Advance Your Paraeducator Certification in Early Childhood

Take the next step in your paraeducator career! 

This course fulfills the requirement for the Paraeducator Certification Generalist II – Area of Concentration: Early Childhood. Learn strategies to support the social, emotional and behavioral development of young learners, ages 3–5. 

📍 Zoom & Online Coursework 
🗓️ Feb. 9, 23; March 9, 23; April 6 & 20 (5–7 p.m.)
 📅 Register by Feb. 2, 2026 
🔗 Registration

July Zoom Workshops for Principals on the New Iowa Standards for School Leaders

In this learning designed for principals, explore the WHY behind the new Iowa Standards for School Leaders, the historical context, the standards themselves and the optional tools and resources designed to support implementation. 

We will spend time unpacking the progressions aligned to the standards and designed for principals. You'll deepen your understanding of and gain confidence in using the progressions to support self-reflection, goal-setting, and professional learning. Sessions are being offered on July 28 from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. and from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. 

HL - New Standards for School Leaders: Principal Implementation, (Course # 201566)

Comprehensive Literacy for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities Course Begins Oct. 1

This course is based on the book, Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching Students with Significant Disabilities to Read and Write by Karen Erickson and David Koppenhaver. The class will consist of 15 interactive Zoom meetings, during which we will discuss chapters of the book and applications to classroom instruction. Participants will be expected to purchase the book and read chapters ahead of the meetings.  

• Participants will learn routines to teach students with significant cognitive disabilities how to read and write. 
 
• Participants will explore emergent literacy routines (shared reading, predictable chart writing, alphabet and phonological awareness, self-selected reading and independent writing) as well as conventional literacy routines (guided reading, writing, word work and self-selected reading). 
 
• Participants will have the opportunity to apply the strategies in their own classrooms and share/troubleshoot in a learning community.
 

Comprehensive Literacy for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities 

Oct. 1, 2020 - May 27, 2021 

Via Zoom 

Register at this link: https://bit.ly/2BaHscG  

Graduate credit is being offered for this course. Check with your partnering institution of higher education to be certain it will be accepted towards a master's degree or endorsement.

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.

Iowa Transition Conference Registration Available

The Iowa Transition Pre-Conference sessions will focus on strategies for educators and AEAs. It will be held on Sept. 22, 2015 at the Coralville Marriott in Coralville, Iowa. The cost will be $65.00 for the half day and includes an afternoon snack. No lunch will be provided.

The Iowa Transition Conference will be held on Sept. 23-24, 2015 at the Coralville Marriott in Coralville, Iowa. Participants have the opportunity to attend sessions on transition planning, assessment and services appropriate for parents, students, educators, AEA and agencies living, learning and working with students with disabilities. The conference will also offer an Exhibit Hall to learn more about transition services and products and offer networking opportunities. Costs: Wednesday is a full day for $100.00 and includes breakfast and lunch; Thursday is a half day for $65.00 and includes breakfast with a keynote in the late morning before conference closing. No lunch will be provided.

For more information go to the ITC 2015 webpage.

For Exhibitor and Advertiser information go to ITC Exhibit and Advertiser webpage.

If you have registered, thank you for your support! Please send the attached flyer to anyone you feel would benefit from attending this event.

We Hope You’ll Join Us! Heartland AEA Leadership Networks

Most of this information can be found on our website under Instructional Services > Leadership Development & Supports > Leadership Networks.

Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA)
The Heartland Administrators’ Association (HAA) meets from 9:00 to 11:50 a.m. on the first Tuesday of every month, September through May, in Rooms 107A & B of the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The agenda items are both informational and professional learning driven for superintendents. The meetings are jointly planned by the Superintendent Advisory Committee and Heartland AEA personnel, including the chief administrator. The meeting dates for 2015-16 are the following:

Sept. 1, 2015
Oct. 6, 2015
Nov. 3, 2015
Dec. 1, 2015
Jan. 5, 2016
Feb. 2, 2016
March 1, 2016
April 5, 2016
May 3, 2016

HAA Chair        Deron Durflinger, Van Meter

Go to the HAA Google Site for meeting agendas, handouts and other important documents.

For more information about HAA meetings, contact your regional director or Paula Vincent, Chief Administrator, at pvincent@heartlandaea.org or (800) 255-0405 ext. 14314.

