“Speaking for All Learners” will be held on June 12-13, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at North Polk High School. PK-12 educators will have the opportunity to network with other educational professionals, discover new strategies for working with English language learners in Iowa and meet national and local experts to enrich practices for increasing EL achievement.
Keynoters
Ayanna Cooper, Ed.D
Dr. Ayanna Cooper is an ELL specialist who has extensive and diverse experience teaching educators how to enhance instruction for culturally and linguistically diverse learners. Dr. Cooper is nationally recognized in the EL field and has done much research and is published in this arena.
David Edward Garcia
Growing up on the Mexican border in Texas, David Edward Garcia shares his inspiring story of living in two worlds-linguistically and culturally. Growing up as an EL, he did not experience academic success but has become a successful speaker of five languages, teacher, entrepreneur, comedian and an inspiration to both students and educators. Garcia will offer a keynote as well as breakout sessions for teachers and instructional leaders/administrators about strategies for meeting the academic needs of English Learners.
Conference topics include:
- Strategies for addressing barriers to academic and language learning for English Learners in the classroom
- Best practices for supporting early childhood language acquisition for preschool English Learners
- Instructional leadership strategies for English language learning programs
- Connecting and collaborating with other educators responsible for the success of English Learners
- And many more learning opportunities and topics from experts in educating English Learners!
Information and Registration
Learn more at the conference website and register at this link by June 5.
Incentive
Heartland AEA Title III will refund the cost of registration ($150), plus provide an honorarium of $200 to off-contract public and non-public educators for full attendance and participation. This funding is not available to public or non-public districts served by the Des Moines Public Schools.
Instead of observing a test window of March 1 to May 1 as previously used for the I-ELDA assessment of ELLs, the Iowa Department of Education has suggested changing the state-approved assessment window of the ELPA 21 to Feb. 15 to April 15. for the 2015-16 school year.
The Iowa Department of Education also notes that: "We will also change these dates and post training announcements on our new webpage."
Teachers of English Learners are invited to attend an excellent weekend learning opportunity in Iowa City. Registration is available on the MidTESOL Conference website.
Teachers from districts within Heartland AEA are eligible for a reimbursement of registration cost, plus a $100 stipend to defray expenses incurred by hotel or travel through Title III. Claim forms will be available at the MidTESOL Conference, or contact: Stephaney Jones-Vo
Note: This Conference is independent of the Iowa Culture and Language Conference (ICLC) which will take place in Coralville, Iowa on November 9 (pre-conference) and Nov. 10-11, 2015 (full conference).
All school districts are encouraged to send a representative/team to the quarterly ESL Advisory meetings held at the Heartland AEA Johnston REC in Room 129 from 4-5 p.m. These meetings provide networking, latest Title III and assessment updates, resources and opportunities for districts to apply for Title III mini-grants to support English Learners.
Meetings for the 2015-16 school year are the following:
*Sept. 29
Dec. 1
Feb. 16
May 3
*The first ESL Advisory meeting of the 2015-16 school year will be postponed until Sept. 29. The meeting was originally scheduled for the 8th. On Sept. 29, the Title III Materials mini-grants will be available for application. These grants are focused on supporting ELs through access to Core instruction. This year we will be awarding up to seven mini-grants for $3,500 each.
Contact an ESL/Diversity Consultant if you have questions: Stephaney Jones-Vo, sjonesvo@heartlandaea.org or Janet Hiatt, jhiatt@heartlandaea.org.
Administrative teams with
questions remaining about your district's Lau Plan for meeting needs
of English Learners (available for upload this year with your district
C-Plan), are invited join us for this workshop for additional support
prior to the upload. Remember that this year, the C-Plan approval is
contingent upon the Lau Plan approval.
Lau Plan Support
Date: Sept. 3, 2015
Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Register by Activity Number: ES009292111601
Please
email your current Lau Plan by Aug. 26 to allow Title III consultants
time to review your plan with meaningful feedback, to: sjonesvo@heartlandaea.org and jhiatt@heartlandaea.org
Arrive promptly at 8:30 a.m. for announcements and coffee, with feedback and individual consultation provided as needed.
