Thursday, May 11, 2017

Our Mission
To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.

Our Goals
  • Increase learning growth for students
  • Decrease the gap in achievement
  • Increase annual graduation rates
  • Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Come Get Inspired at the 13th Annual Our Kids Summer Institute

Registration is open for the 13th Annual Our Kids Summer Institute for educators and administrators of English Learners, June 13-14, 2017 at Waukee High School in Waukee. Network with other educational professionals, discover new strategies for working with English language learners in Iowa and meet national and local experts to enrich practices for increasing EL achievement.

Featured speakers include:

Trudy Arriaga, Ed.D. - Administrator leader and advocate for ELs, first female superintendent of Ventura Unified School District where she began as a bilingual paraeducator

Fern Westernoff, Ph.D. - Speech language pathologist who earned her doctorate in ELL and merged two areas of expertise to inform her work in Toronto, the world’s largest K-12 EL population

Amy Hewett-Olatunde, Ed.D. - Minnesota’s 2015 Teacher of the Year

Major Sean Quinlan - Retired Major United States Marine Corp, ROTC Instructor at Des Moines’ North High School and former football coach featured with his team on ESPN during the 2017 Super Bowl and,

And, our amazing students!

Sessions will focus on:

  • Serving English Learners with Disabilities
  • Newcomer Considerations
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching Practices
  • ELs and Literacy Support
  • Enhancing EL Instruction through Home Language Connections
  • High Yield Strategies for ELs
  • Successful District Programs
  • First-person student voices
Registration
Registration is $150 and includes lunch, snacks, Go To Strategies, OELA Newcomer Toolkit and OELA English Learner Toolkit. Seating is limited to the first 500 registrants on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring a team! We hope to see you there!

Register by June 4 at this link

Note for Teachers and Administrators in the Heartland AEA area: Title III will refund the cost of registration ($150), plus an honorarium of $200 (totaling $350) to off-contract individuals for full attendance and participation. Claim forms will be available at the event.

Note for Districts implementing Corrective Action Plans (CAP) for English Learners: These districts are required to send a team in accordance with the Technical Assistance Requirement under Title III. Contact your AEA Title III Consultant for additional information and financial support.

Registration is Now Open for Heartland AEA’s Pilot of an Additional Course Option for Iowa Evaluator License Renewal

Heartland AEA with support from the Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Board of Educational Examiners is pleased to pilot an additional course option for administrators and/or evaluators who want to renew their evaluator license. The Collaborative Leadership Institute will be held on June 19-20, Oct. 3 and Dec. 5, 2017 at the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center in Johnston. The pilot is open to anyone in the state and seating is limited to 50 people. Registration is now open at this link.

Collaborative Leadership Institute

Dates: June 19-20, Oct. 3 and Dec. 5, 2017
Location: Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

Register at this link

Educators Considering Authentic Standards-based Learning Will Gain Valuable Information at the Conference on Transforming Systems Through Standards-Based Learning

Des Moines Public Schools and Drake University are teaming up to bring you the conference on Transforming Systems Through Standards-Based Learning on June 22 at the Iowa Events Center.

Conference Emphasis
The conference will have an emphasis on secondary buildings and educators who are considering how to start authentic standards-based learning (including grading and reporting), help teachers who are trying things on their own, and support secondary educators who are looking for new ideas to try.

Session Topics
The conference consists of a keynote and two breakouts in the morning, lunch on site, teacher highlight speakers over lunch and two afternoon breakouts. Breakouts will be facilitated largely by DMPS teachers and leaders, as they lead learning over how DMPS has implemented standards-referenced learning, including grading and reporting, in a large district. Other conference faculty will offer sessions on:

  • Making a student information system (online grading system, such as Infinite Campus) work with standards-referenced/based grading
  • Learning how standards become proficiency scales
  • How to track and monitor student learning
  • Considerations for exceptional learners
  • How administrators can lead efforts in standards-based learning, including grading & reporting
  • Where to stand philosophically with regard to standards-based learning, scoring evidence, use of zeroes
  • Successful implementation of standards-based learning and grading in smaller, rural schools
  • Managing multiple opportunities for assessment of learning
  • Looking at research regarding how standards-based learning and grading work
Drake University and Des Moines Public Schools Present:
Transforming Systems through Standards-Based Learning

Date: June 22, 2017
Time: 8:30 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Location: Iowa Events Center, 730 3rd St, Des Moines

Register at this link

For more information, contact Becca Lindahl, at blindahl@heartlandaea.org or (515) 270-9030 Ext. 14355.

Instructional Practices Inventory Workshops Coming in October

Heartland AEA is hosting two Instructional Practices Inventory Workshops in the fall for teachers who want to enhance their practice of collecting and collaboratively studying student engagement. Both workshops will be facilitated by Jerry Valentine, IPI Developer and Lead Trainer at the

Instructional Practices Inventory Level I Workshop
The IPI workshop will begin with an overview of the IPI categories and the protocols for data collection and transitions to a local school to make observations in a classroom setting.

Dates: Oct. 4, 2017
Times: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Van Meter Community School District, 520 First Ave., Van Meter
Register at this link


Instructional Practices Inventory Technology Workshop
During the workshop, participants will develop the skills to document student engagement through the use of technology and learn how to use the profiles to engage faculty in collaborative learning conversations about engagement, instructional change, technology integration and school-wide instructional goals.

Dates: Oct. 5, 2017
Times: 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location: Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston
Register at this link

Reserve Your Spot Today for Maximizing School Counselor Impact: A Module for School Leaders

This two-credit, online course for principals, assistant principals and directors of counseling, helps school leaders understand how to engage effectively with school counselors to take the steps needed to achieve your goals in school improvement. In this course, participants will learn more about:

  • The impact school counselors can have on student success
  • The school counselor’s role
  • A comprehensive school counseling program and how to support one
This course was developed in collaboration with the National Association of Secondary School Principals and is offered through a joint agreement with the Southern Region Education Board, Iowa College Aid and AEA PD Online. It is part of a series of the Go Alliance Academy.

Register Here

DMACC Ankeny Surplus Available

DMACC Ankeny Campus has the following surplus items available. If interested contact Julie Klocke in Purchasing at jaklocke1@dmacc.edu.

70 sled based desks










24 tables, 24” x 48” (do not fold)