We appreciate that many schools are using our Print & Production services. As you can imagine, our staff are quite busy at fulfilling your printing/copying needs for the beginning of the school year. Please remind educators to allow two weeks for the completion and delivery of orders that go through our Print Center and/or Graphic services.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Iowa Future: Tools to Spark Education Reform Conversations
Iowa must begin to look ahead to provide what’s best for today’s students, not back at how things used to be. That’s why we need innovation in Iowa education: to help all students realize success and possess the knowledge and skills so they will be ready for their tomorrow, not our yesterday.
The Iowa Future website is an effort to explain the need for educational innovation and provide videos, discussion guides, presentation templates, testimonials, links to other great resources and more. Take some time to check out the site at http://www.iowafuture.org/ to see what information and resources are available.
The "Did You Know?” video has been a popular discussion starter and meeting opener over the last few years. It was shown to administrators at the SAI conference earlier this month and has been on popular demand. Often used in context of technology innovation, education and 21st century learners, the video is just one of the many resources available on the Iowa Future website. Watch the video at http://www.iowafuture.org/2011/08/04/iowa-did-you-know/ and consider using the accompanying discussion guide to begin an in-depth conversation with your educator groups.
The Iowa Future website is an effort to explain the need for educational innovation and provide videos, discussion guides, presentation templates, testimonials, links to other great resources and more. Take some time to check out the site at http://www.iowafuture.org/ to see what information and resources are available.
The "Did You Know?” video has been a popular discussion starter and meeting opener over the last few years. It was shown to administrators at the SAI conference earlier this month and has been on popular demand. Often used in context of technology innovation, education and 21st century learners, the video is just one of the many resources available on the Iowa Future website. Watch the video at http://www.iowafuture.org/2011/08/04/iowa-did-you-know/ and consider using the accompanying discussion guide to begin an in-depth conversation with your educator groups.
Iowa Education Summit Videos Now Online
Recordings of main sessions, quest speakers, round tables and break out sessions are now available on Eduvision, http://aea111.eduvision.tv.
Iowa DE Invitation to TELPA Study and Adobe Connect Session
Iowa DE Invitation to Tennessee English Language Placement Exam (TELPA) Study The Iowa Department of Education would like to invite Iowa school districts to take part in a study of the TELPA as a zero- growth point for Title I reporting of language acquisition for English Language Learners (ELL). Currently, Iowa school districts have used other assessments to place students in ESL programs that do not align to the Title I required assessment of language acquisition, Iowa-English Language Development Assessment (I-ELDA). With the availability of the TELPA for the 2011-2012 school year, schools are in a unique position to have a screening assessment aligned to the summative assessment. This allows for the possibility of using the screener as a baseline data point from which to measure student growth. Before making a policy decision, the Iowa Department of Education would like to study the use of this new assessment tool. Although Title II funds cannot be used to pay for an assessment, Title III funds can be used to pay for the TELPA for any district that wishes to participate in the testing for the testing period only. Heartland AEA will reimburse participating districts for the cost of the TELPA for this study year. Please contact Pat Latham (platham@aea11.k12.ia.us) or Stephaney Jones-Vo (sjones-vo@aea11.k12.ia.us) for the reimbursement form.
Click the following phrases for important documents.
Letter sent by Kevin Fangman to superintendents
Consent to participate form
Bubble Sheets Order Form
Directions to order the TELPA from Measurement Incorporate (MI)
The use of the TELPA is an opportunity to improve the way districts and the State support ELLs and their teachers. The added information about students’ acquisition of English and how we measure it can only help us. We understand that teachers and district leaders are busy and feel the pressures of many programs and initiatives. Your participation is truly appreciated. Of course, any district that does not wish to participate can continue using the LAS or IPT “screeners.‟ Unfortunately, Title III funds cannot be used for their purchase. If you have any questions about participating, please contact John Scott at John.Scott@iowa.gov or by calling (515) 281-3805.