Title
III consultants Stephaney Jones-Vo and Janet Hiatt will be available
for consultation and guidance to ensure a smooth approval process when
you upload your plan with your district's C-Plan. Remember, this 2015-16
school year will be the first year that C-Plan approval can be stalled
pending the approval of your Lau Plan.
Two Lau Plan Tips for Administrators prior to upload on Sept. 15
1. Encourage districts to PDF the files to ensure they can upload a single document.
2. Be sure that your districts are aware that their CSIP won't be approved until the LAU Plan is approved this year. That includes using the required template in order to be approved this year.
Iowa Culture & Language Conference
Nov. 9-11, 2015
Coralville-Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
Visit the Iowa Culture & Language Conference website or see the attached flyer for more information information about keynote speakers and pre-conference presenters.
Administrative teams with questions remaining about your district's Lau Plan for meeting needs of English Learners (available for upload this year with your district C-Plan), are invited join us for this workshop for additional support prior to the upload. Remember that this year, the C-Plan approval is contingent upon the Lau Plan approval.
Lau Plan Support
Date: Sept. 3, 2015
Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Register by Activity Number: ES009292111601
Please email your current Lau Plan by Aug. 26 to allow Title III consultants time to review your plan with meaningful feedback, to: sjonesvo@heartlandaea.org and jhiatt@heartlandaea.org
Arrive promptly at 8:30 a.m. for announcements and coffee, with feedback and individual consultation provided as needed.
Title III consultants Stephaney Jones-Vo and Janet Hiatt will be available for consultation and guidance to ensure a smooth approval process when you upload your plan with your district's C-Plan. Remember, this 2015-16 school year will be the first year that C-Plan approval can be stalled pending the approval of your Lau Plan.
The TELPA (Iowa’s state-required language screener) now has a new home on AEA PD Online's Learning System. Access the system at training.aeapdonline.org.
Once you are there, log into the system, select "catalog", and keyword search for "TELPA".
The TELPA updates will make it easier to print certificates of completion, and will allow the AEA PD Online system to maintain an electronic record of those who have completed TELPA training for accountability purposes.
Iowa Culture & Language Conference
Nov. 9-11, 2015
Coralville-Marriott Hotel and Conference Center
Visit the Iowa Culture & Language Conference website or see the attached flyer for more information.
Our Kids Summer Institute
June 16 & 17, 2015
Waukee High School
Activity Number: ES009168221601
This will be the final reminder for districts in Year 2 + (those who have not met AMAO targets) that they are required to send a team to the Our Kids Summer Institute for CAP plan support in sessions specifically designed to meet those needs. Networking with experts and colleagues will help meet this federal CAP (Corrective Action Plan) requirement.
Our Kids prides itself on highlighting cultures of students and families in Iowa by incorporating culturally and linguistically diverse voices in panels, cultural performances, planning, etc. Speakers at this year’s event will include:
- Clemencia Spizzirri: Iowa’s 2015 Teacher of the Year (Spanish teacher at Merrill Middle School in Des Moines) Iowa’s 2015 Teacher of the Year who was an ELL, herself!
- Dr. Ryan Nelson of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette: Fostering Strengths and Resilience in Reluctant Learners: Literacy Instruction for Children with Differences
- Dr. Kristiina Montero of Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada: Teaching Reading to Adolescent ELLs with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education
- Daphne Germain: Senior Director of ELL Services and Professional Development; Boston Public Schools
ESL Paraeducator Course offers Title III Stipend for District Associates
Who Work With ELLs
Heartland AEA will be offering the 6-day paraeducator ESL certification class this summer. You can find the course in the online course catalog (Keyword ESL/ELL) or click the link here.
Please let your associates and paraeducators who work with ELLs know about this opportunity which provides individual participants with a stipend of $300.
For questions, please contact Pam Childers at pchilders@heartlandaea.org.
