Our Mission
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth.

Our Goals
• Increase learning growth for students
• Decrease the gap in achievement
• Increase annual graduation rates
• Increase gateways to post-secondary success

Introducing the Agency’s Diversity Engagement Advisory Team

Members of the Cultural Competence Committee and the Human Resources team have joined efforts to create the new Diversity Engagement Advisory Team for our agency. 

The purpose of the team is to provide guidance and recommendations and implement actions on issues related to diversity and inclusion. 

Samantha Perry, Human Resources Specialist, and Gilmara Mitchell, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, co-facilitate the Diversity Engagement Advisory Team, which includes the following members: Ann Wilson (Board Member), Tony Chiaramonte, Dustin Gean, Annis Austin-Woods, Stephaney Jones-Vo, Jim Verlengia, Malinda Elliott, Laura Gillon, Tuan Dao, Mark Crady, Heidi Mendez, Sue Ford, Courtney Croatt and Karla Jones. 

The team is using the following working definition to focus efforts: Heartland AEA embraces diversity and inclusion by seeking out and hiring those whose differences are reflected in a variety of forms including, but not limited to, race, culture, perspective, talent, interest, ability, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, language and socioeconomics. Our goal is for all employees to be able to engage and work effectively with others different from themselves, treating each other with respect and retaining employees who strive to meet this goal. 

A few of the accomplishments of the team so far this year have been: 

• Met with external partners Mercy, DMACC and Wells Fargo to discuss diversity efforts 
• Set up Nov. 11 presentation to the Agency’s Board of Directors regarding internal diversity engagement efforts 
• Revised the Agency’s Affirmative Action Plan 
• Created internal resources Google Site for Diversity Engagement and Google+ community for sharing Diversity Engagement topics 
• The Agency will host an NAACP College-Prep Day on Nov. 1 

Visit our Google Site 
Visit our Google+ Community

If anyone is interested in joining the team or if you have any questions, contact Gilmara Mitchell at gmitchell@heartlandaea.org or Samantha Perry at sperry@heartlandaea.org.

Please Continue to Update Logo, Mission Statement & Non-Discrimination Statement

We continue to see outdated statements and logos being used on various flyers, in email signatures, etc. Please use the correct versions of these items in your materials and correspondence! If you have any questions, contact the Communications Department. 

Mission 
Our mission statement was slightly tweaked about two years ago. Please note that the word “essential” was removed from the statement. 
To provide services and leadership, in partnership with families, schools and communities, that improve the learning outcomes and well-being of all children and youth. 

Non-Discrimination Statement 
Heartland Area Education Agency 11 does not discriminate based on race, color, creed, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, family status, genetics, national origin, religion, age, military or veteran status, pregnancy or disability. Direct inquiries to the Human Resources Director, 6500 Corporate Dr., Johnston, IA 50131-1603, the Director, Iowa Civil Rights Commission, Des Moines, Iowa 50319-1004 or Director, Office for Civil Rights, Kansas City, MO 64106. 

Logo 
There should be no “Extending your reach" tagline in our logo. The logo using the tagline was phased out over a year ago—please do not use it! The correct logo can be found on the Intranet under Communications Resources & Publications.

Umbrellas Left at All-Staff Meeting

Three umbrellas were left behind at the All-Staff meeting on Sept. 12. One is purple with pink, green and gold flowers, one is navy and one is black.

If these are yours, please email the Communications Department to arrange for pick up or delivery.

Director Buck Supports Long-Overdue Revision of Federal NCLB Law

More Iowa schools and districts were identified as “in need of assistance” under the federal No Child Left Behind law based on student performance on state tests taken during the 2013-14 school year, according to the 2014 State Report Card for No Child Left Behind released last week by the Iowa Department of Education. 

The results say more about the arbitrary accountability system under No Child Left Behind than it does about the work under way in Iowa classrooms, Director Brad Buck said. 

“No Child Left Behind has outlived its usefulness as a lever for improving student achievement in our country,” Buck said. “We need some different solutions. In Iowa, we embrace high expectations and accountability, but we must have an approach that dignifies growth and progress as much as proficiency on a test.” 

While most states have obtained a waiver from key components of No Child Left Behind, Iowa must continue to follow the federal law unless it is reauthorized by Congress or Iowa’s system for educator evaluation is changed by state legislators to meet waiver criteria. 

“I continue to fully support Congressional reauthorization, which is long overdue, as well as a significant overhaul of this law,” Buck said. “We want a rigorous system that both acknowledges growth and holds schools and districts accountable without labeling schools that fall short of proficiency targets as failures.”

Invitation to Participate in Colo-Nesco Career & College Fairs

The Colo-Nesco Community School District invites you to participate in one or both of their Second Annual Career and College Fairs. All 5th-12th grade Colo-Nesco students, their parents and students and parents from neighboring school districts are invited to attend. 

The Fall Career and College Fair will take place on Nov. 6, 2014 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the high school gym in Colo. Students will also take part in the Iowa College Application Campaign in association with the Iowa College Student Aid Commission on this night. 

The fall fair will focus on these career clusters: 
• Arts, A/V Technology & Communications 
• Government & Public Administration 
• Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security 
• Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 
• Health Science 
• Information Technology 
• Finance 

The Spring Career and College Fair will take place on March 12, 2015 from 5:00-7:30 p.m. in the high school gym in Colo. 

