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

 

Student Planners: Help Keep Your Students Organized and Engaged!

Quality, affordable and 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 before the end of May 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!

Elevate Your Classroom Experience with EduProtocols for Any Class

Our EduProtocols for Any Class professional learning opportunity will allow you to discover the power of EduProtocols, innovative and customizable lesson frames that foster active learning, enhance student engagement, and cultivate critical thinking across all subjects and grade levels. Whether you're new to EduProtocols or looking to deepen your existing knowledge, this course offers valuable insights and strategies for all. Course participants will select an EduProtocols book of their choosing (Field Guide 1, Field Guide 2, Math, Social Studies, ELA or Primary Edition for K-2) to guide their learning while also participating in expert-led webinars, online discussions and developing impactful lessons tailored to their classrooms.

EduProtocols for Any Class
June 3 - June 28
More information and registration

Terrific Digital Learning Coming at 5th Annual Heart of Innovation Summer Summit

Heartland AEA’s digital learning team is thrilled to announce our 5th Annual Heart of Innovation Summer Summit! This year’s event will be held virtually on Aug. 6 & 7, 2024 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. and will feature fantastic keynote speakers! The mornings will also include several breakout sessions featuring local teachers, AEA consultants and leaders from around the state sharing their innovative work. You won’t want to miss this incredible learning and networking opportunity!

The Heart of Innovation Summer Summit is a unique opportunity for educators to connect, collaborate and learn from each other. As we continue to navigate the ever-evolving educational landscape, staying informed and up-to-date on the latest trends and innovations in teaching and learning is essential. We encourage all educators to join us for this exciting event!

In addition to our keynote speakers, we invite educators to submit proposals to present at the Summit. The Heart of Innovation Summer Summit is an excellent platform to showcase expertise and share knowledge and ideas with a broad range of educators. We welcome proposals that explore successful educational practices, innovative teaching strategies and effective approaches to student engagement and learning.
Registration is now open for the 2024 Heart of Innovation Summer Summit. To register or to submit a session proposal, visit our website. We look forward to seeing you there!

Dive into PK Professional Learning Opportunities this Summer

Early Childhood Paraprofessional course/certification
July 23 - Aug 6
Via Zoom

The course is three credits and we will Zoom July 23-25, 30, 31 and Aug, 1 from 5:00 -7:00 p.m. All Canvas course work will then need to be completed by Aug. 6 at 11:59 p.m. The participant minimum is 10 and the cap is 20. Register at this link.

Early Childhood PBIS (new Modules) Part 1
June 5-6, 2024
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
HL - EC-PBIS Preschool Series 2023 Intro, M1-M2 (15 hours) Part 1 (updated modules): Course #215810

Early Childhood PBIS (new Modules) Part 2
July 22-23, 2024
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
HL - EC-PBIS Preschool Series 2023 M3-M6 (15 hours) Part 2 (updated modules)

The Growing Brain
June 6-7, 2024
Heartland AEA, 511 S. 17th Street, Ames
HL - The Growing Brain (Birth to 5 Year Olds): Course # 203386 - select June section)

The Growing Brain (Birth to 5)
Aug. 5-6, 2024
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
HL - The Growing Brain (Birth to 5 Year Olds: Course #203386 - select Aug. section)

Implementing Creative Curriculum and Teaching Strategies GOLD (for new to preschool teachers)
Aug. 12-13, 2024
Heartland AEA, 602 Visions Parkway, Adel
HL - Implementing Creative Curriculum and My Teaching Strategies GOLD with Fidelity: Course #190107

Join us for the final Principal Alliance of the academic year on May 31

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.

Spread the Word: Paraeducator Area of Concentration Courses Offered This Summer

Heartland AEA is offering four Paraeducator Area of Concentration courses this summer. A prerequisite for these courses is having completed and received the Paraeducator Generalist (Level I) certification. Each of these courses can be used as the three credits needed to renew a paraeducator certificate and can also be used to add an area of concentration to a paraeducator certificate.

