Redesigned Heartland AEA Website to Launch March 16

After many months of hard work and collaboration, Heartland AEA is pleased to announce that the Agency will launch its redesigned website by the end of the day on Tuesday, March 16. We are confident that the new site will improve communication between the Agency and our clients and partners.

The redesigned site is the culmination of the work of Heartland's Web Redesign Committee and many staff members who have updated and enhanced the site’s content to better reflect the myriad of programs and services that the Agency offers. The new site is designed to reflect a more modern website by representing everything an organization has to offer, answering clients’ questions and providing timely and accurate information. The redesign was created with input from our stakeholders and was designed with the end-user in mind. You should find the arrangement of content and navigation much more user-friendly. Major content areas are arranged by audience, namely Parents, Educators, Leaders, Job Seekers and Partners. These areas should guide site visitors to the content they need in a much easier way.

The URL of the site hasn’t changed; it is still http://www.aea11.k2.ia.us. Please take some time to look through the site to see what is new and improved. When talking with your staff members and parents or anyone who may be interested, we’d appreciate if you would make it a point to let them know about our redesigned site.

If you find any areas that you have concerns about, please send an e-mail to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us, and we will do our best to address your concern. We’d also appreciate hearing your positive feedback about the site. If you find it more user-friendly and helpful, let us know!

Superintendents: March HAA Minutes

Click here for the minutes from the March Heartland Administrators Association meeting. The next meeting will be April 6 at the West Des Moines Learning Center.

I-CASE to host PBIS Session April 29

The Iowa Council of Administrators of Special Education (I-CASE) will host a Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) framework session on April 29, 2010 at the Holiday Inn on Fleur Drive in Des Moines. Participants will learn about current research about PBIS practices and receive support on implementing procedures for establishing a proactive school-wide behavior management plan. Click here for an informational brochure and registration form.

Iowa Department of Education to Launch Iowa Transcript Center

In May, the Iowa Department of Education will launch the Iowa Transcript Center, a statewide electronic student record and transcript exchange system free to public school districts, colleges and universities. In preparation, workshops to introduce the electronic transcript initiative have been scheduled as follows:

• March 31 Green Valley AEA, 1405 North Lincoln, Icaria & Nishnabotna Rooms, Creston
• April 1 Indian Hills Community College, 623 Indian Hills Drive, Bennett Student Services Center, Room 100, Ottumwa
• April 5 AEA 267, 3712 Cedar Heights Drive, Rooms B/C, Cedar Falls
• April 6 Des Moines Area Community College, 2006 South Ankeny Blvd., Conference Center/IA Culinary

The workshop will be offered twice at each site. Participants can register to attend either a morning session (9:00-11:00 a.m.) or an afternoon session (1:00 pm-3:00 p.m.).

In addition to a demonstration of the Iowa Transcript Center, the workshop will also include discussion of security, timeline, and opportunities for training as well as an update on several other Department of Education initiatives. The data elements to be included in the transcripts will be discussed in detail.

For more information about the Iowa Transcript Center, go to the DE's website. To register for one of the workshop sessions, go to the DE Calendar at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/calendar/calendar.html. Registration will close one week prior to the event.

Questions about the workshop can be addressed to Coleen McClanahan at (515) 233-1074 or c_mcclanahan@msn.com.

Midwest Educational Leadership Conference scheduled for June 21-23

The 27th Annual Midwest Educational Leadership Conference (MELC) is scheduled for June 21-23, 2010 at the Mountain Thunder Lodge in Breckenridge, Colorado. The conference will include a session on Response to Intervention Model of Positive Behavior Interventions, a tutorial on understanding and implementing IDEA and an update on federal policy issues. Click here for an informational pamphlet and registration form.