Friday, February 25, 2011

Superintendents: March HAA Agenda

Download a Word Doc or PDF version of the March Heartland Administrators Association meeting agenda. The meeting will be held on Tuesday, March 1 at the West Des Moines Learning Resource Center from 9:00-11:50 a.m.

During the first hour of professional learning, we will have conversations about chapter two of the book, District Leadership That Works by Marzano and Waters. We will have copies of the book available for anyone who needs one. If you have your own copy of this book, please bring it.


Later in the morning Jason Glass, Iowa Department of Education Director-elect, will join us to share his vision and plans for the Department.

Curriculum Network: March Curriculum Network Meeting

The March Curriculum Network meeting will be held on Friday, March 4 in Room 13 A & B of the Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). There will be four breakout topics during the meeting. The agenda can be accessed at http://curriculumnet.pbworks.com/w/page/36647332/March-2011-Agenda

Conference to Promote Curriculum for 21st Century Learners

The Iowa ASCD together with the Curriculum Mapping Institute will host the conference, "Upgrading the Curriculum for 21st Century Learners" June 22-23, 2011 at Southeast Polk High School in Pleasant Hill. Dr. Heidi Hayes Jacobs will share ideas and strategies featured in her ASCD book, Curriculum 21: Essential Education for a Changing World. Participants will learn how they can upgrade dated curriculum content, skills and assessments with timely and engaging contemporary replacements. A pre-conference workshop will be held on June 21 and will focus on curriculum mapping strategies. Learn more about the conference and how to register by clicking here.

The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not infer sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.

District Assignments for Heartland AEA Leaders for 2011-12

The members of the Leadership and Learning Planning Council (LLPC) met Monday, February 21 and confirmed the initial draft of district assignments for leaders for 2011-12. This assignment of leaders is part of our agency effort to align resources to provide more intense services to our districts. Consideration for assignments was given to existing partnerships, geography and balance of director responsibilities, including supervision of staff. The list of assignments can be found by clicking here. This is the best information we have to date; however, as our work continues, it is possible that these assignments could shift. Should that happen, staff and districts that are impacted will be notified as soon as possible.

Agency staff have also been made aware of these assignments. Please feel free to contact your current partnership director if you have questions.


Thanks for your continued support of our agency.

Tips & Trends February Issue is Available

This week the Heartland AEA Print & Production services sent out its second edition of the “Tips & Trends” flyer available by clicking here. Copies of the one-page flyer were sent to all Heartland area schools to communicate our printing capabilities. Many find that using Heartland AEA’s Print & Production services is a convenient and cost-effective alternative to using school copiers and chain store print centers. Inquire how we can help you with your spring printing needs such as graduation programs, school posters and sports schedules.

Also mentioned in the flyer is our March 9 Print & Production Open House. Come meet our Print & Production staff and see first-hand the capabilities and products that are available for all schools in the Heartland area. Although registration is not required, attendees who do register for this event will receive a calendar with their school logo. Register online through Heartland’s Professional Development Catalog, using activity number WK029992111101 or by doing a keyword search for “Print Center Open House.”

Estherville Lincoln Central Seeking New Leadership

Estherville Lincoln Central is seeking an innovative and dynamic individual to be its next superintendent. Located at the top of Iowa and known as the Midgets, the district offers gigantic opportunities to over 1,300 students.

Their youngest learners spend time in the day care center and preschools located within the school facilities. The community recently demonstrated its immense support by passing a bond issue by 82 percent, which created a new 5-8 middle school and additions to the elementary and high school buildings. Thanks to a partnership with Iowa Lakes Community College, over 40 percent of the juniors and seniors enroll in classes and earn college credit while attending high school. Student participation in all activities in the district (athletics, fine arts, clubs, student councils, FFA) is strong.


Technology plays a fundamental role in preparing the students for their future. Extensive Media Centers, computer to student ratio of almost 2:1 and Mimeo boards are some of the highlights.

The district remains financially solvent with 5.7 percent solvency ratio and $1.4 million unspent balance.


The area includes amazing natural resources 15 minutes from Iowa’s Great Lakes, abundant recreation facilities, shopping opportunities and many community and civic organizations.


