Friday, July 31, 2020

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
growth gap graduation gateways

CPI Training Adjustments Announced for 2020-21 School Year

Due to COVID-19, the Heartland AEA CPI training team has had the opportunity to analyze our current training format, and we have made some adjustments. Please see the CPI Program Adjustments for the 2020-21 School Year, including information about:

  • Move to blended learning option
  • Recommended training participants
  • Training in district
  • Additional crisis prevention training option
  • Enhanced safety measures

More COVID Signs, Posters Are Available for Your District Buildings


More posters, signs, vinyls and clings related to COVID-19 health and safety measures are available for your district at csonline.heartlandaea.org. You can browse all of the items by searching COVID. Log in with your AEA Learning Online (mandatory reporter) username/password to order. The newest item includes signage and clings for locating and using hand sanitizer.

Pear Deck Extends Special Pricing Until Aug. 10


Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to announce reduced pricing available for Iowa school districts interested in using Pear Deck for the upcoming academic year. Pear Deck is a communication platform that lets teachers create interactive assessments and presentations that students can follow from their personal devices. To receive Pear Deck for the 2020-21 academic year, register here no later than Aug. 10.

Supporting Online Learning: an AEA Webinar Series Begins Aug. 4


Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to partner with Iowa educators to share information about how to help support online learning. These practices can be utilized in online learning, but may be applied when educators and students are in the classroom together. This three-week series will cover topics around creating an online learning environment, designing and delivering online learning, how to facilitate good communication & collaboration and embedding feedback & assessment. 

Here is the schedule and details which will be used as a landing page for resources and recording links for these instructional sessions.

To join these webinars, please sign up here and an email will be sent with the Zoom link. The webinars will also be streamed live on the AEA Facebook page and all resources and recordings will be archived on this document.

Separate sessions are also being offered, and geared specifically for district IT professionals. That schedule and details are available at this link.

August 2020 School Leader Update Available


The August 2020 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is available.

New Athletic Directors Evaluator Approval Course Coming This Fall

coming soon
A new Athletic Directors Evaluator Approval course is being offered this fall. This class is for the renewal of evaluator approval only by the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. The mandatory Evaluator Approval One class must be completed first before being able to take this course. The AD Evaluator Approval Training is for the formal evaluation of athletic coaches and activity sponsors only. The AD Evaluator Approval Course is NOT approved for the formal evaluation of the Educational Classroom Instructor. 

Participants are encouraged to have a conversation with their respective superintendents or human resource director to confirm that they are aware that this course has been approved by the DE and that their respective districts approve of the training for the formal evaluation of coaches and activity sponsors within their district. 

If you would like further information regarding this course, please contact Al Lammers, Norwalk Community Schools AD at alammers@norwalk.k12.ia.us.

Friday, July 24, 2020

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
growth gap graduation gateways

CPI Program Adjustments Announced for 2020-21 School Year


Due to COVID-19, the Heartland AEA CPI training team has had the opportunity to analyze our current training format, and we have made some adjustments. Please see the CPI Program Adjustments for the 2020-21 School Year, including information about:
  • Move to blended learning option
  • Recommended training participants
  • Training in district
  • Additional crisis prevention training option
  • Enhanced safety measures

Pear Deck Extends Special Pricing Until Aug. 10


Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to announce reduced pricing available for Iowa school districts interested in using Pear Deck for the upcoming academic year. Pear Deck is a communication platform that lets teachers create interactive assessments and presentations that students can follow from their personal devices. To receive Pear Deck for the 2020-21 academic year, register here no later than Aug. 10.

New DE/AEA Return to Learn Special Education Documents


Additional documents and guidance related to special education were released this week on the DE/AEA Return to Learn Compendium of Resources for Districts, Schools and IEP Teams

Updates from the BoEE – August 2020


In this issue: Substitute Teachers, Helpful Hints for Administrators, Renewal Tips, Online Licensing System, Conditional Licensure, Legislative Update, Troops to Teachers, Ethics - Racism and Equality, Recent Cases.

