State Response to Intervention (RtI) Readiness Survey

Last week the Iowa Department of Education sent out a statewide Response to Intervention (RtI) survey. The Department asks that you please send a reminder to your elementary and district staff encouraging those educators to take the survey. Below is a message you may use.

You are asked to complete an important survey to determine our state’s readiness to support the new Response to Intervention (RtI) data system, assessments and early literacy supports.

Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids (C4K)—the partnership between the Iowa Department of Education, AEAs and local schools—is conducting this survey.

C4K’s initial priority focus, collective efforts and resources are on early literacy. All elementary schools, districts and AEAs are being asked to complete the survey for the scale up of RtI in Iowa as part of a statewide effort to improve early literacy results. This survey will help identify the first group of schools that will have free access to the RtI data system, assessments, training, support and coaching. The survey also will also help guide development of statewide, regional and local resources and supports.

If you haven’t done so already, please complete the survey by the end of the day today.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/RtI-AEA-DE

Help Us Spread the Word About Digital Resources!

Heartland AEA’s mission is to provide services and leadership to improve the learning outcomes of all children in central Iowa. An audience we sometimes have trouble connecting with as an Agency is parents. Parents are a child’s first teacher and should be actively involved in their child’s education. We’d like to partner with our schools to help inform parents of tools, such as our online databases, that are available for their children and can be used for homework help.

Throughout the year, we will create a series of releases about digital resources provided through the school and made possible by Heartland AEA. To make it more meaningful for parents, the releases can be personalized by including photos of students using the resources and testimonials of how students and educators have used them. The first of these releases is about ebooks and can be found here.

The following are two things we would like you to do to promote these resources. If your school/district has other ideas, please contact the Heartland AEA Communications Dept at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Put in School Newsletters
Include the release, with the above-mentioned photos and testimonials, in school newsletters that are sent to your communities.

Send to Local Newspapers
Please send the release as is or with your added photos and testimonials to your local newspaper(s) following your school’s/district’s media relations procedures. We assume you already have an established relationship with your local paper(s), but if not, a listing of area newspapers can be found on the Iowa Newspaper Association website. If you do not have a public relations/communications department, consider using the following message when sending the release.

Dear [Editor’s name],

Students in [school/district] have 24/7 access to hundreds of ebooks with thanks to Heartland Area Education Agency (AEA). Please print the attached release in the paper and let us know if you would be interested in doing a story on how our school district is working with the local AEA to improve the learning climate for students in school and at home.

Best regards,
[Your name, title]

Please refrain from publishing your school’s username/password. This information should be protected and can be obtained by contacting the school librarian. We appreciate your assistance in helping spread awareness of our digital resources. If you have any questions, contact the Heartland AEA Communications Dept. at comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Requested Item: Send Your School/District Academic Composite Calendar

Each year, Heartland AEA makes a composite calendar with all our schools'/districts' start dates, teacher workdays/in-services, early dismissals, holidays/no school days, etc. We create this composite by gathering districts' and non-public schools' calendars, and it is used to help our regional directors, practitioners, library staff and van delivery staff be more aware of what's happening in your district and how best to serve you. We have yet to collect all 2012-2013 calendars. If your district or non-public school is listed below, please send your 2012-2013 academic calendar by June 30 to Claire Sowder at csowder@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Public
Colo-Nesco
Coon Rapids-Bayard
Exira
Pleasantville
Saydel
Twin Cedars

Non-Public
Ankeny Christian Academy
Bergman Academy
Christ the King Catholic
Grandview Park Baptist
Holy Family
Iowa Christian Academy
Mt. Olive Lutheran
Newton Christian
Pellla Christian High School
Peoria Christian
Sacred Heart (Boone)
Sacred Heart (West Des Moines)
St. Anthony
St. Augustin
St. Joseph
St. Theresa
Sully Christian
Trinity Lutheran

Requested Item: School/District Academic Composite Calendar

Each year, Heartland AEA makes a composite calendar with all our schools'/districts' start dates, teacher workdays/in-services, early dismissals, holidays/no school days, etc. We create this composite by gathering districts' and non-public schools' calendars. We make the composite to help our regional directors, practitioners, library staff and van delivery staff be more aware of what's happening in your district and how best to serve you. When your 2012-2013 academic calendar is approved, please send it to Claire Sowder at csowder@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Help Us Update the Heartland AEA PeopleBox Database

Next week the school building secretaries of all Heartland area schools will receive an e-mail from the Heartland AEA Communications Department asking the secretaries to update each building's staff members for our PeopleBox database. Secretaries will be able to login to our database with a username and password and do the updating themselves. The PeopleBox database houses all AEA employee and school staff data and is a vital to us when we need to contact school staff about important news and events. The accuracy of the information is critical as it is used to support the I-CAT training for the Iowa Core alignment requirements.

