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
Attention superintendents, we would like you or a designee to complete this brief survey by Nov. 1. We are attempting to gather data from all of the districts in our service area to see what data points are collected and measured during your school improvement process. The survey should only take you about five minutes to complete. Thank you for your time!
Nov. 5, 2019
Regular meeting
Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA
Rooms 107A/B
9 - 11:30 a.m.
Agenda includes:
Director Ryan Wise from the Iowa Department of Education and a Legislative Education Panel:
- Margaret Buckton, Iowa School Finance Information Services
- Matt Eide, Iowa’s AEAs
- Phil Jeneray, Iowa Association of School Boards
- Tom Lane, Iowa’s AEAs
- Kate Walton, Iowa’s AEAs
- Dave Wilkerson, School Administrators of Iowa
Smart speakers such Echo Dot, Google Home, Alexa, Cortans and Siri were developed for personal home use. Some teachers are interested in bringing them into the classroom, which creates a new set of privacy issues that should be planned for and discussed. This AIME News article written by a copyright attorney provides one perspective and a host of questions. Thanks to Susan Schrader, Heartland AEA Director of Resources and Library Services, for providing this information to district and AEA staff. You can find articles like this one in Susan’s Library and Digital Resources e-newsletter. Subscribe and share it with colleagues. There's lots of good info here!
The Department of Education is now requiring all emailed requests to transfer a student in the MyTeachingStrategies GOLD system be password protected. This change in procedure is intended to protect the student's personal information when requesting a transfer. Please use the Iowa Transfer Form for any future transfer requests. The DE will NOT accept any requests for transfer that are not password protected.
The Heartland AEA Instructional Technology consultants have a ton of great stuff planned for you this school year! Webinars, networking, coaching, collaboration and learning opportunities galore!
Next Up: Communicating Student Learning and Guiding Informed Actionwith Jennifer Williams, Ed.D., and Monica Burns, Ed.D.
The primary role of the tech team is to provide consultative services to the schools served by Heartland AEA related to planning, professional development and integration of appropriate instructional technologies to improve instruction and outcomes for students. The Instructional Technology newsletter is a place to see what’s available, view past training and plan for the school year!
Iowa’s AEAs are again offering Iowa school teacher-librarians the opportunity to network, share ideas and “talk shop.” The “Better Together: Collaborative Conversations” is a series in which an AEA teacher-librarian and a guest expert will facilitate a monthly online discussion about a predetermined topic with time built in for networking and Q & A. This year’s sessions will focus on the Iowa School Library Program Standards.
And the best part? No cost, no long agenda and no drive time!
Check out this online flyer for all the details.
Matt Townsley, Ed.D., will be the guest speaker at the Nov. 1 Standards-Based Learning Framework Friday on Nov. 1, 2019. Dr. Townsley will share his best advice and answer questions about implementation of Standards-Based Grading.
As a former teacher and administrator in Solon, IA, Dr. Townsley has experienced first-hand the benefits (and challenges!) of moving toward more effective grading practices. He is lead author of the forthcoming book, Making Grades Matter: Standards-Based Grading in a Secondary PLC (Solution Tree, March 2020) and an assistant professor of educational leadership at the University of Northern Iowa.
Join us for an up-close conversation!
Standards-Based Learning Framework Friday
With Guest Speaker Matt Townsley, Ed.D.
Nov. 1, 2019
12:30 - 3:30 p.m.
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
Register at this link http://bit.ly/2VV6umr with course number 180887, Section 272162
The Nonviolent Crisis Intervention Program, developed by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI), is a one-day training that provides the opportunity for educators to obtain initial certification in CPI's "Nonviolent Crisis Intervention" program or renewal certification for individuals who are not eligible for the recertification training (e.g., expired certification). Participants will receive an introduction to crisis prevention focusing on non-physical strategies, including non-verbal, para-verbal and verbal techniques that can be used to assist in de-escalating behavior.
Participants will receive instruction, role-playing, practice and feedback in using personal safety techniques, such as blocking, moving and releasing to avoid or minimize injury when interacting with an individual who is escalated. This training also includes instruction, role-playing, practice and feedback in the use of physical restraint strategies, transport techniques and team strategies to maintain safety when an individual engages in escalated behavior that is dangerous to self or others.
Please note:
- The strategies taught in this training are not intended to replace behavior intervention plans (BIP) for individual students, but rather to provide strategies for school staff to use to maintain safety during unusual situations or circumstances not addressed in a BIP.
- To maintain certification, individuals are required to participate in the CPI's "Nonviolent Crisis Intervention" re-certification training at least annually.
- Trainees must be employed by a school district in Heartland AEA’s service area.
Registration:
Initial Training
Registration Link
Use course #180648 and select a section
Intended Audience: District staff who work with individuals 3-21 years who engage in problem behaviors that have the potential to result in injury to self or others.
Refresher Training
Registration Link
Use course #180315 and select a section
Intended Audience: District staff who have been through the CPI: Nonviolent Crisis Intervention 1-day-training within the past year and who need to receive recertification.
For more information or questions, contact the Heartland AEA Regional Director who serves your district or one of the CPI trainers at Heartland AEA:
Region 1: Lauren Vanderhorst, Jenny Henscheid
Region 2: Becky Tigges, Sue Klein
Region 3: Aimee Schuppe, Stacey Warren
Region 5: Todd York
Region 6: Gina Koehler
Region 7: Chris Rial, Amanda Jefferson
Region 8: Brenda Gerdes, Amanda Khader
