Tell Your District's Story

Showcase your district's accomplishments in a professionally designed annual report, infographic, social media campaign or brochure. Provide success stories, data points, photos and other information and let our graphic designers help you tell your story with compelling visuals branded for your district. Custom graphic design is $40.00 per hour, charged in 15-minute increments. Contact creativeservices@heartlandaea.org to get started or place your custom graphic design order on our website.

Testing Support Options for Homeschooled Students

Iowa public school districts must provide no-cost testing opportunities for families participating in Competent Private Instruction (CPI) Options 1 and 2, as detailed in the Private Instruction Handbook. Districts can contract with Heartland AEA to manage these services, with billing covering materials, administration, additional expenses, plus a 14% fee. For Independent Private Instruction (IPI), families may request an annual assessment from the approved options list in the handbook, pay the AEA directly, and schedule through them. For questions, refer to this flyer and contact Crista Carlile at Heartland AEA.

Partnering with Heartland AEA on Iowa’s New Behavior Law

Navigating Iowa’s new Student Behavior & Classroom Removal Law isn’t just about compliance; it’s about caring for educators and ensuring every student has a predictable, safe space to learn. Heartland AEA is ready to walk alongside your leadership team to build proactive behavioral systems that support staff and keep kids in the classroom.

By pairing Professional Learning + Coaching + Implementation Support, we work together to turn strategy into everyday practice.

• Deepen staff skills in functional behavior assessments (FBAs), evidence-based classroom management and Tier 1–3 PBIS
• Equip your team with Nonviolent Crisis Intervention training and specialized support like the Challenging Behavior Autism Team (CBAT)
• Foster resilience through Youth Mental Health First Aid, ACEs training and early childhood supports
• Protect teacher well-being, strengthen paraeducator confidence and build a healthy school culture

Tailored Support for Your District
Every school community is unique. Our team provides customized leadership consultation, classroom modeling, instructional coaching and data facilitation to fit your specific goals.

Contact
Learn more and contact your Heartland AEA regional director to start building your customized plan today.

Important Dates for Regional Planning Partnership Region 11

Executive Committee Meeting
Invited attendees: Executive Committee Members
Sept. 2, 2026
9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Zoom

School Business Officials Meeting
Invited attendees: School Business Officials
Sept. 3, 2026
1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Zoom

Program Approval Work Day 1
Invited attendees: Ag, Transportation, Manufacturing Educators
Sept. 14, 2026
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
DMACC Ankeny Campus Building 5, 2006 S Ankeny Blvd, Ankeny

Fall Meeting
Invited attendees: All district RPP representatives
Sept. 15, 2026
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

For more information, visit the Regional Planning Partnerships & Regional Centers page on the Iowa Department of Education website.

Classroom-Ready Materials at Your Fingertips!

Did you know our Creative Services Department has a catalog of hundreds of ready-to-print items for your building and classrooms? Use the search bar at the top of Creative Services Online to browse by subject or keyword or click Browse Products to look through our full catalog of instructional materials. Not finding what you’re looking for? Reach out to creativeservices@heartlandaea.org with any questions or to discuss a custom project!

Give us Your Feedback on Materials, Resources and Interest

To ensure our resources align with your day-to-day priorities, please take a minute to share your priorities and needs with us in our Media & Technology Interest Survey.

Sign Up for our Media Listserv for Bonus Content

Join our Media ListServ to receive twice-monthly communication with media resources, materials, highlights and bonus content!

All AEA Professional Learning Registration is Now on One Platform

All AEA professional learning registration -- local, statewide and in-district learning opportunities -- can now be found on one single platform! www.aealearningonline.org

Questions or need help navigating the changes? Reach out to the Support Desk team at (515) 473-7164 or email support@aealearningonline.org.

Now is the Time to Get Your Paraeducator Certification

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to get your Paraeducator Generalist Certification, now is your opportunity!

There are three courses you must register for and complete to be able to apply for the Paraeducator Generalist Certificate through the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners.