Invitation to Adobe Connect Session "ESL Assessment: TELPA Training"
Please join the Iowa Department of Education in an Adobe Connect Meeting. Please forward this invitation to other Iowa educators needing this training or a deeper understanding of the TELPA Zero Growth Study. The meetings will be held on August 24, 2011 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and on September 1, 2011 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. . These are repeat meetings, so you do not need to attend both. The DE will host the video online using the following Adobe Connect Pro connection. To avoid any audio problems, the audio will be provided through a conference call connection. Click here for instructions.
Please RSVP to the invitation by contacting Mary Smith at mary.smith@iowa.gov. Please indicate which date you plan to attend.
Click the following phrases for important documents.
Letter sent by Kevin Fangman to superintendents
Consent to participate form
Bubble Sheets Order Form
Directions to order the TELPA from Measurement Incorporate (MI)
The use of the TELPA is an opportunity to improve the way districts and the State support ELLs and their teachers. The added information about students’ acquisition of English and how we measure it can only help us. We understand that teachers and district leaders are busy and feel the pressures of many programs and initiatives. Your participation is truly appreciated. Of course, any district that does not wish to participate can continue using the LAS or IPT “screeners.‟ Unfortunately, Title III funds cannot be used for their purchase. If you have any questions about participating, please contact John Scott at John.Scott@iowa.gov or by calling (515) 281-3805.
Invitation to Adobe Connect Session "ESL Assessment: TELPA Training"
Please join the Iowa Department of Education in an Adobe Connect Meeting. Please forward this invitation to other Iowa educators needing this training or a deeper understanding of the TELPA Zero Growth Study. The meetings will be held on August 24, 2011 from 2:00-4:00 p.m. and on September 1, 2011 from 2:00-4:30 p.m. . These are repeat meetings, so you do not need to attend both. The DE will host the video online using the following Adobe Connect Pro connection. To avoid any audio problems, the audio will be provided through a conference call connection. Click here for instructions.
Please RSVP to the invitation by contacting Mary Smith at mary.smith@iowa.gov. Please indicate which date you plan to attend.
Student Invitation to the United States Senate Youth Program
The state of Iowa has accepted an invitation to participate in the U.S. Senate Youth Program (USSYP), sponsored by the William Randolph Heart Foundation. The program is designed to give young Americans a working knowledge of American political life. Each year two Iowa students have the opportunity to spend a week in Washington, D.C. The William Randolph Heart Foundation pays all expenses. In addition, the two Iowa high school representatives each receive a $5,000 scholarship.
Selection of the two Iowa high school representatives is based on the outstanding ability and demonstrated leadership qualities of elected junior and senior high school student officers for the 2011-12 school year.
Each high school may nominate up to three students (in previous years, schools were only allowed to nominate one student). Student application materials and the brochure are available on the Iowa Department of Education website http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=939&Itemid=1225
Completed applications should be submitted to Kim Thuente at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 by 4:00 p.m. October 3, 2011. Nominees will take a qualifying examination on October 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 18 at the Johnston AEA Regional Education Center regarding the U.S. Constitution and government. The award recipients will be announced in December. Contact Kim Thuente (kthuente@aea11.k12.ia.us) or Cheryl Mullenbach (Cheryl.Mullenbach@iowa.gov) for more information.
Selection of the two Iowa high school representatives is based on the outstanding ability and demonstrated leadership qualities of elected junior and senior high school student officers for the 2011-12 school year.
Each high school may nominate up to three students (in previous years, schools were only allowed to nominate one student). Student application materials and the brochure are available on the Iowa Department of Education website http://educateiowa.gov/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=939&Itemid=1225
Completed applications should be submitted to Kim Thuente at Heartland AEA, 6500 Corporate Drive, Johnston, IA 50131 by 4:00 p.m. October 3, 2011. Nominees will take a qualifying examination on October 19 at 1:30 p.m. in Room 18 at the Johnston AEA Regional Education Center regarding the U.S. Constitution and government. The award recipients will be announced in December. Contact Kim Thuente (kthuente@aea11.k12.ia.us) or Cheryl Mullenbach (Cheryl.Mullenbach@iowa.gov) for more information.
