Resources for Support Following Release of ESSA Designations

Designation Questions
This week, superintendents were informed of the ESSA designations for their schools through a form email. Some districts didn’t have schools in either the Targeted or Comprehensive categories. For questions about the designations, contact Jay Pennington at the Iowa Department of Education at jay.pennington@iowa.gov.

Heartland AEA’s ESSA Administrator Session - Dec. 20
Administrators of buildings/districts with schools that have been designated in need of either Targeted or Intensive supports are invited to attend Heartland AEA’s ESSA Administrator Session on Dec. 20 in Johnston. The day-long information and planning session provides administrators with an opportunity to become familiar with:

• Our collaborative work and alignment with existing practices/resources
• ESSA Accountability Index, designations, calculations, what it means and how to explain it
• Communication toolkit to support sharing information with your board, staff, parents, community and legislators
• ESSA contacts and support from the Department of Education and Area Education Agencies
• ESSA Administrator Organizer as a planner to ensure access to all required and optional supports
• Supports available, including the purpose, access, importance, who should be involved and challenges/solutions
• Discussion of next steps

Connections will be made across all schools, and DE and AEA staff will be available to answer questions. Registration information can be found in the Master Schedule for ESSA Trainings.

Additional Resources

• ESSA Communication Folder contains resources for use with staff and communities
• ESSA talking points