Their mission is to ensure all students maximize their learning potential in becoming confident, independent, productive citizens with good character. If you would like to apply for this position, mail to Kate Woods, Board Secretary, Estherville Lincoln Central CSD, 315 N 6th Street, Estherville, IA 51334 the following application materials:

  • Letter of application
  • Resume/VITA
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Copy of a current Iowa School Superintendent Endorsement including Evaluator Approval
Timeline
Feb. 18, 2011 - Advertising begins

March 7, 2011 - Application deadline

March 14, 2011 - Present finalists to board

March 28-31, 2011 - Interview finalists
April 8, 2011 - New superintendent named


The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not infer sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.

Friday, February 18, 2011

Section 504/ADAA 2008 Workshop for Public Schools

Heartland AEA will be hosting a Section 504/ADAA 2008 workshop for public school districts on March 21, 2011 in Johnston. The session will combine the legal interpretation of Section 504/ADAA 2008 with practical application that outlines implementation steps. Participants will also be introduced to a variety of AEA resources designed to support districts as they implement Section 504. District administrators, guidance counselors, school nurses and others who routinely identify or evaluate students for 504 eligibility are greatly encouraged to attend. Participants can register through the Heartland Professional Development catalog using Activity Number DL005992111101.

Heartland AEA to host Print & Production Open House

Join us March 9, 2011 any time between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. for an open house showcasing Heartland AEA’s Print & Production services! Stop by our Johnston Regional Education Center at 6500 Corporate Drive and see our wide range of capabilities and products that are available for all schools in our area. School personnel will have a chance to meet our Print & Production staff and ask questions. Refreshments will be provided as well as some free personalized printed items!

Although registration is not required, attendees who do register for this event will receive a calendar with their school logo. Register online through Heartland’s Professional Development Catalog, using activity number WK029992111101 or by doing a keyword search for “Print Center Open House.”


There will be special training opportunities during the open house to learn how to create school calendars or memory booklets using iPhoto. Participants should bring a flash drive with at least 13 school photos (the more the better) for their calendar. After the session, you will take home a calendar with your school’s photos in full color. Training sessions will start at 9:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. If your school doesn’t use iPhoto, our graphic artists will provide information on how you can work with them to create your calendar.

Educator Connection Newsletter Makes Its Debut

This week Heartland AEA sent out its first edition of a new newsletter called the Educator Connection. It was e-mailed to all educators in the Heartland area and is intended to keep our educators better connected to our agency and to the many programs and services we offer to educators, students and families. We plan to send another Educator Connection this academic year and in future send the newsletter four to five times a year. Click here for the newsletter.

If you have any comments or suggestions for articles you’d like to see, please e-mail them to the Heartland AEA Communications Department at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Preview of Heartland AEA 2011-2012 Calendar

Click here to download the first version of the agency calendar for 2011-12. This calendar contains the major events and start dates for Heartland AEA staff. Since our agency is going through some transition, some dates are still being determined. We are currently working to schedule all professional development opportunities for next year.

Heartland AEA Provided News Clips

Each morning, the Heartland Communications Department provides links to local and national education news headlines. We call this service "news clips" and an example of today’s headlines can be found below. Our headlines are posted every morning on in the Newsroom located on our website at http://www.aea11.k12.ia.us/newsroom. If you would like to receive the news clips via email, please contact the Heartland Communications Department at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Correction: Newton Activity Code for EdInsight Training

As we have communicated in last week’s Administrator Connection, Heartland AEA will be providing regionally located EdInsight trainings. The correct activity number for the Newton site training is AS005199991101.

Friday, February 11, 2011

Heartland AEA to Provide Regionally Located EdInsight Training

As we have communicated in a past Administrator Connection article, EdInsight is the Iowa Department of Education’s new data warehouse and analysis system. It holds data from Project EASIER, the IMS system (IEP info) and Iowa Testing Program.

An EdInsight project goal for the 2010-2011 school year is to have one person per district trained on the use of the system. That person would most likely be the one that will use the system, evaluate it for district use and lead the district in further use of the system over time.


Heartland AEA is providing several training opportunities around our area during the next few months. These trainings are listed in the table below. Register through the Heartland Professional Development Catalog. Copy the activity number for your selected session and paste it into the activity number field.

