://goo.gl/9C5ekj

Proposing Rule Making Related to Corporal Punishment and Providing an Opportunity for Public Comment

The Iowa Department of Education is currently proposing changes to Iowa Administrative Code Chapter 103. Chapter 103 pertains to “Corporal Punishment, Physical Restraint, Seclusion, and other Physical Contact with Students”. This rule impacts all students; both students with and without disabilities. These proposed rule changes could have significant impact on school’s practices with challenging, dangerous and disruptive students. You are encouraged to review the proposed rule changes and make your interests known.

Any interested person may submit written or oral comments concerning this proposed rule-making.

Written or oral comments in response to this rule making must be received by the Department no later than 4:30 p.m. on March 5, 2019. Comments should be directed to:

Nicole Proesch
Department of Education
Grimes State Office Building, Second Floor
Des Moines, Iowa 50319-0416
(515) 281-8661
nicole.proesch@iowa.gov

A public hearing at which persons may present their views orally or in writing will be held as follows:

March 5, 2019
9:00-10:00 a.m.
State Board Room, Second Floor
Grimes State Office Building
East 14th Street and Grand Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa

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

New Year, New Student Planners! Order Your School’s Today!

Quality, affordable and beautifully-designed student planners are available for your school through Heartland AEA’s Creative Services Department. Planners can support student engagement and awareness of school events, activities and projects. Visit Creative Services Online to choose your planner style from the many options we offer. Place your order by May 1, 2019 to ensure delivery by the beginning of the 2019-20 school year.

Independent Sight Word Practice for Young Readers? Using This New Resource from Heartland AEA -- Yes!

Heartland AEA has created a super easy, fun and inexpensive way for your students to practice sight words independently and get immediate feedback. All you need is a mobile device or a smartphone connected to the Internet and the “My Sight Word Practice Set” from Heartland AEA. See how it works in this video and then order your own My Sight Word Practice Set from Creative Services Online.

Heflebower to Present the Next Strand of Standards-based Learning on Targets, Scales and Rubrics

Teachers, curriculum directors, instructional coaches and other educators are invited to learn more about Standards-based Learning (SBL) Targets, Scales and Rubrics from Tammy Heflebower, Ed.D.

In this session, Dr. Heflebower will focus primarily on the creation of proficiency scales and their place in the broader, upfront work of deconstructing standards and the understanding and development of aligned assessments. She will speak of how proficiency scales fit into the instructional cycle and into the learning partnership between teacher and students. The work of creating proficiency scales is a seismic shift from our past practices of using a 100-point grading scale which converts points given to percentages.

For more information, contact Susie Bentley, Heartland AEA Regional Director, at sbentley@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 Ext. 18114.

Strand of SBL Framework: Learning Targets, Scales & Rubrics
Feb. 28, 2019
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy, Ankeny, IA

Register at this link: http://bit.ly/2S2XOf5

Could Fridays Get Any Better? Only If You Join Us for Standards-Based Learning “Framework Fridays!”

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 don’t need to attend all nine. Come learn with us!

Standards-Based Learning Framework Fridays
Next Session: March 1, 2019
12:30 - 3:30 p.m.

Visit our website to register and check out upcoming Framework Fridays.

Are You Ready for Something New in Tech Integration? Announcing Heart of Innovation Summer Summit!

Save the Date! The Heart of Innovation Summer Summit on June 13 is a kick off to year-long blended learning opportunities as you pursue innovation in your classroom with support from Heartland AEA. Enjoy a day full of networking and learning alongside your education peers, featuring Jennifer Williams, Ed.D., and presentations from local and nationally-known leaders in education!

Conference tracks include:

• Promoting Creativity in Every Classroom
• Communicating Student Learning and Guided Informed Action
• Building a Collaborative Learning Environment for All
• Fostering Curiosity to Empower Critical Thinking

This is a FREE event for Iowa K-12 educators and administrators!

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

Please Give Us Your Feedback About the 2019 AEA Legislative Education Advocacy Event

Thank you for participating in the 2019 AEA Legislative Advocacy Event. With over 100 school leaders attending, this presents a powerful, united voice for education to our elected leaders. Please complete this brief evaluation of the event. Your feedback will help shape future events. Thank you!

March 5 HAA Meeting Reminder

The Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) will meet on March 5 at DMACC in Ankeny.

The meeting begins at 9:00 a.m. with guest speaker Trevor Ragan, who will present Teaching a Growth Mindset to Achieve Success for All Learners. Trevor’s time is spent writing and producing content for trainugly.com and doing workshops with groups from all over the world. He has worked with Fortune 500 companies, MLB teams, Olympic teams, hundreds of schools, and even in a few prisons. Trevor values learning and seeks out the scientists and thought leaders in the world of development, consumes their research and discoveries, connects the dots, and shares it with anyone that will listen.