Five Assumptions to Leave Behind as School Resumes


Reprinted with permission from Master Teacher, July 2020
The past several months have been filled with surprises, challenges, bewilderment, wonder and stress. Our regular routines were disrupted. We were asked to engage in teaching and learning in new ways that often have felt awkward and out-of-balance.

Now, as we approach the transition back to face-to-face teaching and learning, we are not the same, and our students are not the same. In fact, a lot will change from when we closed schools because of the virus. Many of our students have learned how to use new tools to support their learning. They have developed new skills and experienced greater learning independence. And, we too have gained important input and insights about our work and how to engage and mentor students. We have also learned much about ourselves when facing the unknown and needing to find ways to adjust and succeed.

There is much from this experience we will want to take with us when we return to our school. There are adjustments we will want to make in the ways we engage in face-to-face learning. However, there also are assumptions and practices we will need to leave behind.

Thursday, July 16, 2020

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
growth gap graduation gateways

Iowa’s AEAs Resources to Support Required Continuous Learning


Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to share information about virtual continuous learning and online curriculum options with Iowa school districts. Based on feedback from local districts on their needs and concerns, the AEAs have worked with vendors to cull information about their programs that includes volume pricing based on enrollment, details on how the tools integrate with student information systems and various LMS platforms, available professional learning and support, and other key details. Districts interested in any of these products should contact the individual vendor to coordinate district-specific contracts for the upcoming academic year. Please note that the AEAs are pleased to coordinate information about these resources, but the AEAs are not subsidizing or purchasing these resources for districts.

New Early Intervention, Special Education Guidance System


The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) are announcing the launch of a new early intervention and special education guidance system, known as Iowa IDEA Information (i3). It was developed collaboratively with local districts and with input from parents and partner agencies from across Iowa.

The launch of i3 means the phasing out of the current Iowa IDEA Info site, including AEA Special Education Procedures. The i3 system will bring with it enhancements that will prove to be invaluable to users, such as:
  • A one-stop shop for IFSP and IEP procedures and resources
  • User-friendly formatting for easy site navigation
  • Increased options for searching content and resources
  • Ability to allow for real-time updates with built-in options to clearly communicate updates to users
  • Translation options
Currently, training opportunities and materials are in development and will be available in mid-July. The Department and AEAs will partner with local districts to ensure the information on i3 is available to families, as well as other community partners.

The new IEP/IFSP system, which will be known as ACHIEVE, will be aligned with the i3 system once it is released during the 2021-22 school year. These two aligned components, when complete, will position Iowa’s educational professionals to continue to provide the highest quality support for students with disabilities well into the future.


The i3 system is available at https://iowaideainformation.org/. If you have any questions regarding this system, email iowaideainfo@gmail.com.

DE Return-to-Learn Special Education Documents from 7/14/20 Webinar


Reminder: Be sure to stay current with the latest DE guidance on Return-to-Learn special education information on this tab of the DE’s Return-to-Learn website.
  • New 7-15-20 Return-to-Learn Compendium of Resources - This document organizes available resources and will be revised on an ongoing basis. The resources provided here are to address the standard of IDEA under the current pandemic situation.
  • New 7-13-20 Return to Learn and FAPE - This document builds from the Department of Education's guidance on the fundamentals of FAPE to include examples of FAPE considerations in continuous learning and hybrid learning environments.
  • New 7-13-20 Return to Lean and Service Delivery Scenarios - The purpose of this document is to support teams in navigating between appropriate methods of service delivery for students in a Continuous Learning (i.e., virtual) model. These services can and may change throughout the school year and between settings as teams determine what is required to best meet student needs.

