Friday, February 28, 2014

Superintendent: March 4 HAA Meeting

Click here for the agenda for the March 4 HAA Meeting. Please be reminded that due to the HVAC remodeling project at our Johnston REC, this meeting, as well as the April and May meetings, will take place at the Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus (815 8th Street, West Des Moines, IA 50265).

Curriculum Network: March 7 Meeting

The next Curriculum Network meeting will be held on Friday, March 7 in Room 209 of the Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus (815 8th St, West Des Moines) and will begin at 8:30 a.m. The agenda and handouts will be posted on the Curriculum Network Google Site.

Don't Miss This Great Opportunity on March 29 -- Diverse Learners Resource Fair!


Central Iowa families, educators, community and agency staff and others who support children with special needs are cordially invited to attend our annual Diverse Learners Resource Fair! The Resource Fair is a FREE event that focuses on linking families of children and youth with special needs to valuable community and agency resources. The fair is hosted by Heartland Area Education Agency’s Parent & Educator Connection. Please pass on the flyer to any teacher, parent or student who may be interested in attending.
 
Diverse Learners Resource Fair

March 29, 2014
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus
815 8th Street, West Des Moines, IA

June Session on Improving Transition Plans for Secondary Students

Join us June 23 & 24 for a session on how to successfully build transition plans for secondary students. This course would be beneficial for secondary staff, teachers, counselors and AEA staff who wish to learn more about ways to better identify strengths and needs in order to successfully transition students from high school to employment and post-secondary education.

Improving the 4 Gs Transition Network for Students with IEPs - Growth, Gap, Graduation and Gateways
Dates: June 23 & 24, 2014
Location: Johnston REC, Room 13 A/B
Credit: Drake EDEX Graduate Credit (1 hour) and/or License Renewal (1 hour)
Activity Number: DL013492111501

Click here to register.

Questions may be directed to Sue Severson, Professional Learning and Leadership Consultant, at sseverson@heartlandaea.org.

Reminder: Heartland AEA/Drake ESL Endorsement Meeting, March 4

Date: March 4, 2014
Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: West Des Moines Heartland AEA Campus, 815 8th street, West Des Moines, Iowa, Room 117
Register here: ES007592111402
 

The purpose of this meeting is for participants to explore the possibility of participation in the ESL endorsement partnership between Heartland AEA and Drake University. Participants should bring copies of their college transcripts. Classes would begin June 2014, and finish summer 2015. It includes six courses. You may need fewer based on transcript analysis.

Use the sharing functions below to email this post to interested teachers or post on your professional blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ pages.

Update on English Language Proficiency Standards

Click here for the document/procedure to follow if you have exempted any ESL students from the reading part of the Iowa Assessments. (attachment)

The following text is a direct message from Dr. Jobi Lawrence at the DE.

Esteemed Colleagues,

On behalf of the Iowa Department of Education, I am pleased to provide official notification that the Iowa Board of Education voted unanimously to adopt the English Language Proficiency (ELP) Standards created in collaboration with CCSSO and the consortium of English Language Proficiency Assessment 21st Century (ELPA21) states. The ELP Standards were originally presented to the Board of Education in November and were posted for public comment for 60 days prior to that meeting.

The newly developed and adopted standards are currently in the process of being vetted for posting on the Department website and then will be widely distributed with specific training instructions very soon. The new ELP standards will begin to be implemented in the 2014-2015 academic year, with initial training to be provided statewide beginning in late spring and early summer of 2014.
***Please note: Districts are not required to fully implement the ELP standards until the 2015-2016 academic year, however, we anticipate intensive training and district level "unpacking" and "linking" work to begin during the 2014-2015 academic year. Iowa is proud to have been a lead state in the development of the new ELP Standards and look forward to supporting implementation of the College and Career Ready linked standards in the field.

Should you have further questions or concerns related to this notification, please don’t hesitate to contact me at your earliest convenience.

Collaboratively,

Jobi B. Lawrence
Director, Title III
Education Program Consultant
Iowa Department of Education

Opportunity for Teachers of ELLs

Please share the upcoming opportunity with your math and ESL teachers: 

Empowering ELLs in the Middle and High School Mathematics Core is a new class that will be offered on April 12 and 26, 2014 at Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston. Taught by collaborating math and ESL experts, the class will share strategies to develop math content knowledge, skills and abilities while also promoting English language development. ESL teachers and math teachers are encouraged to bring a team. Teachers completing course requirements will receive a stipend of $200 through Title III. Click here to register.