Superintendent Advisory Council (SAC)
The Superintendent Advisory Council (SAC) members help advise agenda items for HAA meetings and serve as a liaison for Heartland AEA regions. SAC meets quarterly from 8:00 to 8:45 a.m. in Room 109 of the Johnston REC. The meeting dates for 2015-16 are the following:

SAC Members
Region 1 & 2        Deron Durflinger, Van Meter, Chair
Region 1 & 2        Lynn Ubben, Perry
Region 3              Delane Galvin, Southeast Warren
Region 4              Thomas Ahart, Des Moines
Region 5              Lisa Remy, West Des Moines
Region 6              Bruce Kimpston, Ankeny
Region 7              Ottie Maxey, Ballard
Region 8              Shane Ehresman, Lynnville-Sully
Non-Public Schools     Glenn Vos, Des Moines Christian
Community Colleges     Rob Denson, DMACC

Meeting Dates    
Sept. 1, 2015
Dec. 1, 2015
Feb. 2, 2016
April 5, 2016
 
Curriculum Network
The Curriculum Network meets from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. on the first Friday of every month, September through June. Meetings are held in Room 13A & B at the Heartland AEA Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive).

The meeting dates for 2015-16 are the following:
Sept. 4, 2015
Oct. 2, 2015
Nov. 6, 2015
Dec. 4, 2015   
Jan. 8, 2016
Feb. 5, 2016
March 4, 2016   
April 1, 2016
May 6, 2016

Go to the Curriculum Network Google Site for meeting agendas, handouts and other important documents.

For more information about the Curriculum Network, contact your regional director or Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of Learning & Leadership, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org or (800) 255-0405 ext. 14374.

You're Invited: TIC (Technology Integration & Collaboration)

Heartland AEA would like to invite you to the first TIC (Technology Integration and Collaboration) session of the 2015-2016 school year! 

What is TIC: TIC is a series of professional learning sessions where area educators come to Johnston for a FREE morning of learning from exemplar area educators who share how they're successfully transforming learning through technology integration.  An updated list of all sessions being offered this year can be found on the image below.

Topic: K-12 Foreign Language: Quality Instruction Using Technology
Date: September 29, 2015
Time: 8:30-11:30 a.m.
Location: Johnston AEA
To Register: TE104892111601

We are also excited to announce that all TIC sessions for the 2015-2016 school year will be streamed live.  If you can't join us in person, join us online!

Find the Live Stream Link for 9/29/15 Session

Please pass this information on to all Foreign Language teachers in your district or others in your building that might be interested in attending.  More information about this and upcoming sessions can be found on the TIC website.

Is Your Staff Prepared to Manage a Medical Emergency?

In 2012 a group of educational professionals developed the Iowa School Safety Guide. This document is available on the Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management website. The guide references a medical emergency response team (MERT). However, the original manual did not provide guidance as to how this team should be developed.

The purpose of a MERT team is to provide a coordinated response in the event of a medical emergency for students, staff and visitors. Last spring MERT guidelines were developed to supplement the Iowa School Safety Guide. It provides instructions for districts to develop a MERT team, an emergency response bag supply list, as well as suggestions for team selection and training.

Section 504 Training for Public School Staff Coming this Fall

Heartland AEA will offer Section 504 trainings to districts this fall. Sites will include Ames, Johnston, Adel and Colfax. Trainings are open to all schools within the Heartland AEA area, but the primary standard taught will be free and appropriate public education. Districts are encouraged to send teams consisting of counselors, administrators and school nurses and to bring their district 504 manual (plan).  The courses are offered at no charge to Heartland AEA districts.

Topics to be covered include:

• Changes to the interpretation of Section 504 since the ADAA 2008
• How to review and update your district-wide Section 504 Plan
• The interaction of a Section 504 plan and an Individual Health Plan
• Review of obligations under the Child Find and grievance procedures
• Evaluation requirements
• Eligibility determination and eligible but not in need of a plan
• Section 504 vs. IDEA 2004, understanding the distinction
• Resources available to assist districts including, access to a Section 504 Google Site

Choice of Location and Dates (Space is limited so register soon):
Colfax
Colfax Historical Building (1720 IA 117, Colfax)
September 15
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002599991601

Ames 
Heartland AEA Ames Office, Iowa Main Conference Rooms (511 S. 17th St.)
September 17
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111601

Johnston
Heartland AEA Johnston REC, Rooms 107 A&B (6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston)
September 22
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111602   

Adel
Heartland AEA Adel Office (602 Visions Parkway, Adel)
September 29
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111603
 

Questions can be directed to MaryAnn Strawhacker MPH, RN, Section 504 Consultant and Special Education Nurse Consultant at mstrawhacker@heartlandaea.org.

