Our Mission To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.
Our Goals- Increase learning growth for students
- Decrease the gap in achievement
- Increase annual graduation rates
- Increase gateways to post-secondary success
Due to COVID-19, the Heartland AEA CPI training team has had the opportunity to analyze our current training format, and we have made some adjustments. Please see the CPI Program Adjustments for the 2020-21 School Year, including information about:
- Move to blended learning option
- Recommended training participants
- Training in district
- Additional crisis prevention training option
- Enhanced safety measures
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to announce reduced pricing available for Iowa school districts interested in using Pear Deck for the upcoming academic year. Pear Deck is a communication platform that lets teachers create interactive assessments and presentations that students can follow from their personal devices. To receive Pear Deck for the 2020-21 academic year, register here no later than Aug. 10.
Additional documents and guidance related to special education were released this week on the DE/AEA Return to Learn Compendium of Resources for Districts, Schools and IEP Teams
In this issue: Substitute Teachers, Helpful Hints for Administrators, Renewal Tips, Online Licensing System, Conditional Licensure, Legislative Update, Troops to Teachers, Ethics - Racism and Equality, Recent Cases.
Reprinted with permission from Master Teacher, July 2020
The past several months have been filled with surprises, challenges, bewilderment, wonder and stress. Our regular routines were disrupted. We were asked to engage in teaching and learning in new ways that often have felt awkward and out-of-balance.
Now, as we approach the transition back to face-to-face teaching and learning, we are not the same, and our students are not the same. In fact, a lot will change from when we closed schools because of the virus. Many of our students have learned how to use new tools to support their learning. They have developed new skills and experienced greater learning independence. And, we too have gained important input and insights about our work and how to engage and mentor students. We have also learned much about ourselves when facing the unknown and needing to find ways to adjust and succeed.
There is much from this experience we will want to take with us when we return to our school. There are adjustments we will want to make in the ways we engage in face-to-face learning. However, there also are assumptions and practices we will need to leave behind.
Our Mission To improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth by providing services and leadership in partnership with families, schools and communities.
Our Goals- Increase learning growth for students
- Decrease the gap in achievement
- Increase annual graduation rates
- Increase gateways to post-secondary success
Iowa’s Area Education Agencies are pleased to share information about virtual continuous learning and online curriculum options with Iowa school districts. Based on feedback from local districts on their needs and concerns, the AEAs have worked with vendors to cull information about their programs that includes volume pricing based on enrollment, details on how the tools integrate with student information systems and various LMS platforms, available professional learning and support, and other key details. Districts interested in any of these products should contact the individual vendor to coordinate district-specific contracts for the upcoming academic year. Please note that the AEAs are pleased to coordinate information about these resources, but the AEAs are not subsidizing or purchasing these resources for districts.
The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEAs) are announcing the launch of a new early intervention and special education guidance system, known as Iowa IDEA Information (i3). It was developed collaboratively with local districts and with input from parents and partner agencies from across Iowa.
The launch of i3 means the phasing out of the current Iowa IDEA Info site, including AEA Special Education Procedures. The i3 system will bring with it enhancements that will prove to be invaluable to users, such as:
- A one-stop shop for IFSP and IEP procedures and resources
- User-friendly formatting for easy site navigation
- Increased options for searching content and resources
- Ability to allow for real-time updates with built-in options to clearly communicate updates to users
- Translation options
Currently, training opportunities and materials are in development and will be available in mid-July. The Department and AEAs will partner with local districts to ensure the information on i3 is available to families, as well as other community partners.
The new IEP/IFSP system, which will be known as ACHIEVE, will be aligned with the i3 system once it is released during the 2021-22 school year. These two aligned components, when complete, will position Iowa’s educational professionals to continue to provide the highest quality support for students with disabilities well into the future.
Reminder: Be sure to stay current with the latest DE guidance on Return-to-Learn special education information on this tab of the DE’s Return-to-Learn website.
- New 7-15-20 Return-to-Learn Compendium of Resources - This document organizes available resources and will be revised on an ongoing basis. The resources provided here are to address the standard of IDEA under the current pandemic situation.
- New 7-13-20 Return to Learn and FAPE - This document builds from the Department of Education's guidance on the fundamentals of FAPE to include examples of FAPE considerations in continuous learning and hybrid learning environments.
- New 7-13-20 Return to Lean and Service Delivery Scenarios - The purpose of this document is to support teams in navigating between appropriate methods of service delivery for students in a Continuous Learning (i.e., virtual) model. These services can and may change throughout the school year and between settings as teams determine what is required to best meet student needs.
Beginning July 14, via Zoom the DE will host a series of weekly webinars focused exclusively on special education Return-to-Learn topics. These webinars are intended to delve deeper into the application of special education regulations to continuous learning and hybrid models of delivery. Please share this invitation with special education administrators and others in your district who might be interested. This week’s webinar will provide supports for IEP teams as they focus on identifying free appropriate public education (FAPE) for individuals eligible for special education. In addition to reviewing new documents on FAPE and service delivery, the discussion will address ways to include student needs to access, participate and progress in virtual and hybrid learning environments within the IEP.
