From the Chief Administrator

Greetings for 2015! As we return to our routines and busy schedules, we can anticipate several major proceedings will affect your work and the work of the educators in our area schools. 

State Issues 
Teacher Leadership and Compensation System 
Fifteen districts within Heartland AEA were notified in December that they have been awarded funding in the second round of grants to implement Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation System (TLC). They will join 14 area districts that began implementation this year. An additional five districts within the Heartland AEA area have had their TLC grant approved for funding in the 2016-17 school year. Additional grant application cycles will be available for districts next year with a hope that all districts have an approved grant by 2016-17. Heartland will continue to coordinate professional development opportunities in cooperation with the other AEAs and in response to interests by area districts. 

Attendance Center Rankings 
Part of the education reform legislation adopted by the legislature in 2013 was a requirement for the Iowa Department of Education to develop a system for evaluating the performance of public schools on nine specific measures. The DE will launch a website this month that provides data on academic growth and student proficiency rates for public schools. Over time, this information along with other selected measures, will be incorporated into a new accreditation system for local schools. 

Heartland AEA Accreditation 
Heartland AEA will participate in an accreditation review with the Department of Education this spring as part of the five-year cycle of accreditation. Accreditation is determined based on a review of AEA standards in service areas such as school-community planning, professional development, curriculum/instruction/ assessment, diverse learners, leadership, school management services, instructional media and school technology. Heartland AEA will provide a self-study documenting services and artifacts to the DE in February of this year. The DE will use this information and the newly developing attendance center rankings to identify the school sites they would like to learn more about. We anticipate that Heartland AEA staff providing services in identified schools, selected early childhood areas and some off-site programs will be invited to participate in focus groups with the accreditation team. As we receive additional information from the DE on the details of the accreditation process, we will provide additional updates to staff. 

Iowa Legislature 
The AEA system is once again working with a unified legislative platform. At the top of the priority list is continued support for implementation of a multi-tiered system of support with emphasis on early literacy and restoration of the Iowa funding formula for AEAs. The Iowa funding formula is the source of funds for AEA services in the area of special education. Other requests are continued funds to assist local school with implementation of teacher leadership systems and personalized learning systems. 

Today marks the opening day of the Iowa legislature’s 2015 session. Find a list of contact information for all Iowa House and Senate members in Heartland AEA’s area. As is normally the practice, our lobbyists will provide us with weekly updates throughout the session that we will share with you via The Connection. Please be aware of education issues being discussed and communicate with your legislators when appropriate. 

Federal Issues 
ESEA 
It is expected that the 114th Congress will focus on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). You may remember that this is the legislation (often referred to as No Child Left Behind) that requires standardized testing in grades three to eight and at least once in high school. Additionally, schools are required to show annual growth in student achievement or to face sanctions (Schools in Need of Assistance, Districts in Need of Assistance), with all students expected to be proficient in reading and math this year. 

The new incoming chairman overseeing education in the senate, Senator Lamar Alexander, has stated that addressing this law is his top education priority. Heartland AEA staff will be interested in the likely debate about the merits of standardized testing as a means of informing parents about student progress and the effectiveness of the SINA/DINA sanctions in improving student learning. Any changes in this law will have an impact on school and state assessment requirements, which could translate into changes in Iowa for school and AEA accreditation processes, as well as annual progress reporting. 

E-Rate 
On Dec. 11, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took action to increase the funding level ($1.5 billion) of the E-Rate program. This action will provide increased funds to support access for schools and libraries to external high-speed Internet connections and to increase Wi-Fi access for students. Heartland AEA technology staff will continue to be involved in assisting schools as they navigate the programmatic changes that accompany this funding increase. 

While I have highlighted a few issues related to school accountability, assessment, technology and school leadership and funding, these are just a few of the issues that will in some way have an influence on the field of education this year. Expect ongoing conversations about the Common Core, the personalization of student learning, child poverty and the role of social media, too. With so many issues receiving national as well as local attention, it can be overwhelming to consider how any of these affect us as individuals. Perhaps the best we can hope for is to become informed on a few of the issues of interest to us and join in the debate. Let’s hope that 2015 is the year we see cooperative work in unexpected ways to reach positive results for children. 

Paula