Iowa Council of Teachers of English Fall Conference
The Iowa Council of Teachers of English (ICTE) will host their Fall Conference on October 13-14, 2011 at the Stoney Creek Inn in Johnston, Iowa. Keynote speakers will include Renee Hobbs and Michael W. Smith. For information on their fall conference, visit the ICTE website. To improve ICTE’s communication with English/language arts teachers, teachers in these subject areas are invited to join their mailing list found by clicking here.
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.
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.
Save the Date for 2012 Iowa Reading Association Conference
Administrators and educators are invited to come and experience the Iowa Reading Association’s first summer conference, “Summer Vacation: Destination Literacy!” on June 26-27, 2012 at the Scheman Building on the Iowa State University campus in Ames, Iowa. Enjoy learning from nationally prominent speakers, meeting published authors, gathering strategies from experienced instructors, earning graduate/renewal credit and shopping exciting exhibitors without the hassles of attending a conference during the school year.
Administrators and educators can also become members of the Iowa Reading Association. The association provides its members with publications that keep educators current in the field of reading and literacy, professional growth opportunities, direct links to current legislative issues, professional networking with other educators, grant and scholarship opportunities, a website and a newsletter. Members also receive a discount on both one and two day registration fees to the 2012 conference that will nearly pay for the cost of membership. More information about the Iowa Reading Association and it’s 2012 Conference can be found at on the association’s website at www.iowareading.org or by contacting Tony Pieper at tpieper@bcluw.org.
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.
Administrators and educators can also become members of the Iowa Reading Association. The association provides its members with publications that keep educators current in the field of reading and literacy, professional growth opportunities, direct links to current legislative issues, professional networking with other educators, grant and scholarship opportunities, a website and a newsletter. Members also receive a discount on both one and two day registration fees to the 2012 conference that will nearly pay for the cost of membership. More information about the Iowa Reading Association and it’s 2012 Conference can be found at on the association’s website at www.iowareading.org or by contacting Tony Pieper at tpieper@bcluw.org.
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.
Friday, August 12, 2011
Welcome Back
Dear area school administrators:
Welcome back to a new school year. A special welcome is extended to the new administrators starting their positions this fall; I hope that you find your partnership with Heartland AEA to be both supportive and effective.
During the summer, Heartland AEA staff has worked hard to assess and improve our services for the coming year. We have realigned our organizational structure in an effort to provide more intense services closer to our districts. We hope you will partner with us to create, grow and learn together as we improve our ability to provide quality services to teachers and students that result in improved student learning and achievement.
I encourage you to take interest in this Heartland AEA Administrator Connection blog. The Administrator Connection is updated every Friday (excluding holidays and summer vacation) to inform area superintendents, principals, curriculum directors and other school leaders of important announcements, agency news, professional development opportunities and other key information items.
We at Heartland AEA are as committed as ever to fostering strong, positive partnerships with the administrators, teachers and students in the schools we serve. Let us know how we can best help you extend your reach to serve your districts and increase student achievement. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments about Heartland AEA services, please contact your regional director or me.
Best regards,
Paula Vincent
Welcome back to a new school year. A special welcome is extended to the new administrators starting their positions this fall; I hope that you find your partnership with Heartland AEA to be both supportive and effective.
During the summer, Heartland AEA staff has worked hard to assess and improve our services for the coming year. We have realigned our organizational structure in an effort to provide more intense services closer to our districts. We hope you will partner with us to create, grow and learn together as we improve our ability to provide quality services to teachers and students that result in improved student learning and achievement.
I encourage you to take interest in this Heartland AEA Administrator Connection blog. The Administrator Connection is updated every Friday (excluding holidays and summer vacation) to inform area superintendents, principals, curriculum directors and other school leaders of important announcements, agency news, professional development opportunities and other key information items.
We at Heartland AEA are as committed as ever to fostering strong, positive partnerships with the administrators, teachers and students in the schools we serve. Let us know how we can best help you extend your reach to serve your districts and increase student achievement. In the meantime, if you have questions or comments about Heartland AEA services, please contact your regional director or me.
Best regards,
Paula Vincent
Iowa Evaluator Approval Training Update from Iowa DE
The following message is from the Department of Education regarding the status of Evaluator Approval training.
