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

 

ISFIS partners with Iowa's Area Education Agencies to Host Budget Workshops for School Leaders

These hands-on workshops provide the opportunity for superintendents, SBOs and their teams to prepare their individual district Certified Budget in just one highly productive day. Districts will leave the workshop with a completed (or nearly completed) Certified Budget and will know all the details for publication. Attendees also learn about sales and property tax debt and other variables affecting district finances.

This year, the budget workshop at Heartland AEA will be in-person. There are also two virtual workshop options. The budget workshop fee is $300 per district per workshop (whether in person or virtual), but please sign up each person individually to ensure there is adequate space for everyone.

ISFIS Budget Workshop
Jan. 30, 2023
9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

Register online at this link: https://www.iowaschoolfinance.com/Budget_workshops

For more information, email Jen Albers at jen@iowaschoolfinance.com.

Spring Speaker Series Announced for These Upcoming Heartland Administrators’ Association Meetings

Feb. 7
9-11:30 a.m.
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, Rooms 107A/B
Lunch to immediately follow

Guest Speakers

• Jean Berger, Executive Director, Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union
• Alan Greiner, Executive Director, Iowa High School Music Association
• Stacy Hansen, Executive Director, Iowa High School Speech Association
• Todd Tharp, Assistant Director, Iowa High School Athletic Association
• Authentic Learning with Laura Williams, Iowa AEA Learning Online, 21st Century Learning Specialist/Work-based Learning Coordinator

March 7
9-11:30 a.m.
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, Rooms 107A/B
Lunch to immediately follow

Guest Speaker: Brooks Harper
Passionately Preparing the Next Generation
It's time to re-energize, refresh, recharge and be Impassioned in Your Profession! Brooks Harper provides words of encouragement reaching the head, heart and funny-bone preparing us to approach each day with excitement as we prepare the next generation. He discusses the power of gratitude, value development and strategies to avoid burnout.

April 4
9-11:30 a.m.
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, Rooms 107A/B
Lunch to immediately follow

Guest Speakers

• Ann Lebo, Ed.D., Executive Director, Iowa Department of Education
• Timothy Kanold, Ph.D., Solution Tree, Educator Wellness

Register Your District for the ISU Education Career Fair

Heartland AEA is once again excited to offer our districts an opportunity to participate in an event that will assist you in recruiting quality educators to your district -- the annual Iowa State University School of Education Teacher Education Career Fair! The Fair is open to the public and is predicted to host 250+ students in multiple content areas.

March 6, 2023
1 - 4 p.m.
Iowa State Alumni Center

To encourage your participation in this worthwhile event, Heartland AEA will cover the cost of your district/school's $75 Career Fair registration fee.

Registration for the Career Fair is open!
You will register for the event on your own, designating that you're a Heartland AEA area district. ISU will invoice Heartland AEA for all applicable registration fees. Please note that space is limited, and it fills up quickly!

Registration
Registration takes place through Iowa State's CyHire system. To login or create a new account, visit the CyHire website. If you don't remember your password, click on "Forgot Password" and enter your email address. On your CyHire homepage, click on the "Teacher Education Career Fair - Spring 2023" link under "Attend Events" to complete the registration form.

Career Fair Details
Registration includes lunch for two, a 6' skirted table, Wi-Fi, electricity (upon request), parking and unloading/set-up assistance. Lunch will be provided prior to set up. There is a limit of two recruiters per booth, at one time. Booths will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, according to the date of registration.

Mock Interviews
On the morning of the Career Fair, we will provide professional development sessions, including mock interviews, for our current student teachers. Consider participating in our mock interview session to provide tips and suggestions to upcoming graduates. An option to sign up is included in your registration.

On-Site Interviews
You may sign up to conduct on-campus interviews with students you meet immediately following the fair. If you select this option, ISU will provide a blank interview schedule for you to fill at the fair.

Questions?
For more information about the fair, visit the ISU Teacher Education Career Fair website. If you have any questions, contact CHS Career Services, Teacher Education Services, tecareerfair@iastate.edu or (515) 294-7559.

We hope you will consider participating in this great event -- not only for your district but for students getting ready to begin their careers serving our schools and students!

District Teams Invited to Join SCRIPT Network

The Computer Science Network will allow district teams of administrators and educators to network with others implementing computer science learning, learn best practices for computer science education, engage in problem-solving topics experienced in our region, and build partnerships with members of local industry and the community. District teams will revisit computer science vision, goals, and action plans and engage in continuous improvement planning.

The SCRIPT — the Strategic CSforALL Resource & Implementation Planning Tool — is a framework to guide teams of district administrators, school leaders, and educators through a series of collaborative visioning, self-assessment and goal-setting exercises to create or expand upon a computer science education implementation plan for their students.

Date: Feb. 15, April 12 and June 7
Time: 3:30 - 5:00 p.m.
Registration Link: HL - Computer Science SCRIPT Network - 204711 Course Number: 204711
Zoom Link will be sent to registrants
Reimbursement: IDOE will be offering stipends for SCRIPT

Plan to Attend Our Future Ready Network Meetings in January, February and March!

Jan. 19 - Portrait of a Graduate

8:30-11:00 a.m.

District teams can join in person in the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, or via this Zoom link. The day will focus on Portrait of a Graduate. Guest speakers from Bondurant Farrar, Boone and Van Meter will share about their Portrait of a Graduate journey and how they navigated each phase. Question and answer breakout sessions will also be available for districts to learn more about different aspects of Portrait of a Graduate.

Feb. 16 - Future Ready MTSS and Supporting ALL Students
8:30-11:00 a.m.
District teams can join in person in the Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, or via zoom at this link. The day will focus on Future Ready MTSS and Supporting ALL Students and how to provide access to future ready opportunities for ALL students. Participants will be able to choose from multiple breakout sessions to highlight district work across all tiers.