Please encourage your secretaries to complete this task for us. We would greatly appreciate their assistance in helping us maintain an accurate and up-to-date database. If you have any questions, please contact Lance Wilhelm, Director of Technology, at lwilhelm@aea11.k12.ia.us.

Pleasantville CSD Seeks Guidance for Lighting in School Buildings

Pleasantville Schools requests some guidance on lighting in school buildings. Their question is the following:

“Who has retrofitted the lighting in their buildings and who did the work for you? Pleasantville is looking to reduce energy costs by moving from T-12 to T-8 lights and ballasts and they would like to know who does that type of work in the Central Iowa area.”

If you are able to provide some insight, please contact Bob Miller, Pleasantville Superintendent, at bmiller@pleasantville.k12.ia.us.

In Wake of Proposed AEA Funding Cut Please Contact Your Legislators

Heartland AEA Superintendents:

Last week, the Iowa Senate passed a standing appropriations bill that called for a one-time $10 million cut to the statewide AEA system. This week the House Appropriations Committee met and amended that appropriations bill to include a $20 million cut to the AEAs. In this tumultuous budget climate, we as an AEA system anticipated some sort of funding cut from the legislature, but we were hoping that it would be less than either of these proposed cuts.

Since most of the funds the AEAs receive from the State go toward special education services, we need legislators to understand that a cut of this type to the AEAs (which is in essence a cut to K-12 education) will mean fewer services for those kids who need them most.

If you are willing, we would much appreciate it if you would take some time to personalize this letter template and put into your own words what a cut in AEA funding would mean to children who receive special education services. Please note that everything marked in red in the letter will need to be personalized and/or is for your reference and should be deleted before a final letter is sent.

Click here for a list of the contact information for all of the House and Senate members in Heartland’s area. It includes addresses, phone numbers and email addresses. Please use the method most convenient for you to contact the legislators in your area. If time permits, we would appreciate it if you could contact all legislators on the list, although we know the list is quite lengthy.

We hope we can count on your support during this important time. Helping legislators understand the importance of AEA services is critical at this time. Please tell your story of how the AEA has positively impacted the lives of children in your district/school. It is through these stories that legislators will be able to see the true value and importance of AEA services.

Thank you very much for taking the time to advocate on behalf of the AEAs. We appreciate your efforts to ensure that Iowa’s children receive the services they need to achieve.

Requested Action: Return I-ELDA Testing Materials by April 30

The testing window for the I-ELDA will come to a close on April 30. All testing should be completed and materials returned to Northwest AEA by the end of the month.

Follow the below mentioned guidelines when returning materials:

• Return Listening/Speaking CDs
• Return all BAS (tested and not tested)
• BAS must be returned with a completed 2011 Iowa-ELDA BAS Return Header Form (available on the Northwest AEA website)
• Do not bend or damage BAS in any way—damaged BAS will delay the receipt of district test results
• Destroy all other test materials according to your school’s policy for secured materials (You are allowed to keep the K-2 student books and/or the 4-page standard record sheet for the student’s cumulative file)

Districts should return BAS for scoring by United States Postal Service (USPS - Return Receipt Requested or Request Delivery Confirmation with a Tracking Number), United Parcel Service (UPS) or Federal Express (FedEx), for tracking purposes.

Materials should be sent to the following:

Attn: Teresa Angerman
Northwest AEA
1520 Morningside Avenue
Sioux City, IA 51106

A PowerPoint is available on the Northwest AEA website that includes instructions about the process described above.

Requested Action: Iowa Association for Educational Purchasing Meeting Dates

Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) have formed a new organization, the Iowa Association for Educational Purchasing (IAEP), to support and bid food and related items in a cooperative purchasing process for the school year of 2011-2012. Click here for a schedule of upcoming meetings for the Iowa Association for Educational Purchasing (IAEP). The meeting agenda for each site will include an update on procurement activities to date, the organization of the IAEP, participation by schools and answers to your questions.

