Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.
Our Goals
- Increase learning growth for students
- Decrease the gap in achievement
- Increase annual graduation rates
- Increase gateways to post-secondary success
Heartland AEA is pleased to begin providing services to Ames Christian School. In addition to grades K-6, the school has a full day preschool, half-day preschool and pre-kindergarten and is exploring the addition of 7th and 8th grades.
If you have any questions, contact Kristi Upah, Regional Director, at (515) 270-9030 ext. 12306.
FYI: In order to support the implementation of the new Iowa Science Standards, the science learning community of Iowa is partnering to offer the first professional development opportunity, beginning Jan. 12, 2016.
Iowa Science Standards Professional Development Module 1 will introduce participants to the new Iowa Science Standards, their conceptual shifts and three-dimensional nature, as well as provide participants and districts an opportunity to have conversations as we move toward implementation. Find registration, locations and dates at this link.
If you have any questions, contact Rob Kleinow, Science Curriculum Consultant, at ext. 14376.
The ISFIS budget workshops at Heartland AEA on Jan. 26 and Feb. 26 are being quickly filled. You can register online for any of the available workshops. Cost to attend is $225 per district.
Workshop participants will receive information about:
- Budget process and changes for the upcoming fiscal year
- Unspent Authorized Budget and strategies to fully utilize categorical resources
- Certified Budget and strategies to set maximum certainty of your property tax rate if SSA is not set by the publication deadline
- Data and tools related to the budget process
- Sample working line item budget template
- District specific certified budget file
For more information, read this flyer or contact Traci Erpelding at (515) 251-5970 ext 4.
The Iowa Association of School Boards provides a quick and easy online resource to reach the legislators who represent your school district. Simply click on this link and then click on your district. There you will find links to your legislators, their contact information and other helpful details.
During the 2012 legislative session, the Iowa Legislature amended Iowa Code regarding mandatory reporting of ethics violations to the Board of Educational Examiners.
The main question that has been asked of the BOEE is what constitutes an “instance of disciplinary action”? After consulting with members of the committee who wrote this bill, the BOEE has determined that the employee discipline that must be reported to the BOEE includes written reprimands, written warnings, job separation agreements, resignations, nonrenewals, or terminations that resulted from employee misconduct covered by the mandatory reporting areas.
Read more about this in the Board of Educational Examiners memo. If you have any questions about whether or not a disciplinary action should be reported to the BOEE, contact Duane Magee, Executive Director, Iowa Board of Educational Examiners, at (515) 281-4810.
Ethics complaint forms may be obtained from the BOEE by emailing Darcy Hathaway. The BOEE Ethics handout may be accessed at: http://www.boee.iowa.gov/doc/ethHndot.pdf.
January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and school administrators, counselors and teachers should know how to identify potential cases and how to help children who are being trafficked. Trafficking can involve school-age youth, particularly those made vulnerable by challenging family situations, and can take a variety of forms including forced labor, domestic servitude and commercial sexual exploitation.
The U.S. Department of Education has released a guide for educators - and any staff in the school community - on ways to identify and help prevent child trafficking in schools. Human Trafficking in America's Schools is a free guide for school staff that includes information about risk factors, recruitment and how to identify trafficking; what to do if you suspect trafficking, including sample school protocols and policies; and other resources and potential partnership opportunities.
For more information, read the Department of Education Office of Safe and Healthy Student’s Fact Sheet on Domestic Human Trafficking, register and order free materials for distribution to your staff and students from this government website or contact Jeanne Ackerson at (816) 268-0401.
Training on the state’s required online assessment for English Language Proficiency Assessment for the 21st Century (ELPA21) continues with a webinar this Monday, Jan. 11 at 3:30 p.m.
This training is an overview and should help district and building test coordinators and classroom teachers prepare for the actual testing session with students as well as navigate the online reporting system. More details on the system will come in the spring.
Special Notes:
- Upcoming ELPA21 training webinars on Jan. 13 and Jan. 20 are CANCELLED.
- It’s important that participants either attend the webinar this Monday or view the recording once it’s posted.
- All participants need to register individually.
Register for the Jan. 11 webinar here.
For more information, contact Colleen Anderson, Student Assessment, Iowa Department of Education at (515) 281-3249.
The Jan. 2016 issue of the School Leader Update is available from the Iowa Department of Education. Read Director Ryan Wise’s column as he reflects on the year past, and what he sees coming down the road in the new year. Attorney Nicole Proesch offers plenty of new guidance focusing on days-versus-hours in school.
The Jan. 2016 issue of Each and Every Child is available from the Iowa Department of Education. Read about an effort to make Specially Designed Instruction both effective – and scalable. And you will want to get on your calendar an upcoming special education conference in June.