The cost to register for each course is $180. The fee to add an area of concentration to your paraeducator certificate through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is $25 (subject to change) once you complete the course.

Paraeducator Concentration: English as a Second Language (ESL)
June 1, June 15 & June 29, 2024 (3 hours)
Via Zoom + online work due by June 30, 2024

For the ESL course only, Title III funds will provide a stipend of $300 for all paraeducators who work with English Learners, fulfill the course requirements and are currently employed by a public or non-public PK-12 school in the Heartland AEA service area. (Not available for employees of Des Moines Public Schools or Johnston Schools.) A reimbursement claim form will be available at the end of class.
Register Now

Paraeducator Concentration: Library, Media & Technology
June 18 & June 25, 2024 (4 hours)
Via Zoom + online work due by July 2, 2024
Register Now

Paraeducator Concentration: Special Needs
July 15, July 16, July 17 & July 18, 2024 (9 hours)
Via Zoom + online work due by July 24, 2024
Register Now

Paraeducator Concentration: Early Childhood
July 23, July 24, July 25, July 30, July 31 & Aug. 1, 2024 (12 hours)
Via Zoom + online work due by Aug. 6, 2024
Register Now

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

Registration:
Once you have logged in, click on the Register button for your course. 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.

Reminder to 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.

Downloading Your Vita & Course Syllabi
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.

Instructions to Download Your Vita

• Click on “Enter Vita” from the menu across the top in the current Registration System.
• Click on “Instructor Vita.”
• Click on “Vita.”
• Click on the inverted triangle next to “Reopen Activity” and choose “Print Screen.”
• Download the PDF of your Vita and save it to your computer.

Instructions to Download Your Syllabi
How to download your syllabi in the current Registration System
You will need to download your Vita and course information no later than June 30, 2024.

Summer Courses

• Courses that end on or before Aug. 31, 2024, will continue to reside in the current Registration System.
• All grades for those courses will need to be entered and the courses closed by Aug. 31, 2024.
• Reminder: stay tuned for instructions on how to enter courses in the new system.

Questions
If you have any questions, contact your AEA’s professional learning contact.

Elevate Your Instruction with Cognitive Coaching Workshop

Research indicates that teaching is a complex intellectual activity and that teachers who think at higher levels produce students who are higher achieving, more cooperative and better problem solvers. It’s the invisible skills of teaching, the thinking processes that underlie instructional decisions that produce superior instruction. Cognitive Coaching is a research-based model that capitalizes upon and enhances teachers’ cognitive processes.

Cognitive Coaching Level I - Days 1-4 

(Course #180453)
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Select a date
June 12-13 & 19-20, 2024
Heartland AEA Ames Regional Office, 511 S. 17th Street
Link to Register

July 10-11 & 17-18, 2024
Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive
Link to Register

Cognitive Coaching is a process that supports individuals working together to improve their skills in a variety of situations. Cognitive Coaching (Level I) is a four-day experience during which participants will build their communication and self-directedness through the process of becoming intentional about mediating for someone else’s effectiveness. Planning and reflecting will be included. Research, modeling and practice will support learning.

• Two license renewal, graduate or evaluator approval credits available.
• Cost - $48 (for Cognitive Coaching Learning Guide) plus any fees for credits.

Cognitive Coaching Level II - Days 5-8
(Course #189686)
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
July 9, 16, 30 & 31, 2024
Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive
Link to Register

Cognitive Coaching (Level II) is a four-day experience during which participants will build their communication and problem-solving skills through the process of becoming intentional about how they mediate for someone else’s effectiveness. The problem-solving conversation will be presented, and the planning and reflecting maps will be reviewed. Research, modeling and practice will support learning. Previous participation in Level I or in the full eight-day training is required.

• Two license renewal, graduate or evaluator approval credits available.
• Cost - No charge unless requesting credit. Participants will use the same Learning Guide they received in Level I.

Registration is Open: Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines Training Opportunity for Buildings and/or District Teams

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: 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 Heartland AEA Regional Director, and/or Jadie Boens, Director of Social, Emotional, Behavior & Mental Health Services.