Blog Showcases Impact of Iowa's AEAs

View the latest Impacting Lives update at http://aeas4iowa.wordpress.com/ for stories about the many ways Iowa's AEAs are making a difference.

AEA Customer Survey to Launch March 3

Next Monday, March 3 you and your staff will receive an email asking to complete the 2014 AEA Customer Survey. The survey will be available March 3 through April 4, 2014.

The survey provides us with your insight on how to improve our services to your school(s) and students. The more feedback we receive, the more comfortable we will feel making program decisions that benefit all schools in the Heartland area.

We will send reminders later this month and early April to ensure that all district staff have a chance to participate. Since the survey responses are anonymous, we have no way of knowing who has contributed and who has not. You are only asked to fill out the survey once. After you complete the survey, you may disregard the reminder notices.

Please encourage your staff to participate. We look forward to your input!

March 2014 Each & Every Child Newsletter

Click here for a link to the March 2014 edition of the Each & Every Child newsletter from the Iowa Department of Education. In this month’s issue, follow the journey one school is taking to improve itself.

In the May issue, the Department would like to feature your thoughts on how to prevent the summer education slide. Ideas? Success stories? Send them to jim.flansburg@iowa.gov.

STEM Opportunities for Iowa Educators

Summer Externships

Applications are now being accepted for summer externships in industry for secondary math, science and technology teachers. Click here for more information.



2014-15 STEM Scale-Up Programs
Announcing STEM scale-up programs for the 2014-15 year, K-12 educators welcome. Click here for more information.




2014 Statewide STEM Conference
Iowa's third annual statewide STEM conference will be held March 28, 2014 and is free and open to educators and the public. Learn updates on tactics of the Governor's STEM Advisory Council including STEM Schools, STEM teaching license, STEM professional development, STEM curriculum and much more, as well as input opportunities for attendees to shape the future of the initiative. Agenda and registration at http://www.iowastem.gov/2014-statewide-stem-conference
 

Please make sure to check out these sites!

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

Friday, February 21, 2014

Heartland AEA/Drake ESL Endorsement Meeting, March 4

Date: March 4, 2014
Time: 4:30-5:30 p.m.
Location: West Des Moines Heartland AEA Campus, 815 8th street, West Des Moines, Iowa, Room 117
Register here: ES007592111402
 

The purpose of this meeting is for participants to explore the possibility of participation in the ESL endorsement partnership between Heartland AEA and Drake University. Participants should bring copies of their college transcripts. Classes would begin June 2014, and finish summer 2015. It includes six courses. You may need fewer based on transcript analysis.

Use the sharing functions below to email this post to interested teachers or post on your professional blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ pages.

Accessing AEA Digital Resources for Close Reading, March 6

Please join us March 6 as the AEA media & literacy staff in collaboration with Iowa Department of Education staff hold webinars which will assist teachers in locating and analyzing instructional resources which support the Iowa Core with a focus on using AEA digital resources for Close Reading. 

This webinar is a follow-up presentation to the webinar from last school year, Text Complexity and the Iowa AEA Online resources. The archived session of the text complexity webinar can be found at the same site used for registration. Text Complexity and Close Reading are closely intertwined, so attendees may wish to review last year's webinar as a precursor to attending the upcoming session. 

The webinar will be held at two different times, 11:30 a.m.-12:45 p.m. and 3:45-5:00 p.m. For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/IAwebinars. To register, go to http://tinyurl.com/n2olxwz.

Use the sharing functions below to email this post to interested teachers or post on your professional blog, Twitter, Facebook or Google+ pages.

Edgenuity Workshops Scheduled for March 10

Many of you use the credit recovery program Edgenuity (formerly E20/20) and have expressed interest in learning more about the features of the program as well as best practice in the field. We have put together two workshops to be held Monday, March 10 at the Heartland West Des Moines Campus to learn more about these great resources. Please register for the workshop that best suits your needs:

Morning Workshop
March 10, 8:30-11:00 a.m.
Click here to register.

Lunch will be provided by Edgenuity from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Afternoon Workshop
March 10 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Click here to register.