DE to Host Weekly Webinars Focused on Special Education Return-to-Learn


Beginning July 14, via Zoom the DE will host a series of weekly webinars focused exclusively on special education Return-to-Learn topics. These webinars are intended to delve deeper into the application of special education regulations to continuous learning and hybrid models of delivery. Please share this invitation with special education administrators and others in your district who might be interested. This week’s webinar will provide supports for IEP teams as they focus on identifying free appropriate public education (FAPE) for individuals eligible for special education. In addition to reviewing new documents on FAPE and service delivery, the discussion will address ways to include student needs to access, participate and progress in virtual and hybrid learning environments within the IEP.

July 2020 School Leader Update Available


The July 2020 School Leader Update from the Iowa Department of Education is available.

New DE Guidance: Open Enrollment, Early Literacy Implementation, Proficiency for Senior Year Plus Program


Open Enrollment: The Iowa Department of Education is releasing new open enrollment guidance and an application form in accordance to Senate File 2310. This law extends the open enrollment deadline for the 2020-21 school year to July 15 for parents, guardians and caregivers to apply to open enroll a student at an approved online public school in certain circumstances where the student, or a person who resides with the student, has a significant health condition that may increase the risk of COVID-19. This guidance and form are only for use during the 2020-21 school year.

Early Literacy: The Iowa Department of Education is releasing new guidance on early literacy implementation. This guidance revises and extends the fall, winter and spring screening windows for 2020-21 and addresses remote assessment considerations, staff training, screening and progress monitoring recommendations, and interpretation of assessment results. It also introduces a new data collection in CASA for schools and districts to indicate their 2020-21 default literacy assessments. This data collection is due July 31.

Proficiency for Senior Year Plus Program: The Iowa Department of Education is releasing new guidance addressing the determination of proficiency for Senior Year Plus Programs. This guidance outlines alternatives for determining proficiency for purposes of accessing Senior Year Plus programming since performance results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) are not available for the 2019-20 school year. The requirement to administer federally required assessments, including the ISASP, was waived for the 2019-20 school year in light of COVID-19-related school closures. This guidance document will be added to the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page and on the DE’s Senior Year Plus page on their website. All current guidance from the Iowa Department of Education can be found on the COVID-19 page. 


The DE will continue to keep you informed of any new updates. All current guidance is included on the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page on their website and all tools, supports and resources to assist in the development of Return-to-Learn plans can be found on their Return-to-Learn Google site. In addition, recordings of the previous Zoom sessions can be found on their YouTube channel or on their COVID-19 Webinar Recordings for PK-12 School Administrators in Iowa webpage (along with PowerPoint slides as applicable).

DE Provides Canvas LMS to All Iowa Schools at No Cost


The Iowa Department of Education will provide all Iowa public school districts, nonpublic schools and homeschool students with access to the Canvas Learning Management System for one year — at no cost to schools or families. This system will provide teachers and students the capability to participate in high-quality digital teaching and learning environments in Kindergarten through 12th grade.

Using federal CARES Act dollars, the Department will make use of the State's existing contract with Instructure (Canvas' parent company) to make the Canvas platform available statewide. We are moving as quickly as possible to work out the operational details with Canvas, and will keep you informed as details emerge.

Canvas is in the process of creating an Iowa-specific information web page that we will share as soon as it is available to provide additional details on the capabilities of the platform. In the meantime, Canvas’s K-12 video provides an overview for teachers on how the system is easy to use and easy for teachers to implement with their students. The Department will be sending out a survey via the CASA system to inquire about your district/school's interest in using Canvas and the number of users who will participate.

Friday, July 10, 2020

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
growth gap graduation gateways

Heartland AEA Can Meet Your Return-to-Learn Signage Needs With Our Posters, Signs & Decals



Mitigation posters, signs and floor and wall decals have been added to Creative Services Online
Browse by searching COVID. 

Log in with the single sign-on username/password used for AEA Learning Online (mandatory reporter) to place your order.

