New Early Intervention, Special Education Guidance System

The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) are announcing the launch of a new early intervention and special education guidance system, known as Iowa IDEA Information (i3). It was developed collaboratively with local districts and with input from parents and partner agencies from across Iowa.

The launch of i3 means the phasing out of the current Iowa IDEA Info site, including AEA Special Education Procedures. The i3 system will bring with it enhancements that will prove to be invaluable to users, such as:

• A one-stop shop for IFSP and IEP procedures and resources
• User-friendly formatting for easy site navigation
• Increased options for searching content and resources
• Ability to allow for real-time updates with built-in options to clearly communicate updates to users
• Translation options

Currently, training opportunities and materials are in development and will be available in mid-July. The Department and AEAs will partner with local districts to ensure the information on i3 is available to families, as well as other community partners.

The new IEP/IFSP system, which will be known as ACHIEVE, will be aligned with the i3 system once it is released during the 2021-22 school year. These two aligned components, when complete, will position Iowa’s educational professionals to continue to provide the highest quality support for students with disabilities well into the future.

The i3 system is available at https://iowaideainformation.org/. If you have any questions regarding this system, email iowaideainfo@gmail.com.