February 21, 2011 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Adel AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111101

February 22, 2011 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Ames AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111104


March 1, 2011 from 1:30-4:00 p.m.
Guthrie Center AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111102

March 10, 2011 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Indianola AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111105

March 22, 2011 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Carroll AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111103


March 24, 2011 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Ames AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111106


April 25, 2011 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Urbandale Administration Building

Activity Number: AS005165791101

April 28, 2011 from 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Knoxville AEA office

Activity Number: AS005192111107


April 28, 2010 from 12:30-3:30 p.m.
Ankeny Curriculum Annex

Activity Number: AS005102611101


May, 5, 2011 from 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Newton Library

Activity Number:
AS005199991101

Learn more by asking your region’s Heartland AEA assessment consultant. The assessment consultants have been trained on the system and will be able to answer your questions. You may also contact Heartland AEA’s EdInsight contact, Connor Hood, at chood@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-0405 ext. 14506.

You can also learn more about EdInsight at http://www.iowa.gov/educate/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1691&Itemid=2490

Principals Center Summer Institute, June 22-23

Lynn Erickson (back by popular demand) will be the speaker for the 2011 Principals Center Summer Institute which will be held June 22-23, 2011 at the West Des Moines Sheraton. The focus for the institute will be to discuss the principal's role in understanding and providing leadership for deep learning. Participants will also refine their Individual Administrator Professional Development Plans. Dr. Erickson will be joined on the second day with the 2010 National Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown Wessling.

Registration is $170 (which includes meals) and can be done at http://www.sai-iowa.org/ilapcreg/. For more information, visit the following website:
http://www.sai-iowa.org/ilapcagenda/

Required Iowa-ELDA Testing for ESL-serviced Students

The testing window for the I-ELDA opened on February 1, 2011 and will close on April 30, 2011. Every English language learner who is receiving ESL services must be tested. There is no cost to your district but there is great responsibility. Please make sure that the person in charge of the ordering has a clear understanding of the process. There are documents on the Northwest AEA site that will guide in the ordering of materials, scoring of the speaking and writing sections, and the returning of the bubble answer sheets and listening CDs.

It is very important that when ordering the tests that the ten digit state student identification number is entered correctly. An incorrect entry can delay or completely stop scoring and reporting of the students’ results.

Please go to the link below to access the ordering information
http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/en/programs_and_services/research_development_and_evaluation/iowa_english_language_development_assess_i_elda/

Grant for New Teachers in Shortage Areas

The Teacher Career Establishment Grant helps new classroom teachers in state-designated subject shortage areas. Each recipient will be awarded up to $2,000 to help with the costs related to establishing a new career. Up to 62 grants will be awarded annually. Click here for a flyer detailing the qualification requirements as well as the list of state-designated subject shortage areas. Please distribute the flyer to new graduates and teachers who may qualify.

February World of Media Available

The February World of Media is online at http://wom.aea11.k12.ia.us. For your convenience, you can add the RSS feed to your iGoogle page. Highlights include the following:
  • Videos on culture/history of Egypt and Tunisia
  • Videos to support financial literacy
  • Sexting
  • Reading
  • Math
  • Science
  • Car engine repair
A check of the usage stats for the last month shows that the highest readership outside the U.S. is in Netherlands, Germany, U.K., South Korea, Canada, Vietnam, France, and Russia.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Amendments to Iowa's Rules of Special Education

The following message comes to us from the desk of Thomas A. Mayes, Legal Consultant for the Bureau of Student & Family Support Services, Iowa Department of Education.

At its January meeting, Iowa’s State Board of Education adopted amendments to Iowa’s administrative rules of special education, which are effective on March 30, 2011. Those amendments:

  1. Make the Department’s enforcement actions associated with LEA/AEA determinations mandatory (“shall”), rather than discretionary (“may”). This is a requirement of federal law.
  2. Remove the term “preappeal,” and substitute “mediation” in its place. This is not a substantive change. The procedures associated with preappeal conferences will remain the same. The Department will still accept documents labeled as “preappeal requests.”
  3. Substitute the term “intellectual disability” for “mental disability.” This non-substantive change is authorized by recent federal legislation.
Since these rules changes are not large in number, the Department will prepare an insert sheet for the current (orange-covered) rules. That insert sheet will be available on or before the effective date of the rules. Questions can be directed to Thomas A. Mayes at Thomas.Mayes@iowa.gov or (515) 242-5614.