This is a full day event open to superintendents and other educators. Registration is still open: https://goo.gl/8KjYZ4

9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Lunch included
Ankeny DMACC Campus
Student Center, Building 5
2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny

Heartland AEA Will Be Hosting Imagine Learning Trainings in February

To support Heartland AEA districts that have already purchased Imagine Learning licenses and others who are curious to learn more about this adaptive language and literacy program for PK-6 grade English Learners, two optional training sessions will be available on Feb. 11 and 20.

Eric Van Dorin, the Customer Success Manager for Iowa schools, will be facilitating the sessions to increase your understanding of the program and resources available to target specific skills. He will also help with how to navigate and utilize reports to impact instruction and answer any other questions you might have.

Eric will offer both beginner and advanced half-day sessions in two locations. The beginner workshops are intended for educators just getting started using Imagine Learning. The advanced workshops are for educators who have used the product for at least one year and would like to extend their learning about instruction and application.

To RegisterFor more information about these training days, and to RSVP for the session which you would like to attend, contact your ESL/Diversity Consultants, Janet Hiatt at jhiatt@heartlandaeaa.org or Cindra Porter at cporter@heartlandaea.org.

Feb. 11, 2019
Imagine Learning Language and Literacy for Beginners (9:00 a.m. – Noon)
Imagine Learning Language and Literacy for Advanced Users (12:30 – 3:30 p.m.)
Location: Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center

Feb. 20, 2019
Imagine Learning Language and Literacy for Beginners
12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Guthrie Center High School Library

There is no cost for this training, and meals are on your own. You will need to bring your own computer to the training.

Helpful Resources:

• If you already purchased an Imagine Learning license for your student(s), you may set up an account through Imagine University at to view any videos that you find helpful for all Imagine Learning products.
• Another support site which includes a variety of resources including registration for monthly webinars is Eric Van Dorin’s Padlet.

For more information, contact Eric Van Dorin, Customer Success Manager for Iowa and Nebraska at eric.vandorin@imaginelearning.com or (515) 494-2080.

Expect to Go Absolutely ALL IN on Learning During Trevor Ragan’s Upcoming Workshop on Growth Mindset

A national leader in growth mindset, Trevor Ragan will lay out the science, unpack the nuts and bolts, and (most importantly) show you how to run with it all in the area of growth mindset. Trevor will help you explore learning, motor learning, feedback, growth mindset culture, jungle tigers, failure and more!

Trevor values learning and seeks out the scientists and thought leaders in the world of development, consumes their research and discoveries, connects the dots, and shares it with anyone who will listen. This workshop is for all educators! If you’re not familiar with Trevor’s approach to mindset, check out his video.

Teaching a Growth Mindset to Achieve Success for All Learners
March 5, 2019
DMACC, Student Center, Bldg. 5, 2006 S. Ankeny Blvd., Ankeny
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Register by Feb. 18, 2019 at this link: http://bit.ly/2Tmfoag
Target Audience: All Educators

Kevin Honeycutt Workshop Coming in April: Helping Educators Recognize Poverty and Developing Strategies To Empower Students to Improve Academic Potential

Kevin Honeycutt grew up in poverty and as he witnessed education around the country, he collected powerful experiences that still influence his conversations and his work with educators. He spent 13 years teaching K-12 art in public school and for 17 years spent summers leading creative adventure camps for kids of all ages. Kevin is the author of the book Midnight Run, which is his story of growing up in poverty.

Midnight Run with Kevin Honeycutt
April 2, 2019
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston

Registration
Morning Session (For Superintendents Only)
Register at this link: https://goo.gl/eJAnmT

Afternoon Session (For All Educators)
Register at this link: https://goo.gl/9C5ekj

Ethics and More: News from the BoEE Feb. 2019

The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners Feb. 2019 newsletter is available. In this issue: Initial License Expiration Dates, New Online System, Iowa License Types, Pathways to Licensure, Ethics Spotlight and Recent Cases.

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

REMINDER: There Will Be No HAA or SAC Meetings Next Tues., Feb. 5 - Instead, Attend the Legislative Education Advocacy Event

Iowa’s AEAs will host the Legislative Education Advocacy Event on Feb. 4-5, 2019 at Prairie Meadows and the Iowa State Capitol. This event will take the place of the regularly scheduled Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) February meeting.

McREL Iowa Leadership Academy: A great opportunity for your team!

School leaders, it's been 10 years since McREL Balanced Leadership training has been widely available in Iowa. Grab your team and get registered for the Iowa School Leadership Academy! Seats are limited and the first 200 receive a discount!

The Iowa School Leadership Academy will give school leadership teams in-depth strategies and guidance from McREL’s research- and evidence-based knowledge sets of Balanced Leadership, What Matters Most, and Curiosity Works.