For the last two years the Iowa Evaluator Approval Training Program state advisory committee has been working on the structure and focus of Level III renewal of the evaluator’s license. This work has been based on the experience and input from practicing administrators who have been involved with the training for Level I and Level II renewal and their experience in applying the previous training at the local school level. At this point, what is available to any person needing renewal at Level III is described as follows:
Click here for a FAQ sheet and here for a flowchart for decision making to help address more specific questions. Please submit any additional questions to: matt.ludwig@iowa.gov or connie.maxson@iowa.gov and those will be addressed in future updates and FAQ documents that will be shared with all administrators across the state.
For the last two years the Iowa Evaluator Approval Training Program state advisory committee has been working on the structure and focus of Level III renewal of the evaluator’s license. This work has been based on the experience and input from practicing administrators who have been involved with the training for Level I and Level II renewal and their experience in applying the previous training at the local school level. At this point, what is available to any person needing renewal at Level III is described as follows:
- Four credit hours are needed for renewal of the administrator license at Level III.
- Everyone will need to take the Assessing Academic Rigor course which is currently available in all of the AEAs. This option will count for two of the four credits needed.
- In state Administrators may take another course for credit with researched based content which aligns with the work of their district or their own individual professional development. This course must be an AEA licensure renewal credit or a semester credit from a regionally accredited institution.
- They make take the Fierce Conversations course which is a two-credit course offered through each of the AEAs.
- Out-of-state: Individuals coming from out-of-state will be required to take the I-Evaluate on-line class for full administrative licensure. Please contact Fred Kinne at (515) 281-3587 or fred.kinne@iowa.gov for further information.
Click here for a FAQ sheet and here for a flowchart for decision making to help address more specific questions. Please submit any additional questions to: matt.ludwig@iowa.gov or connie.maxson@iowa.gov and those will be addressed in future updates and FAQ documents that will be shared with all administrators across the state.
HEART Training for New Administrators
Has a change of leadership left your school without a HEART administrator? We will be offering a session on HEART for new administrators on August 24 from 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the computer lab at the Johnston Regional Education Center (6500 Corporate Drive). The class is intended for the newly tapped school HEART administrators who will need to understand how to run HEART, get set up as users and retrieve data in the system.
To register for this class, please click on this link: https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/AS003792111201INV&*
If you have questions about HEART, contact Connor Hood at chood@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-0405 ext. 14506.
To register for this class, please click on this link: https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/AS003792111201INV&*
If you have questions about HEART, contact Connor Hood at chood@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-0405 ext. 14506.
Autism Conference to Promote Independence for Students
Heartland AEA is pleased to announce it's first parent/educator autism conference entitled, “Building Partnerships to Promote Independence for Students with Autism.” The conference will focus on how strong partnerships between parents and educators can improve the independence of children and youth with autism and foster more positive transitions and better outcomes from early childhood through young adulthood.
Parents and educators of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ages 3-21 years) within the Heartland AEA area are encouraged to register for this free conference that will be held on September 9, 2011 in the new FFA Enrichment Center on the Ankeny DMACC campus. Registration opened earlier this week and seats are filling up fast. Register at https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/DR331699111201SIT
A limited number of substitute teacher reimbursement vouchers are available and must be requested in advance. To request substitute teacher reimbursement, please contact Mavis Hoogers at mhoogers@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-9030 ext. 14343.
Click here for the conference flyer which can be sent to interested educators and parents.
Parents and educators of students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ages 3-21 years) within the Heartland AEA area are encouraged to register for this free conference that will be held on September 9, 2011 in the new FFA Enrichment Center on the Ankeny DMACC campus. Registration opened earlier this week and seats are filling up fast. Register at https://prodev.aeapdonline.org/4DCGI/DR331699111201SIT
A limited number of substitute teacher reimbursement vouchers are available and must be requested in advance. To request substitute teacher reimbursement, please contact Mavis Hoogers at mhoogers@aea11.k12.ia.us or (515) 270-9030 ext. 14343.
Click here for the conference flyer which can be sent to interested educators and parents.
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