Teacher Training for Online Financial Literacy Program for Students

The Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) would like to announce an exciting new online financial literacy platform that will complement current curriculum. Iowa College Aid has partnered with EverFi, Inc., the industry leader in web-based financial literacy programs, to bring financial education to every high school in Iowa. The Iowa Financial Literacy Program is the latest enhancement to the statewide community web portal, www.IHaveAPlanIowa.gov.

The EverFi program is an award-winning 3D learning platform that teaches students over 600 core concepts of financial literacy. The six-hour, performance-based course is both interactive and engaging to students and aligns with the Iowa Core. The program allows students to work at their own speed while teachers have the ability to track their progress on an individual basis. The curriculum, which is best suited for students in the 11th or 12th grade, is a great capstone for a comprehensive K-12 program in financial literacy as outlined in the essential concepts and skills in Iowa Core. Although participation is voluntary, we urge you to take full advantage of this resource in your school.

Iowa College Aid and EverFi will be hosting four training webinars on February 8th, 9th, and 10th to demonstrate how teachers can begin using the Iowa Financial Literacy Program in the classroom. Register for one of the webinars by going to the following website:
http://www.iowacollegeaid.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=62&Itemid=266

For more information, please contact Iowa College Aid at (877) 272-4456 or visit their financial literacy information page.

Save the Date: Principals Center Summer Institute & SAI Annual Conference

Principals Center Summer Institute: June 22-23
Lynn Erickson (back by popular demand) will be the speaker for the 2011 Principals Center Summer Institute which will be held June 22-23 at the West Des Moines Sheraton. The focus for the institute will be to discuss the principal's role in understanding and providing leadership for deep learning. Participants will also refine their Individual Administrator Professional Development Plans. Dr. Erickson will be joined on the second day with the 2010 National Teacher of the Year, Sarah Brown Wessling.


Registration is $170 (which includes meals) and can be done at http://www.sai-iowa.org/ilapcreg/. For more information, click here.

SAI Annual Conference: August 3-4
SAI’s Annual Conference will be held August 3-4, 2011 with a pre-conference on August 2. The pre-conference is intended for school administrators with teams of teachers and will focus on thinking to deeper levels, developing guiding questions and designing units of instruction for deep learning. More information about the conference and pre-conference will come later this spring.

Urbandale Schools to host Summer Seminar for Area Administrators

The Urbandale Community School District will host the Langford Four-Day Quality Learning Seminar from June 13-16, 2011 in the Media Center at Urbandale High School. This intensive seminar will introduce you to Quality Learning principles, history, tools and applications to learning. Gain the vision, purpose and direction for quality implementation in your organization. For more information, click here to download a brochure for the event or visit the following website: http://www.langfordlearning.com/events/2011-urbandale-iowa-4-day-quality-learning-seminar/

Iowa Future Website Launches as Place for Education Innovation Conversations

A new reality is beginning to sweep across Iowa and the nation. There's a growing understanding that big changes are going to be needed in education for Iowa students to be successful learners, earners and citizens in the 21st Century.

"It's not just the rest of the nation that Iowa's kids have to compete with now. It's the rest of the world," said Iowa's incoming Director of Education, Jason Glass, when Governor Terry Branstad introduced him to the state recently.

To keep Iowa's education stakeholders up-to-date with this new reality, a new website is here to help. It's Iowa Future at http://iowafuture.org. You can also follow Iowa Future on Twitter at http://twitter.com/iowafuture.

Iowa Future is promoting the need for innovation — a willingness to abandon some of the ways of the past and try new things to provide a 21st Century education Iowa students need.


The site is a forum for sharing ideas from across the state and nation, and highlighting work underway to prepare students for the future — the Iowa Future. The website will provide videos, discussion guides, presentation templates, testimonials, links to great resources and more. In addition visitors can offer fresh ideas of their own.

Five state education groups are collaborators on the site: Iowa Area Education Agencies, Iowa Association of School Boards, Iowa Department of Education, Iowa State Education Association and School Administrators of Iowa. The work is supported by a grant from The Wallace Foundation.