Heartland AEA Releases its Return-to-Workplace Guide for AEA Staff

Agency has generated and released to staff its Heartland AEA COVID-19 Return-to-Workplace Guide, following board approval on Aug. 4. The guide contains information related to health and safety, protocols when returning to workplaces, office procedures, COVID-19 exposure notification, remote workplace, mental health resources, frequently asked questions, and the process for requesting COVID-19-related leave. Staff also participated in an all-agency webinar on Aug. 6 to hear Chief Administrator Jon Sheldahl review the guide. If you have any questions, contact the Heartland AEA regional director who serves your district.

Iowa’s AEAs Are Offering Variety of PD Opportunities to Support Educators with Online Instruction

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies have collaborated to generate multiple professional development opportunities and resources that support appropriate instructional pedagogy for teaching in the online environment. The deliverables include varied formats for independent earning, district facilitated learning or learning in collaboration with an AEA partner, including:

• Competency Scale
• Menu of PD Opportunities
• Learning Opportunity Database
• Supporting Online Learning Webinars
• District IT Webinars
• Modern Teacher Pricing

Return to School Post COVID-19 Closure Considerations for Students with Disabilities and Special Healthcare Needs

Please share this document with your school nurse

The purpose of this document is to guide school nurses when planning for return to school for students with disabilities and special healthcare needs (D/SHN) as defined by Section 504 or Individual Education Program (IEP) teams. School nurses understand the susceptibility of these students to environmental factors. While research is still emerging, results from early studies suggest that students with D/SHN have a higher prevalence of comorbidities associated with less favorable outcomes after infection with COVID-19, including higher fatality rates at younger ages compared to typically developing peers (Turk et al., 2020). 

Special acknowledgement to MaryAnn Tapper Strawhacker, MPH, BSN, RN, SEN (Heartland AEA Special Education Nurse), for her contributions as an author of this article.

New DE Guidance: Open Enrollment, Early Literacy Implementation, Proficiency for Senior Year Plus Program

Open Enrollment: The Iowa Department of Education is releasing new open enrollment guidance and an application form in accordance to Senate File 2310. This law extends the open enrollment deadline for the 2020-21 school year to July 15 for parents, guardians and caregivers to apply to open enroll a student at an approved online public school in certain circumstances where the student, or a person who resides with the student, has a significant health condition that may increase the risk of COVID-19. This guidance and form are only for use during the 2020-21 school year.

Early Literacy: The Iowa Department of Education is releasing new guidance on early literacy implementation. This guidance revises and extends the fall, winter and spring screening windows for 2020-21 and addresses remote assessment considerations, staff training, screening and progress monitoring recommendations, and interpretation of assessment results. It also introduces a new data collection in CASA for schools and districts to indicate their 2020-21 default literacy assessments. This data collection is due July 31.

Proficiency for Senior Year Plus Program: The Iowa Department of Education is releasing new guidance addressing the determination of proficiency for Senior Year Plus Programs. This guidance outlines alternatives for determining proficiency for purposes of accessing Senior Year Plus programming since performance results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) are not available for the 2019-20 school year. The requirement to administer federally required assessments, including the ISASP, was waived for the 2019-20 school year in light of COVID-19-related school closures. This guidance document will be added to the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page and on the DE’s Senior Year Plus page on their website. All current guidance from the Iowa Department of Education can be found on the COVID-19 page. 

The DE will continue to keep you informed of any new updates. All current guidance is included on the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page on their website and all tools, supports and resources to assist in the development of Return-to-Learn plans can be found on their Return-to-Learn Google site. In addition, recordings of the previous Zoom sessions can be found on their YouTube channel or on their COVID-19 Webinar Recordings for PK-12 School Administrators in Iowa webpage (along with PowerPoint slides as applicable).

DE Guidance: District Responsibilities to English Learners During COVID-19, Reopening Districts and School Activities July 1

District Responsibilities to English Learners During COVID-19

The Iowa Department of Education is releasing two new documents related to state and district responsibilities to English learners (ELs) during the COVID-19 outbreak, as well as a parent notice template. The details of each of the documents are described below.

Providing Services to English Learners (ELs) During the COVID-19 Outbreak Fact Sheet - Builds on the U.S. Department of Education’s May 18, 2020 fact sheet regarding the roles of states and districts in providing services to ELs during COVID-19-related school closures.

Home Language Survey Follow-Up Interview for Provisional Identification of ELs - Provides a protocol for provisionally identifying students as ELs during the COVID-19-related school closures.