Keystone AEA Opens TIC Registration to All Iowa PK-12 Educators

Keystone AEA will host their annual Technology Integration in Classrooms conference (TIC) on June 17-18 at the Grand River Center in Dubuque (on the mighty Mississippi). All PK-12 Iowa educators are invited to register and attend the event which will include dozens of breakout sessions and nationally recognized keynote speakers each day.

Registration for the two-day conference is just $99 before May 1. Recertification credit is also available.

Click here for the promo video, keynote bios and all of the details.

Now Taking Orders for 2014-15 School Planners!

Could it already be time to start preparing for next school year?! Yes, it is! Quality and affordable student planners are available for your school through Heartland AEA’s Creative Services. Planners can help some students feel more engaged and aware of school events, activities and projects.
Basic planners will have a plastic cover and coil binding and will contain intro pages, planner pages, note pages and different calendars. The planners include a full-year calendar to accommodate extended year schedules.

Three sizes are available:
•    5.5” x 8.5”
•    8.5” x 11”
•    7” x 11” *New size this year!

Choose your preferred cover, intro pages, planner pages, note pages and calendars from our set styles for basic planners (see Planner Guide). Optional pages can be added for an additional fee (student handbook, activities calendars, etc.). Order quantities must be a minimum of 50 planners.

Standard Planner Prices
•    5.5” x 8.5” - $1.50 per planner
•    8.5” x 11” - $2.60 per planner
•    7" x 11" - $2.90 per planner

Click here for the Planner Guide (shows options for covers, intro pages, calendar pages, etc.) and here for the Planner Order Form. Please have your planner orders placed by May 15, 2014 and approved by June 2, 2014 so they will be ready for the beginning of the school year.

For more information or to ask about personalizing your school's planners, contact our Creative Services at creativeservices@heartlandaea.org or (800) 255-0405 ext. 14368.

Have You Followed Us on Facebook & Twitter Yet?

Remember you can stay up-to-date with news and information when you ‘Like’ Heartland AEA on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter

Revised School Counseling Framework Available

In the January 31 edition of the Administrator Connection, a link was included to the Department of Education’s new school counseling framework. The Department discovered a few errors in the document and has now posted a new version of the framework on its website. Click here to download the revised version.

Friday, February 14, 2014

February 2014 AEA PD Online and AEA K-12 Online Blog Updates

The February blog updates for AEA PD Online and AEA K-12 Online are now available. Go to www.aeapdonline.org and www.aeak12online.org for updates. For real time updates, follow AEA PD Online on Twitter @aeapdonline or on your mobile device by accessing our app at myapp.is/aeapdonline.

Issues include: 
 







  • Tool of the Month: Vocaroo
  • Upcoming Courses: March 1-April 15, 2014
  • External Partners
 



 


  • Ten Steps to Choosing Digital Curricula for Blended Learning
  • EduCanon: Creating Interactive Videos for Your Online or Blended Classroom

Story Highlights AEA/Colo-NESCO Partnership

Colo-NESCO was featured in our recent story on how AEA services helped the district’s turnaround. A big thanks goes to the staff at Colo-NESCO for allowing us to tell their story! Click here to read the article.

TIER Technology Requirements

Many superintendents have expressed interest in participating in the RtI/MTSS/TIER program next year, which is currently being piloted in 10% of Iowa schools. There are many aspects to participating, including technical. Click here for an overview of Technical Requirements. More information can be found at https://www.educateiowa.gov/early-literacy-implementation.

DE Presents Vision for 21st Century Teacher Librarian

The Iowa Department of Education website now has a new vision for school libraries posted at https://www.educateiowa.gov/pk-12/learner-supports/school-library. The vision statement is accompanied by brief PSA videos created in schools around the state. 

Hazelden Bullying Seminar, Feb. 27

On Thursday, February 27, at 2:00 p.m. CST, join Hazelden® and Dr. Marlene Snyder, and international leader in bullying prevention, for a free webinar, Extra Help Needed: Bullied Children who Bully Others. Click here to register. 

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

New Organization Committed to Increasing School-Based Mental Health Supports

Please Pass the Love is a unique organization committed to increase school-based mental health supports to improve the quality of life and educational opportunities for children, families and educators as well as offer more comprehensive services and supports to school systems. The organization encourages interested school staff and students to check back to the ever-developing website at pleasepassthelove.org.

Please Pass the Love Upcoming Events

High school students are invited to a student group on Monday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m. at Plymouth Congregational Church to have an opportunity for safe space to talk with other high school students about the challenges of mental illness in a high school setting as well as a call to action to combat the stigma.