Special Pear Deck Pricing for Iowa School Districts

Iowa’s AEAs are pleased to announce reduced pricing available for Iowa school districts interested in using Pear Deck for the upcoming academic year.   

What is Pear Deck? 
Pear Deck is a communication platform that lets teachers create interactive assessments and presentations that students can follow from their personal devices. It is used in conjunction with Google Slides and assists teachers with designing engaging learning experiences and embedding formative assessments into online classrooms It is designed to integrate with your district's existing tools including both Google or Microsoft applications.   

Additional information, including pricing, webinar overviews, video tutorials and registration information can be found in this Special Pear Deck Pricing for Iowa School Districts document.

Reminder: Instructional Technology Professional Development and Learning Opportunities Announced for Summer and 2020-21


Heartland AEA Educators, are you looking for virtual learning opportunities over the summer or this Fall? Check out our new Instructional Technology Virtual Learning/Hybrid Learning Guide.  

Personalizing Your Professional Learning with Digital Connections Featuring a webinar with Sarah Thomas, Ph.D., Regional Technology Coordinator, Loyola University Begins July 5. 

Register at this link: https://bit.ly/2NmIjKi  

Check out all of the summer courses

Need help? 

Districts Invited to “Mass Attacks in Public Spaces” Webinar on Aug. 6

Polk County Emergency Management invites districts to an upcoming free virtual presentation hosted by the National Threat Assessment Center that will share findings from its latest study on targeted violence titled, Mass Attacks in Public Spaces – 2019 (MAPS – 2019). The event will also feature guest speakers, including U.S. Secret Service Director James M. Murray, and leadership from other partner agencies.

The study examines 34 targeted attacks between January and December 2019, that harmed three or more people (not including the attacker), and occurred in public or semi-public spaces where people spend time in their daily lives (e.g., schools, places of business, houses of worship, open spaces). NTAC researchers studied the tactics, backgrounds, and pre-attack behaviors of the perpetrators to identify and affirm recommended best-practices in threat assessment and prevention. The presentation will address the report’s implications for the prevention of targeted violence and is part of NTAC’s continuous efforts to ensure the informed development of prevention strategies through relevant research.  

This event is open to law enforcement, mental health professionals, workplace managers, school personnel, campus security, house of worship leadership, government officials, and others with a role in public safety across the United States. The actual link to the Microsoft Teams Live Event will be sent to registrants at a date in the near future. 

August 6, 2020 
1:00pm – 4:00pm EDT (12:00pm – 3:00pm CDT) 

Thursday, July 2, 2020

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
growth gap graduation gateways

AEA Purchasing is Here for All Your Purchasing Needs!

AEA Purchasing
is here for all your purchasing needs!

COVID-19 Supplies 
AEA Purchasing has a number of vendor partners who carry COVID-19 mitigation and cleaning supplies. To keep you up-to-date on the latest product availability and ordering details, be sure to reference our "COVID-19 Supplies" blog post. The post is updated on a regular basis as we receive updates from our vendor partners.   

Schoology puts collaboration at the heart of the learning experience with an easy-to-use LMS that connects the people, content, and systems that fuel education.    

SchoolMessenger provides K-12 communications and school safety solutions, from notifications and websites to complete digital safety and crisis response management.    

In addition to what is provided via Iowa AEA Online, Britannica Digital Learning is offering discounts on other supplemental products to help build your digital resource library.   

SHI provides information technology products, services and custom IT solutions to academic customers.   

Busch Systems offers a large, comprehensive variety of recycling and waste containers that can be used as they are, or ordered personalized, and customized. All of their products are proudly manufactured in North America with recycled content and are 100% recyclable. Waste solutions include anti-microbial and PPE disposal systems.   

Our Health program covers everything your school might need to keep your students, faculty and staff stay healthy as well supply your special education efforts.

Over 100 Ebooks Added to MackinVIA Collection in June

We added over 100 ebooks in June to MackinVIA!  

