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

 

Save the Date: Heartland Administrators' Association April 2

The next Heartland Administrators' Association (HAA) meeting will be held on April 2 from 9-11:30 a.m. at the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive in Johnston. This will be an in-person meeting with lunch provided. The agenda will feature members of the Heartland AEA Emergency Reunification Team and Superintendent Clark Wicks from Perry CSD.

Student Planners: Help Keep Your Students Organized and Engaged!

Quality, affordable & beautifully-designed student planners are available for your school through Heartland AEA. Planners can support student engagement and awareness of school events, activities and projects. Visit our website to choose your planner style from the many options we offer. Order by May 1 to ensure delivery by the beginning of the 2024-25 school year. Check out our Creative Services newsletter for everything Student Planners, reading and literacy, specialty items and graduation celebrations!

Gifted & Talented News is Here

In this issue:

• ITAG Spring Workshop
• GT Learning Series
• What We’re Reading
• New Professional Books
• Let us know how you’re using online CogAT assessments

Calling all Principals! Join Our Principal Alliance Networking Group on March 29

The Principal Alliance Lasting Leadership Series will focus on current practices in the field of leadership and principalship. Join your colleagues on the last weekday of the month from 9-10 a.m. for thematic whole group and small group discussions centered on current problems of practice. Additional resources will be shared to support the topics. Visit the Iowa’s AEAs website for meeting dates and agendas.

Instructors: Download Your Vita & Course Syllabi in Anticipation of New Professional Learning Registration System

Thank you for being a valued part of our learning community! As you may have heard, Iowa’s AEAs will transition to a new Professional Learning Registration System this spring/summer.

To help you plan for this transition, we ask that you go into our current Registration System to download your Vita and the syllabi of the courses you wish to save. When it’s time to migrate information into the new system, you will need to enter the courses you wish to teach again, as that information will not be available in the new system. Stay tuned for instructions and training on how to enter courses into the new system.

Learn more and get instructions on our website.

Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines Training Opportunity for Buildings and/or District Teams Coming June 12

Heartland AEA is pleased to offer the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines workshop on June 12 from 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CSTAG is an evidence-based model for schools to use in conducting threat assessments of students. School threat assessment is a proactive and flexible violence prevention practice that is used when an individual threatens to commit a violent act or engages in threatening behavior. The CSTAG school threat assessment model allows school‐based teams to follow a decision‐tree process to resolve less serious, transient threats quickly while focusing greater attention on more serious, substantive threats.

This is a team training opportunity and each participating school/district is asked to identify a threat assessment team to attend the workshop. Heartland AEA will cover the cost of the workshop; schools/districts will just need to purchase the CSTAG manual (the manual cost ranges from $45-$50, depending on the total quantity purchased). It is recommended that each participant have their own copy of the manual. The use of the manual is critical to achieving fidelity of implementation.

If you have a threat assessment team that would like to attend, please register via this link: HL - The Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) (Course # 216129), Section 318967.

** Please note: Each individual team member will need to register.

** If you have any questions, please contact your Regional Director, and/or Jadie Boens, Director of Social, Emotional, Behavior, & Mental Health Services.

Paraeducator Generalist Certification Courses Coming This Summer

Heartland AEA is offering the Paraeducator Generalist Certification courses this summer. There are three courses you must register for and complete to be able to apply for the Paraeducator Generalist Certificate through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

Prerequisites:

• Participants must be at least 18 years old
• Participants must have a high school diploma or equivalent GED
• Participants must have access to a computer/internet in order to take the courses
• It is preferred, but not required, that participants be employed by an accredited Iowa school district as a practicing paraeducator, or work as a substitute paraeducator in an accredited Iowa school district, or have a teacher and administrator who are willing to mentor you through the certification program. If you need assistance with this, please email the instructor at: ncoe@heartlandaea.org.

Click on the name of the course below to link to the registration system. You will need to register and pay for each course separately. Each course is $120 for a total of $360. The courses must be taken in order.

BoEE Application Fees: The application and background check process through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners (BoEE) is online and will be started in Course III.

The application fee is currently $40 and the background check fee is $35 (+ a $3 convenience fee) payable to the Board of Educational Examiners (fees subject to change by BOEE). Applicants will complete their background screenings through Iowa Fieldprint and pay a fee of $34.35 to them.

Course: Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program - Course I Introduction/Foundation
Course #: 180378
Dates: May 30, June 6 & 13, 2024 (3:30-4:30 p.m.)
Via Zoom + Online Work due by June 20, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Course: Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program - Course II Instructional Support
Course #: 180380
Dates: June 25 & July 9, 2024 (3:30-4:30 p.m.)
Via Zoom + Online Work due by July 16, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Course: Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program - Course III Behavioral Supports
Course #: 180382
Dates: July 18 & August 1, 2024 (3:30-4:30 p.m.)
Via Zoom + Online Work due by August 8, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

Logging In:
Your AEA Login is the same email and password you use to log into the AEA Learning System (e.g. Mandatory Reporter, Bloodborne Pathogens).

If you don't have an account in our system, you will need to click on Create Account at the bottom of the screen. Once you create your account, it doesn't actually get set up in the registration system until overnight. So you will need to go back in the next day and register for the courses.

Registration:

1. Once you have logged in, click on the Register button for this course.
2. Next, read the Disclaimer and click Accept to continue the registration.

Online Payment Options:

• Visa or MasterCard
• Purchase Order issued by an Iowa school district
• Split payment: a portion of the fee is paid with a purchase order (school district) and the remainder is paid with a credit card (participant)

You will receive a confirmation email after you register.

Questions? Contact Professional Learning at (515) 473-6780 or profdev@heartlandaea.org