Grant Wood AEA Offering PLC Learning Opportunities in September

Grant Wood AEA is offering two PLC workshops in September and is inviting anyone who is interested to attend. See this flyer for more information. If you have any questions, contact Sherry Sines, Professional Development Coordinator at Grant Wood AEA, at ssines@gwaea.org.

Fierce Conversations Training

Heartland AEA will be offering a Fierce Conversations Training on July 14 and 15 in Saydel. If you are interested in participating, contact Kevin Fangman at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

PLC Conference Available through AEA 267 in Cedar Falls

Enrollment is open to all Iowa administrators for the AEA 267 Professional Learning Community (PLC) Conference facilitated by Solution Tree. This 3-day conference (August 20, 2015; October 12, 2015 and February 15, 2016) will be an excellent opportunity for you to bring district/building leadership teams to learn and plan together, whether this is your first PLC experience, or want to hone your skills. As you work to implement your various initiatives, PLCs that are implemented with fidelity will provide an effective leadership infrastructure to sustain lasting improvement.

Each participant who will be attending will need to create a My267 Professional Learning account to register individually for course number 15252, Professional Learning Community (PLC) Conference – 2015-16. Cost is $150 per participant for all 3 days.

For further information and questions contact Kym Stein at kstein@aea267.k12.ia.us or (641) 751-3229 or contact Marcia Tweeten at mtweeten@aea267.k12.ia.us (641) 590-0668.

Reminder: New Requirements for Graduate Credit and Licensure

Professional development courses offered through Heartland AEA that begin on or after July 1, 2015 will give students the opportunity for more rigorous course content and out-of-class learning. Specifically, all classes offering Drake University graduate credit will have new requirements. For example, a one-credit course will require 15 hours of in-class learning plus an additional 30 hours of out-of-class learning. This will be true for all participants, whether they are taking the class for graduate credit or license renewal credit. Participants will need to check their course syllabus closely to become familiar with what the requirements will be for each of our courses.

Reminder: Statewide Mentor Facilitator Training Available in June

There have been several requests across the state seeking registration information for the Journey to Excellence Mentor Facilitator Training. This training is for those individuals who organize and facilitate the Mentor & Induction program either at their AEA or district staff that currently hold those positions or aspire to do so. This year’s training is funded through the AEA TLC funds and ISEA NEA grant funds. Learn more below about the training and where to register.

The Journey to Excellence program offers many strong areas of focus: 1) it clearly focuses on effective teaching using the Iowa Teaching Standards as defined in A Framework for Understanding the Iowa Teaching Standards and Criteria, 2) it prepares experienced educators to serve as mentors and 3) it provides learning opportunities for mentors to use with beginning educators.

Furthermore, a focus is directed to understand the relationship between the Iowa Teaching Standards and comprehensive evaluation. This relationship helps establish a “firewall” between mentor and evaluator by acknowledging the confidential relationship between the beginning educator and the mentor.

Compared to other programs, the benefits are twofold: for the beginning educator, a qualified teacher is created; for the mentor, a teacher leader is created. 

Journey to Excellence Mentor Facilitator Training
Dates: June 23-June 27, 2015 (webinar support dates will be held throughout the school year for implementation assistance)
Location: Stoney Creek Conference Center (5291 Stoney Creek Ct, Johnston)
Registration: http://www.cvent.com/d/qrq0rr

Reminder: Fall 2015 Section 504 Training for Public School Staff

Heartland AEA will offer Section 504 trainings to districts in fall of 2015. Sites will include Ames, Johnston, Adel and Colfax. Trainings are open to all schools within the Heartland AEA area, but the primary standard taught will be free and appropriate public education. Districts are encouraged to send teams consisting of counselors, administrators and school nurses and to bring their district 504 manual (plan).  The courses are offered at no charge to Heartland AEA districts.

Topics to be covered include:

• Changes to the interpretation of Section 504 since the ADAA 2008
• How to review and update your district-wide Section 504 Plan
• The interaction of a Section 504 plan and an Individual Health Plan
• Review of obligations under the Child Find and grievance procedures
• Evaluation requirements
• Eligibility determination and eligible but not in need of a plan
• Section 504 vs. IDEA 2004, understanding the distinction
• Resources available to assist districts including, access to a Section 504 Google Site

Choice of Location and Dates (Space is limited so register soon):
Colfax
Colfax Historical Building (1720 IA 117, Colfax)
September 15
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002599991601

Ames 
Heartland AEA Ames Office, Iowa Main Conference Rooms (511 S. 17th St.)
September 17
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111601

Johnston
Heartland AEA Johnston REC, Rooms 107 A&B (6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston)
September 22
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111602   

Adel
Heartland AEA Adel Office (602 Visions Parkway, Adel)
September 29
9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Activity Number: NU002592111603
 

Questions can be directed to MaryAnn Strawhacker MPH, RN, Section 504 Consultant and Special Education Nurse Consultant at mstrawhacker@heartlandaea.org.