School districts are encouraged to consider bringing a team(s) of 3-6 leaders who can learn and work collaboratively around the presented course content and be willing to engage in this work within their respective districts. The cost is $400 per person. The first 200 members of SAI who register will receive a $50 discount on registration. This course meets the requirements for Evaluator Approval II. Please be sure to sign up for this certification during the registration process.

View the academy flyer for session dates and locations, learning content and links to registration.

Tammy Heflebower to Present the Next Strand of Standards-based Learning on Targets, Scales and Rubrics

Teachers, curriculum directors, instructional coaches and other educators are invited to learn more about Standards-based Learning (SBL) Targets, Scales and Rubrics from Tammy Heflebower, Ed.D.

In this session, Dr. Heflebower will focus primarily on the creation of proficiency scales and their place in the broader, upfront work of deconstructing standards and the understanding and development of aligned assessments. She will speak of how proficiency scales fit into the instructional cycle and into the learning partnership between teacher and students. The work of creating proficiency scales is a seismic shift from our past practices of using a 100-point grading scale which converts points given to percentages.

For more information, contact Susie Bentley, Heartland AEA Regional Director, at sbentley@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 Ext. 18114.

Strand of SBL Framework: Learning Targets, Scales & Rubrics
Feb. 28, 2019
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy, Ankeny, IA

Register at this link: http://bit.ly/2S2XOf5

Kevin Honeycutt Workshop Coming in April: Helping Educators Recognize Poverty and Developing Strategies To Empower Students to Improve Academic Potential

Kevin Honeycutt grew up in poverty and as he witnessed education around the country, he collected powerful experiences that still influence his conversations and his work with educators. He spent 13 years teaching K-12 art in public school and for 17 years spent summers leading creative adventure camps for kids of all ages. Kevin is the author of the book Midnight Run, which is his story of growing up in poverty.

Midnight Run with Kevin Honeycutt
April 2, 2019
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston

Registration
Morning Session (For Superintendents Only)
Register at this link: https://goo.gl/eJAnmT

Afternoon Session (For All Educators)
Register at this link: https://goo.gl/9C5ekj

Share This Monthly Networking Opportunity with Your Parents and Caregivers of Students with Special Needs

Parents and caregivers of students with special needs: join us for “Conversation & Coffee,” our monthly morning coffee group! Learn about community resources and upcoming events and network with parents who have similar experiences and challenges.

Mark your calendar for these 2018-19 meeting dates!

• Feb. 21, 2019
• March 14, 2019 (due to Spring Break)
• April 18, 2019
• May 16, 2019

Conversation & Coffee meets the third Thursday of each month from 9:30 - 11 a.m. at the 100th Street Corner Café in Urbandale. RSVP appreciated but not necessary: Kari Paulsen, Family & Educator Coordinator, Heartland AEA, at kpaulsen@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 ext. 14493.

Reminder: SEBMH Learning Opportunity Coming in February: A Session with Dr. J. Stuart Ablon

In an effort to continue to enhance our staff’s ability to support students who present behavioral challenges in the schools our agency serves, the Saydel Community School District and Heartland AEA are partnering to bring Dr. J. Stuart Ablon to the area. Two of the greatest social-emotional challenges educators have voiced wanting to learn more about is how to work with children who are impacted by mental health needs and/or by aspects of trauma.

Dr. Ablon is the Director of Think:Kids in the psychiatry department at Massachusetts General Hospital. He is also an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Ablon has developed an evidence-based process focused on working with students who exhibit challenging behaviors called “Collaborative Problem Solving.”

Collaborative Problem Solving® (CPS) is an evidence-based approach to understanding and helping children and adolescents with behavioral challenges. This introductory learning opportunity will provide a foundation for professionals to understand and help children and adolescents with behavioral challenges. The CPS model promotes the understanding that challenging kids lack the skill, not the will, to behave well—specifically skills related to problem-solving, flexibility and frustration tolerance. The philosophy behind the model is “kids do well if they can.”

Collaborative Problem Solving® focuses on helping adults teach the skills these children lack while resolving the chronic problems that tend to precipitate challenging behavior. Through lecture, videos, case examples and role plays, this one-day training will introduce how to foster positive relationships with children and encourage growth in areas of self-regulation, communication and problem-solving.

Dr. Ablon has been partnering with the Marshalltown Community Schools. Participants will have the opportunity to learn about their professional learning and implementation process.

Collaborative Problem Solving with Dr. J. Stuart Ablon
Feb. 11, 2019
Saydel High School Auditorium

8:30 - 11:30 a.m.: Large Group Learning with Dr. Ablon
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.: Lunch on your own
1 - 2:15 p.m.: Panel Discussion with Dr. Ablon and Marshalltown Schools

Register at this link: http://bit.ly/2Fv5u3b 

Feb. 2019 School Leader Update

The Feb. 2019 School Leader Update is now available from the Iowa Department of Education.