While it is strongly recommended to take the three required courses in numerical order (1, 2, 3), it is not required. The registration fee is $132 for each course, for a total of $396. Each course has required Zoom sessions plus additional online coursework.

Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program Course 1: Introduction and Foundations

Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program Course 2: Instructional Support

Paraeducator Generalist Certification Program Course 3: Behavioral Support

Teacher Leadership Network is Back!

We are thrilled to launch a newly combined network designed to connect teacher leaders, instructional coaches and mentor coordinators! Whether you lead new teacher induction, coach veteran educators, facilitate PLCs or build district-wide professional learning systems, this collaborative network provides the space, tools and community to elevate your practice.

Each session offers a practical, interactive space to connect with peers in similar roles, exchange proven resources, and engage in meaningful discussion. Whether you are brand new to leadership or an experienced leader, you will leave every session with actionable strategies, inspiration and a strong professional community.

2026-27 Network Dates
All sessions are FREE and will be from 8:30-11:30 am.

• Oct. 9, 2026
• Dec. 17, 2026
• Feb. 19, 2027
• April 16, 2027

Location
Heartland AEA Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

Questions? Contact Michelle Vaughan

Professional Learning Series with Seesaw Begins September 15

Calling all Iowa educators! Join the Seesaw team to learn how to create multimodal learning experiences that foster student joy and creativity and meet each student’s individual needs. In these sessions, Seesaw will share effective strategies for engaging students through accessible, hands-on and digital learning experiences that amplify student voice while providing educators with powerful insights into student understanding.

What’s New with Seesaw?

Timing: LIVE on Sept. 15, 2026 at 3:30 - 4:15 p.m.

Audience: Teachers, Coaches and Administrators

Topics: Recent updates and releases for the 2026 back-to-school season

Registration link: https://seesaw.zoom.us/meeting/register/w-J8YqIhRo6u2dPyJceQXQ

**Make sure to check out these additional on-demand Seesaw sessions!

Join the Heartland AEA Teacher Librarian Network!

Teacher librarians: are you ready to kickstart your library programming this year? Join your regional K-12 peers for a collaborative in-person day focused on:

• high-impact collection management
• practical book repair techniques with the Book Doctor series
• digital literacy
• creative weeded-book makerspace ideas

Sept. 22, 2026
9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
Heartland AEA, Johnston Regional Education Center, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

Register today! https://forms.gle/KV3iCykuJ2jrYMk16

AEAs Can Help You Respond to Iowa’s New Student Behavior & Classroom Removal Law

As districts work through the development and implementation of procedures in response to Iowa’s new student behavior and classroom removal law, we wanted to remind you that Heartland AEA can partner with you to support you and your staff.

We know that the most effective approach to student behavior is proactive and sustainable—building the systems, instructional practices, and staff capacity that create positive learning environments, prevent behaviors from escalating, and reduce the need for classroom removals.

Linked here is a brief overview of supports available to help districts strengthen their approach to student behavior. Training is only the beginning. We can work alongside your district to connect behavior supports to teaching and learning, strengthen classroom practices, and build sustainable systems that support both students and educators.

If you have questions or would like to explore what might be most helpful for your district, please reach out to your Heartland AEA Regional Director or Susie Meade, Heartland AEA Chief Academic Officer. We would welcome the opportunity to partner with you.

Build Your CASA Gifted Submission in this Hands-On PD Workshop

Grounded in the National Implementation Research Network model, this professional learning journey empowers leadership teams to move beyond one-off training. This workshop will guide school teams through the components required for fall submission of the Gifted and Talented Plan in the Consolidated Accountability and Support Application. Together, we will translate best practices and recent legislative changes into your school’s context.

Implementation Science for Educational Initiatives with Ongoing Coaching (Your TAG Plan)
Sept. 21, 2026
8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston

Register at this link: https://training.aealearningonline.org/course-detail/DL00309999 

Intended Audience:

• Gifted and Talented teaching staff
• Administrators overseeing the gifted program