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
Heartland AEA is looking for a Chief Student Services Officer to fulfill the responsibilities of the Heartland AEA Director of Special Education. The CSSO will be responsible for providing oversight for the Agency’s support of area school districts to meet state and federal special education statutes, rules and regulations. The CSSO will also:
- Advocate for an appropriate and effective education for all children and youth
- Foster supportive and productive relationships among all work groups at Heartland AEA and with the families, schools and communities that Heartland AEA serves
- Serve as Heartland AEA’s liaison to the Iowa Department of Education for special education and related services
- Serve as the Agency’s representative for the statewide Special Education Directors Network
Applications will be accepted until Jan. 30 through the Heartland AEA website.
Each year, ISFIS partners with Piper Jaffray and Iowa's Area Education Agencies to provide face-to-face budget workshops for business managers and superintendents. These hands-on workshops are an opportunity for leaders from each district to prepare their individual budgets in one highly productive day. An additional hour at the end of the session is available for districts that would like to stay and complete their 5-Year Financial Projection. The workshop is scheduled at Heartland AEA on Jan. 28. Register online
ISFIS Budget Workshop at Heartland AEA
Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston
Jan. 28, 2019
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Register online
For more information, contact Jen Albers at jen@iowaschoolfinance.com or (515) 251-5970 ext 4.
Iowa’s AEAs will host the Legislative Advocacy Event on Feb. 4-5, 2019 at Prairie Meadows. This event will take the place of the regularly scheduled Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) February meeting. Registration and more details are available in this Smore newsletter.
Please take a few minutes to complete this survey by Jan. 18. Information from this survey will be used to create talking points for our time with legislators.
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.
The Iowa Area Education Agency (AEA) system is seeking applicants for the full-time position of Executive Director of the Iowa Association of Area Education Agencies (IAAEA) who will be responsible for leading, managing, guiding and administering the goals of the AEA Chief Administrators, including the direction and operation of all IAAEA programs, services, finances and personnel resources. Position details are located on the Iowa AEA website. Application deadline is Jan. 18.
Do you know someone who has made outstanding contributions to education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies? Please take a few minutes to nominate this person for recognition!
Iowa’s AEAs bestow three awards annually to outstanding candidates for their contributions to education and the work of Iowa’s AEAs. To submit a nomination, complete this application by Feb. 15, 2019. Anyone is welcome to submit a nomination.
Awards will be presented during the annual Iowa’s AEAs Boards of Directors’ Conference and the ceremony will be held at 6:30 p.m. on March 28, 2019 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Johnston. For more information, contact Connie Johnson, Iowa’s AEA Communications Director, at (712) 335-6044 or cjohnson@plaea.org.
Gifted & Talented 101: Gifted Students, Programming & MTSS for Advanced Learners
Jan. 11, 2019
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA
This workshop is designed for K-12 general education teachers, instructional coaches and administrators who are interested in gaining background knowledge about Gifted and Talented (GT) programming in Iowa.
Topics covered will include:
- Iowa Code requirements for GT programs
- Characteristics of gifted students
- Best practices and resources for educators, including an overview of the new MTSS Advanced Learner Facilitation Guide
Register at this link.
There is no registration fee for this workshop.
Course Instructor: Kyra Wilcox-Conley, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant with Heartland AEA
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 p.m.
FFA Enrichment Center 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy, Ankeny, IA
Register at this link by Feb. 1, 2019
The Iowa Department of Education, in collaboration with Heartland AEA is offering at no cost an opportunity to learn about the MTSS for Advanced Learner Guide and ways to begin implementing its use for K-12 grade classroom teachers. The Advanced Learner Multi-tiered System of Support Guide was created to assist classroom teachers, ensuring all students are appropriately challenged. The Guide is written content neutral and can be used across disciplines for K-12 grade learners.
Districts are encouraged to bring teams comprised of general education elementary classroom teachers, secondary educators, a counselor, teacher leaders, a building administrator and the g/t teachers. District teams will have time to work on a district/building plan throughout the day.
Advanced Learner MTSS Guide Training
Jan. 23, 2019
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
Register for this free workshop at this link: https://goo.gl/cjd2Qo
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!
- Jan. 17, 2019
- 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.
The Readiness and Emergency Management (REMS) for Schools Technical Assistance Center, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Safe and Healthy Students, is pleased to offer a one-day Train-the-Educator training designed to familiarize schools and school districts with school behavioral threat assessments in preventing and reducing targeted violence at K-12 schools. Topics covered include how a threat assessment team can be integrated into the broader framework of school safety, security, emergency management and preparedness put forth in the Guide for Developing High-Quality School Emergency Operations Plans. For more information, visit the REMS website.
Training Details
Jan. 17, 2019
Registration: 7:30 - 8:00 a.m.
Training Session: 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Des Moines Public Schools Operations Department, 1917 Dean Avenue, Des Moines
The Jan. 2019 School Leader Update is now available from the Iowa Department of Education.