Title III funds will provide a stipend of $300 for all paraeducators who work with ELLs and who fulfill the course requirements and are currently employed by a public or non-public K-12 school in the Heartland AEA area. (This option is not available for employees of Des Moines Public Schools).
Heartland AEA will be offering the 6-day paraeducator ESL certification class this summer. Please let your associates who work with ELLs know about this opportunity. Title III funds will provide a stipend of $300 for all paraeducators who work with ELLs, who fulfill the course requirements and who are currently employed by a public or non-public K-12 school in the Heartland AEA area. (This option is not available for employees of Des Moines Public Schools).
Paraeducator: Area of Concentration: English as a Second Language (ESL)
Dates: July 14-16 and 21-23, 2015
Location Johnston REC
Activity Number: PP001892111601
Questions can be directed to Pam Childers at pchilders@heartlandaea.org.
Districts which are in years 2+ of corrective action, due to not meeting Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs), are required to send a team (e.g. district administrator, ESL teacher, content or grade-level teachers, counselor) to the Our Kids Summer Institute on June 16-17, where support will be provided in writing/refining your district Corrective Action Plans (CAP) at the session reserved for this purpose.
Registration is open!
An excellent line-up of keynote and break-out sessions will also support meeting district goals for improving the achievement of English Learners.
We look forward to seeing you and your team there! Please encourage both ESL and non-ESL staff to register for Our Kids. Heartland AEA Title III funds will provide a $200 stipend to individual participants who attend both days to offset the cost of registration, with reimbursement claim forms available at the event on day 2.
For the past 11 years, the Our Kids Summer Institute has provided a high-quality professional development opportunity for teachers and administrators who work with English learners. Historically, premier presenters from the U.S and Canada have shared their expertise, networking opportunities and multicultural experiences have been provided and various conference strands have met a range of needs and interests among participants.
In addition, Our Kids prides itself on highlighting cultures of students and families in Iowa by incorporating culturally and linguistically diverse voices in panels, cultural performances, planning, etc.
Speakers at this year’s event will include:
Clemencia Spizzirri: Iowa's 2015 Teacher of the Year (Spanish teacher at Merrill Middle School in Des Moines) Iowa’s first Teacher of the Year who was an ELL, herself!
Dr. Ryan Nelson of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette: Fostering Strengths and Resilience in Reluctant Learners: Literacy instruction for Children with Differences
Dr. Kristiina Montero of Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada: Teaching Reading to Adolescent ELLs with Limited or Interrupted Formal Education
Daphne Germain: Senior Director of ELL Services and Professional Development for Boston Public Schools
Dates: June 16 & 17, 2015
Location: Waukee High School
Activity Number: ES009168221601
District Administrators with ELLs: and your ELL Teams:
Please register, in the Heartland Professional catalog, and attend the Lau Plan Writing Workshop to be held on May 11 at Heartland AEA at 8:30 -11:30 a.m. in Rooms 107 A and B. The course number is ES009092111501.
Participants will take away clear guidance and a checklist to ensure that their district Lau Plan is approved following the 2015 upload.
Your ESL/Diversity Consultants Janet Hiatt and Stephaney Jones-Vo look forward to seeing you there!
Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to learn from ELL experts! The session outlined below is intended for district administrators, building leaders and AEA leaders.
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for School and District Administrators
Date: April 22, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Facilitators: Diane Staehr Fenner & Teddi Predaris
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Pioneer Room
Activity Number: ES008799991501
The workshops will be grounded in Diane Staehr Fenner’s book Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators. A copy of this book will be purchased for each participant in the Heartland AEA region. The facilitators will also work with the administrators for about an hour on teacher evaluation that’s inclusive of all teachers of ELLs. That segment will be based on Diane Staehr Fenner, Perter Kozik and Ayanna Cooper’s newest book, Evaluating All Teachers of ELs and Students with Disabilities: Supporting Great Teaching.
