I Have A Plan Iowa to be Phased Out by May 2015

Over the past several years, the Iowa College Student Aid Commission (Iowa College Aid) provided the web-based tool, I Have A Plan Iowa®, to assist students in career and post-secondary exploration and planning. Due to recent federal funding cuts, Iowa College Aid is no longer in a financial position to fund I Have A Plan Iowa®, or any successor system, after the contract expires on May 30, 2015. The I Have A Plan Iowa® system will remain available and maintained through the 2014-15 academic year; however, Iowa College Aid will no longer provide regular onsite training for the program. 

Iowa College Aid will provide web-based resources, including training materials and recorded webinars, to assist educators using the system during the 2014-15 academic year. In addition, phone support will be provided by both Iowa College Aid and the system vendor, XAP Corporation, through the current contract expiration date of May 30, 2015. In order to better assess your training needs for I Have A Plan Iowa®, you are invited to complete a survey. Please complete the survey by August 27 and feel free to forward this message to others who may have I Have A Plan Iowa® training needs. 

In the meantime, the following services will be available to districts during the 2014-15 academic year: 

• XAP will provide toll-free phone support at 800-281-1168 from 7 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and other non-business days. XAP will assist with technical assistance, account creation, password resets and system troubleshooting.
• Iowa College Aid will provide support for non-technical questions at 877-272-4456 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and other non-business days. 
• The Iowa Department of Education will address compliance questions at 515-281-3169 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. CST, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and other non-business days. 
• XAP will provide email support at tech-support@xap.com. XAP will attempt to respond to all e-mails received prior to 10 a.m. CST within the same business day. E-mails received after that time or on non-business days will receive a response by the end of the following business day. 
• Release notes on system updates will be shared as applicable. 
• A new menu of training resources for educators and other staff will be available on the I Have A Plan Iowa® Educator page, including recorded webinars, guides and handouts. A limited number of training opportunities will be announced in early fall based on the results of the training survey. 

The changes outlined above do not rescind the Student Curriculum Plan requirements for career and educational planning, as outlined in Iowa Code section 279.61. The Iowa Department of Education is exploring options for ensuring appropriate student education and career planning beyond the 2014-15 academic year. 

Iowa College Aid thanks you for your role in preparing Iowa students for career and education beyond high school. 

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.