March 23 - District Career Guidance Plan Workshop
This network meeting and workshop will be offered as a hybrid option. District teams can join in person in a regional Heartland AEA office or via zoom at this link. Districts are encouraged to bring members of their District Career Guidance Team to review their plans and explore the trends with feedback to continue to improve opportunities for all students. This workshop will include morning work time for districts to revise and update their plans with support from AEA consultants. Plans need to be submitted to the RPP by March 31. Please complete this survey to indicate how and if your team is planning to attend by March 6 so we can plan for space accordingly.

Visit the Heartland Future Ready Website to stay up to date on news, resources, past network Zoom recordings and more! For more information, email Sue Schirmer, Heartland AEA Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant.

Revitalize Student Learning with Authentic Partnership Projects at Free Virtual Event

We encourage you to share this communication with area educators, business partners and students.

2023 Iowa Authentic Learning Network Student Expo
Feb. 22, 2023
8 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Are you looking for an engaging event to rejuvenate your learners? Curious about authentic learning but haven’t had a chance to dive in? Join us Feb. 22 for a one-of-a-kind FREE virtual event designed to promote student projects with area partnerships. This event is brought to you by students for students as a collaborative AEA partnership.

• Looking for ways to engage students? Don’t wait...Register now!
• New to the idea of embedding partnership projects? This event is for you!
• Have established partnerships already? Learn more and showcase your students!
• Are you a business or organization looking to engage with area youth? Experience first hand the kinds of projects already in progress.

Interested in presenting? Complete the Call for Presenters google form.

Register for the expo at this link https://bit.ly/3VbcIvn (register by logging in and signing up in the top right hand corner).

Enhance Student Engagement and Accessibility with Pear Deck's "Add Audio" Feature

Want to continue to make Pear Deck even more engaging and empowering? Using the “Add Audio” feature within Pear Deck is an amazing option!

Teacher can leverage audio added to Pear Deck to scaffold and support students by:

• Adding helpful hints, suggestions or reminders to help students make connections and activate thinking
• Providing visual descriptions of images or graphics on the slides to provide access to those who might need it (for example, a student with additional visual needs) and providing meaning making context for all students
• Providing additional contextual information above and beyond the information on the slides in mode different than text

This month’s tip about adding audio is one elementary and special education teachers love. Take a look!

https://bit.ly/PearDeckAudio

Know someone who wants to learn more about Pear Deck?
If you’re interested in learning more about this tool the AEAs and Pear Deck team will be hosting a Pear Deck Training on February 9, 2023 3:30-4:30pm (register if you want the recording). This webinar is great for those that are just learning about Pear Deck and those that need a refresher. In this training we’ll cover:

• Accessing the Pear Deck add-on
• Accessing premade interactive templates with high quality content
• Adding interactivity in your own slides
• What you can do after launching a Pear Deck

RSVP Here to attend or to get the recording!

Each month, be on the lookout for a variety of tips, tricks and testimonials shared via our newsletter, the statewide Iowa AEA website and via social media (@iowa_aea, #iowaaea, Heartland AEA Twitter).

For more information or to share your favorite Pear Deck features and ideas, check out the AEA website!

Join the TNTP Virtual Learning Series: Application and Coaching for Accelerating Student Learning

Objectives: In this course, participants will:

• Learn about one of TNTP’s foundational research studies supporting the need for access to grade level instruction and why the “Achievement Gap” is a myth.
• Understand what the 4 key resources are and how to define them.
• Explain why their system will take an acceleration (rather than a remediation) approach to student learning.
• Complete a systems reflection to identify their personal readiness as well identify trends in the districts and campuses they support.
• Utilize the TNTP Assignment protocol tool to assess access to grade level instruction.
• Practice using the TNTP Observation protocol to rate classroom instruction.
• Understand what makes an excellent vision of strong instruction.
• Coordinate with the AEA to create a plan to accelerate student learning.
• Develop how to take the next steps to accelerate student learning over the next two years.

Prerequisite
If you did not attend the Introduction to Learning Acceleration Series you may participate in the Coaching for Learning Acceleration Series. However, it is recommended that you build background knowledge by reviewing the handouts and recorded sessions from the Learning Acceleration Series. Email Wendy Robinson at for those materials.

Dates, Times and Content
Feb. 23, 2023
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Supporting Teachers with Just-in-Time Scaffolds

March 23, 2023
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Auditing Assignments for Grade Level Rigor

April 6, 2023
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Observing for Strong Instruction

April 20, 2023
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Monitoring Progress and Adjusting Course

May 11, 2023
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Coaching for Strong Instruction

May 25, 2023
8:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Planning for Long-Term Sustainability

Registration
Cost: 1 hour recertification credit = $335 (Instructor fees + license renewal)
Participation only - $300.00 (Instructor fees)
Format is over Zoom
Registration Link

• Led by TNTP (The New Teacher Project) via zoom
• Intended Audience: Administrators, AEA Staff, Instructional Coaches, Curriculum Instructors, District & School Leaders
• These sessions will be held virtually and recorded for later use

Explore a World of Languages and Learning with the January 2023 Library & Digital Resources Newsletter

In this issue of the January 2023 Library & Digital Resources newsletter:

• Books in Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Bosnian, Chinese, Vietnamese
• 16 Creative Ways to use PebbleGo Next in the Classroom
• Ebooks and Iowa's Goldie's History Kits
• Intellectual Freedom
• Bowling Sets
• OneClick Update
• Professional Learning: Readings (Artificial Intelligence and more)