A hard copy of the letter will be mailed to food service managers next week and will be emailed to business managers today.

Requested Action: DMACC Seeking Adjunct Instructors

DMACC is seeking qualified instructors to teach in a number of college programs. Please forward the email found by clicking here to your teachers and retirees who may be interested in applying for adjunct teaching openings at DMACC. Daytime, evening and summer positions are posted on the DMACC website at https://jobs.dmacc.edu throughout the year. They are in great need of daytime instructors.

The dissemination of information from external organizations by Heartland AEA does not infer sponsorship or endorsement of the information. It is being passed on to our stakeholders for its educational value.

Section 504/ADAA 2008 Workshop for Public Schools

Heartland AEA will be hosting a Section 504/ADAA 2008 workshop for public school districts on March 21, 2011 in Johnston. The session will combine the legal interpretation of Section 504/ADAA 2008 with practical application that outlines implementation steps. Participants will also be introduced to a variety of AEA resources designed to support districts as they implement Section 504. District administrators, guidance counselors, school nurses and others who routinely identify or evaluate students for 504 eligibility are greatly encouraged to attend. Participants can register through the Heartland Professional Development catalog using Activity Number DL005992111101.

Required Iowa-ELDA Testing for ESL-serviced Students

The testing window for the I-ELDA opened on February 1, 2011 and will close on April 30, 2011. Every English language learner who is receiving ESL services must be tested. There is no cost to your district but there is great responsibility. Please make sure that the person in charge of the ordering has a clear understanding of the process. There are documents on the Northwest AEA site that will guide in the ordering of materials, scoring of the speaking and writing sections, and the returning of the bubble answer sheets and listening CDs.

It is very important that when ordering the tests that the ten digit state student identification number is entered correctly. An incorrect entry can delay or completely stop scoring and reporting of the students’ results.

Please go to the link below to access the ordering information
http://www.nwaea.k12.ia.us/en/programs_and_services/research_development_and_evaluation/iowa_english_language_development_assess_i_elda/

Section 504/ADAA 2008 Workshop for Public Schools

Heartland AEA will be hosting a Section 504/ADAA 2008 workshop for public school districts on March 21, 2011 at the Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The session, which will be held from 1:00-3:30 p.m., will combine the legal interpretation of Section 504/ADAA 2008 with practical application that outlines implementation steps. Participants will also be introduced to a variety of AEA resources designed to support districts as they implement Section 504.

District administrators, guidance counselors, school nurses and others who routinely identify or evaluate students for 504 eligibility are greatly encouraged to attend. Participants can register through the Heartland Professional Development catalog. The activity number for this professional development opportunity is DL005992111101.

Iowa Dept. of Education in need of Updated School Boundaries

NOTE: Paula Vincent, Heartland Chief Administrator, forwarded the below DE request to Heartland area superintendents earlier this week.

The Iowa Department of Education needs to know whether any district in the Heartland area has had a legal boundary change since 2000. The DE is aware of major changes such as dissolutions and mergers; however, land swaps are not always communicated as they are not required to be reported to the DE. The DE now maintains electronic maps of the districts for multiple reasons: spatial analysis, reorganization studies, etc. If your district has had a minor boundary change after 2000, report it to the DE via Jim Addy at jim.addy@iowa.gov or Marcia Krieger at marcia.krieger@iowa.gov; also report to Heartland AEA to comms@aea11.k12.ia.us.

VNS Community Resources Directory & Call for Local Listings

During the November HAA meeting, superintendents received a Community Resources Directory that had been compiled by the Visiting Nurse Services in collaboration with the Drake University Law School. The directory provides a comprehensive listing of resources and organizations that can help students, families and educators in the following areas:

• Addiction services
• Counseling and mental health services
• ESL classes
• Housing programs
• Parenting programs
• Support groups
• Transportation services

As some of your colleagues have requested, we are pleased to provide you a link to the VNS website, http://www.vnsdm.org/ for you to access at your convenience. The website lists all the information presented in the directory with the most up-to-date information.

The directory and website are targeted at services in the Des Moines metro area. We hope to compile a list/resource guide for the other communities we serve. If you have information on local contacts that your district partners with, we would like to know their information and the areas they serve. If you have referrals, please contact Jenny Ugolini, Heartland Board Secretary, at jugolini@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-0405 ext. 14441.