2019-20 EL Program Provisional Identification and Placement Parental Notification Template - Provides a customizable template for districts to use when notifying parents and/or legal guardians about provisional placement decisions and related instructional services and supports.

Reopening Districts and School Activities July 1

New reopening guidance has been created in partnership between the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa Department of Public Health as a resource for administrators to safely open districts and nonpublic schools and resume all school activities starting July 1. The guidance outlines health and safety requirements, illness reporting procedures and school district closure authority if the Governor proclaims a public health disaster. In addition, new Return-to-Learn supports are available on the Return-to-Learn Google site. You can find new items under special education, data, health and safety, and preschool.


The DE will continue to keep you informed of any new updates. All current guidance is included on the COVID-19 Guidance and Information page on their website with translated versions of documents available on the Translated COVID-19 Guidance and Information Documents page. In addition, recordings of the previous Zoom sessions can be found on their YouTube channel or on their COVID-19 Webinar Recordings for PK-12 School Administrators in Iowa webpage (along with PowerPoint slides as applicable). 

Heartland AEA Plans a Phased Approach to Return to Workplaces

Agency leaders have been developing a plan in recent weeks for staff to begin to return to workplaces. Returning to work in phases allows our organization to maintain productivity while minimizing the spread of COVID-19 by keeping employees farther apart. In the first two phases of our three-phase approach, most staff will continue to remote work and then return to workplaces in phases. Here’s a closer look at how we’re planning a phased approach: Phases of Returning to Workplaces.

DE Guidance: Continuous Improvement, PD, Mitigation Survey

The Iowa Department of Education is releasing guidance on new Return-to-Learn resources addressing continuous improvement processes (Leadership B1), professional development (Infrastructure C1-C2), the mitigation survey and student/family connection log. All Return-to-Learn supports can be found on their Return-to-Learn Google site. The Department established a partnership with UnboundEd to provide educators with standards-based professional learning opportunities that align with the Return-to-Learn support document (overview document).

COVID-19 Health and Wellness Graphics for Buildings

The Heartland AEA Creative Services team has been working hard to support districts during these unprecedented times. We’re offering some essentials to combat the spread of COVID-19 and help you to maintain a healthy environment in your buildings. Our collection of posters can be used to provide critical information for your staff, students and visitors. We will be adding more resources like directional arrows for floor or walls, footprints, etc. We are also happy to discuss any additional materials you need. Contact Creative Services. To order posters, go to Creative Services Online, enter COVID and browse. Remember, you need to log in to place an order.

Supporting the Class of 2020's Postsecondary Transition

Did you know that almost 60% of seniors in the Class of 2020 are reconsidering their postsecondary school choice due to COVID-19 closures? That’s over 20,000 Iowa high school seniors. Do you know how many of your students are reconsidering their plans?

While many of you are already connecting with your graduating seniors, AEA PREP is sharing this resource to assist you in organizing and focusing your response to the needs of your seniors as we close out the 2020 school year.

The attached document provides step-by-step strategies to ensure the Class of 2020 successfully pursues their postsecondary plans and includes resources to collect data or use existing data from your seniors to organize follow-up supports. These are Iowa-specific resources, adapted from this National College Attainment Network (NCAN) document.

This work should be done in collaboration with a team of educators consisting of school personnel with additional capacity or existing relationships with students who can share in this work. Additionally, the information collected in this process will help your school complete the post-graduation plans required for state reporting (SRI).

If you have questions about this message or the attachment, please send messages to questions@aeaprep.org.

Webinar Series: Cultivating Resilience: Mental Health Supports in Workplace/Schools, Post-Covid

Polk County Health Services is hosting a webinar series for schools and businesses as we begin to look at returning to school and work. The “Cultivating Resilience: Mental Health Supports in the Workplace/in Schools” will be a short, interactive refresher on cultivating resilience in the classroom and at work! This webinar will cover a return to learn plan that:

• Gives tactical examples to help employees return to work
• Adds extra support as many have experienced fear, trauma, grief or depression due to COVID-19
• Informs about mental health and social emotional learning and the importance of connections
• Helps you find a new normal post-pandemic

To sign up for the webinar follow the links below!

Schools

Workplaces

Now Available in Spanish: Special Education Supports for Iowa Public Schools During COVID-19

Apoyos de Educación Especial Para Escuelas Públicas de Iowa Durante COVID-19

The Spanish version of the Special Education Supports is now available. It has also been added to the top of the Special Education Supports and the individual enrichment opportunities have been added as well. The Spanish version has also been added to the COVID-19 resources on our website.