Our Kids Summer Institute 2015 registration is OPEN! The Institute prides itself on highlighting cultures of students and families in Iowa by incorporating culturally and linguistically diverse voices in panels, cultural performances, planning, etc. Districts are encouraged to send a team(s) of administrators, classroom and ESL teachers and any other staff members who impact the education of ELLs.
Heartland AEA Title III will provide a $200 stipend to Heartland AEA Title III educators to help defray costs, with the reimbursement claim form available at the Institute. (Please note that this reimbursement does NOT include Des Moines Public Schools due to funding requirements).
Dates: June 16 & 17, 2015
Location: Waukee High School
Activity Number: ES009168221601
Course registration is
extended until April 3 for two ELL professional development
opportunities to be held in Johnston at the Stoney Creek Inn:
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for School and District Administrators
Date: April 22, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Pioneer Room
Activity Number: ES008799991501
This workshop is focused specifically on the needs of administrators with opportunities to network with other district leaders.
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for Teachers and Teacher Leaders
Dates: April 23-24, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Northwoods Conference Room
Activity Number: ES008899991501
License renewal credit
will be awarded the April 23-24 workshop for full participation. Title
III funds will be available to cover the cost of substitute teachers,
with reimbursement claim forms available at the event.
The workshops will be grounded in Diane Staehr Fenner’s book Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators. A copy will be purchased for each participant.
See revised agendas for more information!
Presenter Bios
Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D.
is the President of DSF Consulting, LLC, a woman-owned small business
that provides expertise to support the achievement of English learners
(ELs) based on research, best practice, and standards for P-12 students
and educators. She has provided professional development on implementing
the Common Core for English learners in several states and districts.
Teddi Predaris is a
Senior Consultant at DSF Consulting and leverages over 35 years of
experience in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages
(ESOL), bilingual education and Two-Way Immersion programs.
In the fall of 2015, districts will be required to upload their district’s Lau Plans along with their district’s C-Plans once again. Based on last year’s initial upload when all Lau Plans were reviewed for the first time, the need for clear guidance emerged. In order to support district requests in preparing a Lau Plan for ELL services well in advance of the fall upload, professional development will be provided regarding the writing of this federally mandated document.
Participating district teams will leave this workshop with a clear understanding, based on a DE-approved K-12 Lau Plan for Serving ELLs template, and the recently developed Lau Plan checklist, of the requirements for a successful district Lau Plan that will earn the rating “APPROVED” when submitted in the fall.
Who should attend?
District teams, including District and Building Administrators of ELLs, ESL Teachers, Counselors and Classroom/Content teachers who are Lau Plan Team members
Lau Plan Writing Workshop
Date: May 11, 2015
Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Location: Johnston REC, Room 107 A & B
Activity Number: ES009092111501
Course registration is extended until April 3 for two ELL professional development opportunities to be held in Johnston at the Stoney Creek Inn:
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for School and District Administrators
Date: April 22, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Pioneer Room
Activity Number: ES008799991501
This workshop is focused specifically on the needs of administrators with opportunities to network with other district leaders.
Advocating for ELLs: Overview for Teachers and Teacher Leaders
Dates: April 23-24, 2015
Time: 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (Check-in from 8-8:30 a.m.)
Location: Stoney Creek Inn, Johnston, Iowa, Northwoods Conference Room
Activity Number: ES008899991501
License renewal credit will be awarded the April 23-24 workshop for full participation. Title III funds will be available to cover the cost of substitute teachers, with reimbursement claim forms available at the event.
The workshops will be grounded in Diane Staehr Fenner’s book Advocating for English Learners: A Guide for Educators. A copy will be purchased for each participant.
See revised agendas for more information!
Presenter Bios
Diane Staehr Fenner, Ph.D. is the President of DSF Consulting, LLC, a woman-owned small business that provides expertise to support the achievement of English learners (ELs) based on research, best practice, and standards for P-12 students and educators. She has provided professional development on implementing the Common Core for English learners in several states and districts.
Teddi Predaris is a Senior Consultant at DSF Consulting and leverages over 35 years of experience in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), bilingual education and Two-Way Immersion programs.