Don’t Get Stuck in the Busy Season - Plan Ahead: August 2015 Online Trainings

Here are some tips and tricks for districts to consider when planning their online trainings for their employees in 2015-2016.

1. Encourage employees to take trainings earlier. If your district sends out a welcome-back letter in July to employees, encourage them then to take the trainings. July is a down time for usage of the server.

2. If you are having staff complete the training in August, avoid the heavy usage dates. To the right, you can see the projected usage chart for August, the darker the color, the heavier the usage.

3. Avoid having your entire staff take the training at once. While this practice might be very convenient for the planning of pre-service days, it also greatly enhances your chances of hitting the cap, meaning some will be logged into the site and some will not. Plus, all the individuals from your school accessing the same training could impact your own district bandwidth, slowing down the experience as well.

4. Target district inservice days throughout the school year. Waiting until your first early-out can save a lot of frustration for your teachers.

'Building Literacy in Social Studies' Course for High School Teachers

Secondary social studies teachers may be interested in our new course, Building Literacy in Social Studies (Year 1). Participants will learn about the ELA Literacy Standards for History/Social Studies within the Iowa Core. In addition, time will be spent on an overview of the six instructional shifts needed to fully implement the Iowa Core. A more in-depth analysis of two of the instructional shifts- disciplinary literacy and the use of informational text will also be a central part of the professional development. Social studies best practices and examples will be used throughout the two days.

Building Literacy in Social Studies (Year 1)
Dates: June 8 & 9, 2015
Location: Zion Lutheran Church (4300 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines)
Activity Number: SS004599991601

Module 4 LETRS Training Available This Summer

The 12 LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Readers and Spellers) modules are designed to teach teachers how students learn to read and write, the reasons why some children fail to learn and the instructional strategies best supported by research. Heartland AEA will host a class June 8-9 which will cover Module 4 - The Mighty Word: Building Vocabulary. Explore the research foundations of the importance of vocabulary in literacy learning, as well as the various ways that students learn vocabulary. The course will be a combination of research theory and practical strategies for the classroom.

This class is most appropriate for K-5 teachers, instructional coaches and teacher leaders and school administrators.

The Mighty Word: Building Vocabulary and Oral Language
Dates: June 8-9, 2015
Location: Johnston REC
Activity Number: RE034292111601

Journeying into Iowa’s Past

As custodians of Iowa's history, the Iowa Museum Association wishes to aid in educators' professional development and preparedness for teaching Iowa history in interactive and engaging ways that encourage community collaboration. In their workshop July 20-21, educators will learn and understand Iowa's role in history during the time of Westward Expansion. Educators will learn about what local, authentic artifacts are available with which to illustrate their lessons and create a unit of study in object-based learning for the classroom that aligns with the Iowa Core English Language Arts Standards for History/ Social Studies.

Teaching Iowa History with Local Resources
Dates: July 20 & 21, 2015
Location: Boone County Historical Society (602 Story Street, Boone)
Activity Number: SS004799991601

RTI at Work with Mike Mattos Begins Fall 2015

RTI is not a series of implementation steps to cross off on a list, but a way of thinking about how educators can ensure each child receives the time and support needed to achieve success. Starting Fall 2015, Heartland AEA will bring Mike Mattos, Solution Tree, to lead a series of sessions which will guide middle and high school buildings in design and implementation of an RTI/MTSS system to meet the needs of all leaders. The role and access to the universal instruction (Tier 1) will be empathized as well as the need for targeted (Tier 2) and intensive intervention (Tier 3) will be shared.

RTI at Work
Dates: Sept. 16-17, Nov. 30, Dec. 1, 2015, Feb. 29 & March 1, 2016 

Location: Ramada Tropics Resort & Convention Center
Activity Number: AD017699991601

If you would like a Heartland AEA member to attend this training with your  middle or high school team. Contact Shannon Harken at sharken@heartlandaea.org.  Shannon will work with the regional director assigned to your district to identify the AEA staff member.