Preschool - 1st Grade 
About 70 are geared for preschool to 1st grade. You’ll find books on counting, letters and science. We think you’ll also be pleased to see titles about kindness, sharing, accepting differences and our big world. Here’s a title list that includes reading level, interest level and annotation that you are welcome to share with staff.  

Diversity & Anti-racism for Elementary & Secondary 
The remainder of the June ebook additions are fiction and non-fiction on diversity and anti-racism for elementary and secondary students. Take a look at titles, grade levels and annotations in this title list.  

Heartland AEA is also starting some new lists that we hope will help guide reading and learning regarding diversity and Black Lives Matter. Here's a sample: Picture Books   

Comprehensive Literacy for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Course Begins Oct. 1

This course is based on the book, Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching Students with Significant Disabilities to Read and Write by Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver. The class will consist of 15 interactive Zoom meetings, during which we will discuss chapters of the book and applications to classroom instruction. Participants will be expected to purchase the book and read chapters ahead of the meetings.  
  • Participants will learn routines to teach students with significant cognitive disabilities how to read and write. 
 
  • Participants will explore emergent literacy routines (shared reading, predictable chart writing, alphabet and phonological awareness, self-selected reading and independent writing) as well as conventional literacy routines (guided reading, writing, word work and self-selected reading). 
 
  • Participants will have the opportunity to apply the strategies in their own classrooms and share/troubleshoot in a learning community.
 

Comprehensive Literacy for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities 
Oct. 1, 2020 - May 27, 2021 
Via Zoom 
Register at this link: https://bit.ly/2BaHscG  

Graduate credit is being offered for this course. Check with your partnering institution of higher education to be certain it will be accepted towards a master's degree or endorsement.

Instructional Technology Professional Development and Learning Opportunities Announced for Summer and 2020-21


Heartland AEA Educators, are you looking for virtual learning opportunities over the summer or this Fall? Check out our new Instructional Technology Virtual Learning/Hybrid Learning Guide.  

Personalizing Your Professional Learning with Digital Connections Featuring a webinar with Sarah Thomas, Ph.D., Regional Technology Coordinator, Loyola University Begins July 5. 

Register at this link: https://bit.ly/2NmIjKi  

Check out all of the summer courses

Need help? 

Iowa Department of Education Releases FAQ for Reopening Guidance for Schools

The Iowa Department of Education is releasing a new Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document that provides further clarification on the Reopening Guidance for Schools that was written in collaboration with the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) and released last Thursday. The FAQ includes explanations and examples regarding support documents and resources for schools, considerations and potential implications regarding the use of face coverings, the ability to maintain social distancing, temperature screenings and what to do if an outbreak occurs in a school, among others. 

The document may be updated with additional questions or if IDPH releases new recommendations in the future, so make sure to look for the most recent publication date. 

The DE will continue to keep you informed of any new updates. All current guidance is included on the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page on their website. In addition, recordings of previous Zoom sessions can be found on their YouTube channel or on their COVID-19 Webinar Recordings for PK-12 School Administrators in Iowa webpage (along with PowerPoint slides as applicable). Return-to-Learn supports can be found on their Return-to-Learn Google site.

Wellness Weekly, a Shareable Resource for Districts

In an effort to support the well-being of districts, educators, students and families, Heartland AEA is pleased to bring you, "Wellness Weekly," a weekly series dedicated to all things wellness and well-being.  

Check out the Wellness Weekly site every week for well-being resources, tips and fun and share with colleagues and families! 

This week features:  
  • 7 Trustworthy Tips on How to Stay Physically and Mentally Healthy Right Now
 
  • 8 Best Hikes to Experience in Iowa
 
  • Funnies: Hello Summer!
 

We hope you've enjoyed and benefited from Wellness Weekly during this unpredictable time of working and learning from home and navigating living through a pandemic. This is our last Wellness Weekly of the 2019-20 academic year.