Iowa Return to Learn Support Resources Available on New Site

Last week the Iowa Department of Education announced the release of new resources to support districts and schools as they work on their Return-to-Learn Plans. These resources have been developed jointly by the Department with Iowa’s AEAs and can be found on a new Iowa Return to Learn Support site. Use the headings at the top of the home page to navigate to the area you want to explore.


New Releases:

Required Continuous Learning

• R2L Tech Integration Framework for Online Instruction

Iowa Academic Standards

• Unit Acceleration Planning Activity
• Planning Protocol for Accelerated Learning

Social-Emotional-Behavioral Health (SEBH)

• SEBH R2L toolkit
• SEBH R2L action planning tool (to be used with toolkit)

Health & Safety

• AEA Learning Online Module R2L: Health and Safety - District Leadership Teams

These resources are provided for your convenience and are not required. The Department will continue to provide new resources on the site multiple times each week, so check back frequently.

Students are Reading!

Here's some good news. Ebook usage statistics for April show the high-use titles our students read for what we assume were assignments (The Great Gatsby, Wuthering Heights, The Outsiders, Animal Farm, 1984) and for leisure (Harry Potter, Black Panther, Fault in our Stars). Stats are also showing that the ebook titles teacher librarians and teachers recommended for purchase in the last few months are also being widely read. Heartland AEA is pleased to play a part in providing remote access to reading materials.

New ebook additions in 2020

Agency Plans to Pick Up Library Items from Schools

With the announcement from the governor that schools will remain closed for the remainder of the academic school year, we have been receiving questions and several requests from schools to pick up library items. To better understand the situation, we conducted a survey of teachers who have materials checked out to see if they are ready for return. Some schools are not accessible right now or teachers haven't had an opportunity to gather materials from students. Rest assured that materials may remain in the school building and Heartland AEA vans will pick up materials later in the year. If you have any questions, contact Susan Schrader, Director of Resources and Library Services.

Change in Format of AEA Professional Learning Activities; Instructors, Contact Us

In an effort to diminish or limit the spread of COVID-19, all classes and workshops that have been scheduled to be held before Aug. 15 at a Heartland AEA office will be offered remotely, postponed or canceled.

Instructors of Heartland Courses:

Please let the Professional Learning Team at profdev@heartlandaea.org know how you will proceed with your learnings so we know how to best support you.

Resources from AFT and TNTP on Reopening Schools

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) has provided guidance for imagining a new normal for public education, public health and our economy in the age of COVID-19. A Plan to Safely Reopen America's Schools and Communities

The New Teacher Project (TNTP) created the following guidance to help school and district stakeholders in planning for reopening. Restarting School: Planning for Acceleration in the 2020-2021 School Year

New Parameters for Finishing up Paperwork for the Year

The AEA Special Education Directors have created a brief document that highlights some parameters for closing up paperwork for this school year. In summary it encourages teams to complete IEP meetings and evaluations following the AEA Special Education Procedures and the AEA parameters, as well as an update on ESYS and graduation. This new parameters document expands on the DE's special education Q&A document that was distributed on April 30.

Agency Office Closure Continues

Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education announced on April 17 that all school districts and nonpublic schools will be closed for the remainder of the academic school year and will continue to offer continuous learning to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Following the Governor’s directive, the Agency will continue to keep its offices closed until further notice. We want staff to remain at home and follow CDC guidelines. This also means that any face-to-face workshops, classes or meetings that were scheduled in the offices during the month of May have been canceled.

Visit Our Central Hub for COVID-19 Resources for Families, Students, Educators and Administrators

Heartland AEA is dedicated to supporting our district partners during these unprecedented times. We are using this page on our website as an information hub to archive resources, information and guidance related to our collective response to COVID-19.

High Interest Reading at Home or School with Ebooks

Heartland AEA has created some ebook reading guides that can be used at school or home,

Each guide includes book covers so students can browse the titles and choose the ones that jump off the shelf! There is a thumbs-up and down feature for each book. The guide can be downloaded and printed. Or, keep it as a download and then click the thumbs-up and down—it’s a fillable PDF.

And, there’s a book review form linked to the elementary guides so students can practice their writing. Download to print or download and use as a fillable PDF. There is a message for parents to sit with their child to choose the titles that best meet the child’s interest, reading level and subject.

Choose your adventure! (elementary)

It’s a mystery! (elementary)

Graphic Novels (middle school)

Sports and Recreation #1 (middle school)

Sports and Recreation #2 (middle school)