Also, on Monday, March 3 there will be a community of practice for educators/counselors/administrators at Plymouth Congregational Church, Waveland Hall Room 4 at 6:00 p.m. This will be an opportunity for persons in the educational community to have a voice in the challenges of mental illness in schools.


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

Friday, February 7, 2014

Edgenuity Workshops Scheduled for March 10

Many of you use the credit recovery program Edgenuity (formerly E20/20) and have expressed interest in learning more about the features of the program as well as best practice in the field. We have put together two workshops to be held Monday, March 10 at the Heartland West Des Moines Campus to learn more about these great resources. Please register for the workshop that best suits your needs:

Morning Workshop
March 10, 8:30-11:00 a.m.
Click here to register.

Lunch will be provided by Edgenuity from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Afternoon Workshop
March 10 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Click here to register.

Course to Assess Mental Health in Schools

Join us March 29 and April 12 at the Heartland AEA West Des Moines Campus for the professional learning course, Mental Health in Schools. During this course, participants will learn about the most common mental health disorders seen in schools. Participants will learn how to recognize and describe symptoms, access resources and increase their confidence when working with students experiencing mental health concerns. This course will include face-to-face instruction as well as self-guided study through a moodle site. Participants will be responsible for blogging about their learning online and participation during in-class exercises. Click here to register.

Pamphlet Paints Picture of AEA System Legislative Priorities & Services


Click here to read a pamphlet about the AEA system that highlights our legislative priorities and our increasing demands for service and gives a snapshot of our current services.

Heartland AEA Calendar Up and Running on Website

The Agency’s events calendar is up and running on the website. It can be accessed by clicking on the link in the upper right hand corner of the homepage called “Calendar.” The calendar is an embedded Google calendar so events can easily to be copied to personal Google calendars. To see our Agency events, visit: http://www.heartlandaea.org/calendar

Quarterly Journal of School Improvement Released

Click here for the Iowa Department of Education’s Quarterly Journal of School Improvement. The document is intended to strengthen the network of Iowa school leaders, to disseminate best practices around school improvement and to serve as a resource to garner lessons learned from the field.

Iowa BOEE February 2014 Newsletter

Click here for the link to the Iowa BOEE's February 2014 newsletter. Topics include: the new www.teachiowa.gov job posting and applicant site, new endorsement areas (STEM and content area specialists), the teacher intern program, teacher shortage areas, native language teaching authorization and the military exchange license.

EyesOpenIowa Provides Sex Education Curricula Trainings

EyesOpenIowa: Your connection to adolescent sexual health, the statewide teen pregnancy prevention agency is here to help school districts with trainings and curricula to meet the Iowa Code section 279.50. Our work is funded in partnership with the Department of Human Services.

We can help school districts by offering:

  • Teacher Trainings - trainings with Heartland AEA continuing education and nursing credits options 
  • Curricula - Iowa Department of Education approved curriculums are listed on our website~ www.eyesopeniowa.org
  • Evaluation Tools - Establish implementation monitoring to ensure success
  • Technical Assistance - Development of an individualized technical assistance program for your teachers
  • Resources - We will provide you with the supplies you need to successfully deliver your programming
We offer the Working to Institutionalize Sexuality Education program (WISE Initiative). This program is a nationwide effort to support schools and districts in the effective and sustainable implementation of K-12 Comprehensive Sexuality Education (CSE). The WISE Iowa Initiative partners with school districts to support them in adopting, implementing and institutionalizing comprehensive sexuality education programs that are research-based, medically accurate, age-appropriate and comply with the State’s Human Growth and Development mandate. The WISE program is currently serving 78, 821 students in Iowa, including the Des Moines Public School Districts.

Additionally, EyesOpenIowa offers topic trainings such as HIV/AIDS 101, working with LGBTQ youth, answering sensitive questions and self-disclosure, and teaching techniques for sexual health educators. We can also customize trainings to your school’s needs including offering them at your location if enough participants are available. We are also happy to provide any technical assistance, curriculum review, policy assessment and parent sessions.

These opportunities are available at a sliding scale fee with scholarships available to school districts Heartland AEA works with.

On our website you will find further details on the services, trainings and curricula that EyesOpenIowa offers at www.eyesopeniowa.org / bobbiejo@eyesopeniowa.org or contact our office at (515) 276-6788 if we can be of any assistance.


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