The spring fair will focus on these career clusters: 
• Agriculture, Food & Natural Resources 
• Architecture & Construction 
• Business Management & Administration 
• Education & Training 
• Hospitality & Tourism 
• Human Services 
• Manufacturing 
• Marketing 
• Mathematics 
• Transportation, Distribution & Logistics 

Contact one of the following C-N staff if you are interested in participating in these events. 
Jessica Radmaker 
K-12 Professional School Counselor 
(641) 377-2282 ext. 226 

Kandice Roethler 
K-12 TAG Coordinator 
(641) 377-2282 ext. 244

Reminder: Teacher Quality Courses & Study Groups Open for Registration

The list of courses and study groups with registration information is now available. The deadline to register for Teacher Quality courses and study groups is Oct. 3. Most courses and study groups will be held November through June. A few offerings will start in October. Last year eligible staff members were paid $500 to participate in a course or study group. The amount for 2014-15 will be determined when registration closes on Oct. 3. Participants register by going to the Agency’s professional development catalog. A frequently asked questions document has also been created. 

There are two types of offerings: courses and study groups. The dates for the courses are listed, but as we did last year, you will register for the study group and study group participants will form their own groups. If a staff member wants to participate in a study group and can’t find colleagues to join the group, then Sue Schirmer will assign a study group. 

If you have any questions, contact Sue Schirmer, Professional Learning & Leadership Consultant, (sschirmer@heartlandaea.org), Wendy Robinson, Director of Instructional Services, (wrobinson@heartlandaea.org) or Kristi Upah, Regional Director (kupah@heartlandaea.org). Your supervisor or job-alike facilitator can answer general questions about the process. If you have any questions about your TQ payment, contact Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services, at kfangman@heartlandaea.org.

Programming Change Approaching for Licensure Classes

All Drake University Extension Education courses offered after July 1, 2015, must be offered for EDMA credit. Drake EDMA courses must have 30 hours of outside work for each credit offered in the course. 

For example, if you offer a one-credit course (15 contact hours), there must be an additional 30 hours of work the participants are required to do outside of class. There must also be a way to document or assess that work. Courses that start before July 1, 2015, can be offered for EDEX credit even if the course ends after July 1. 

Drake is currently working to develop a web page that outlines this change and include other resources and updates as we move forward. Our Heartland AEA Professional Development Advisory Council will be drafting procedures for this change as we move forward. 

Please see our professional development web page for more information.

Enhancements to the Web IEP and Web IFSP

1) IEP Forms Tab - Forms automatically sort by the 'title' of the form. So, we have added the ability to 'sort' by choosing any of the column headers except delete. Users will now be able to sort by create date, author, as well as form title. 

2) IEP Goal Page - We have added the ability to go directly to the graph from the goal page. 

3) IEP Add/Transfer Screen - The add/transfer screen will now sort similarly to the IEP services tab (Tab F). 

4) IFSP Child List (and 'review' mode) - The IFSP child list used to show the 'district' as well as county. This has been added back to only the 'child list' not to the caseload. 

If you have any questions, contact Misty Christensen, Assistant Director of Special Education/Regional Director at mchristensen@heartlandaea.org or ext. 11203.

Two New Features of the Child Find Module Coming to Web IEP System

Effective Oct. 1, 2014 two new features of the Child Find module of the Web IEP system will be available. 

Feature 1 will email the first listed electronic participant with all open evaluations. Each Monday after Oct. 1st, this email will be generated for all open Child Find records and will include the remaining days for the 60-day timeline. 

Feature 2 will email the first electronic participant that the timeline for the Child Find module is reaching the point at which the record will be deleted (fall off the Child Find list). The first electronic participant will be notified of the action steps that must be completed to ensure that the record will not drop off the student list. 

We hope these two features will enhance your use of the Child Find Web IEP module.

Reminder: Tech Support Leads are Here to Help!

We want to remind you that the Agency has trained a number of support staff for the role of technology support leads. Most of these identified staff members have been trained to handle most of the routine technology questions that surface on a day-to-day basis, such as the following: 

• Mac Basics 
• Customizing the Dock 
• Customizing Trackpad options 
• Keyboard Shortcuts 
• Gmail - Settings, Labels, Labs 
• Google Calendar - Settings, Invites, Sharing Calendars 
• Google Contacts - Create Groups (Distribution Lists), Exporting a Group, Importing a Group 
• Google Drive - Creating documents, sharing documents, creating and sharing folders, install Google Drive, Docs and Sheets apps on the iPad, manage documents on both computer and iPad using the apps 
• Google Chat 
• Activating Google+ 
• Google Hangouts 
• Setting home pages and tabs in Firefox 
• Bookmark management (rename a bookmark, delete a bookmark, file a bookmark) 
• Creating a digital signature 
• Self Service - Printer setup 
• Phone setup and troubleshooting 
• Polycom setup and troubleshooting 
• General iPad questions including apps 
• iMovie for iPad 
• Zoom 

If a Tech Support Lead is unable to answer your question, please refer to the Internal Technology Department Contact Guide to get the support you need.

All Staff Must Do: Install New Print Driver

This message was emailed to all staff on Sept. 18 and is being repeated here for your information. 

New HP printers will be arriving in all Heartland AEA offices THIS WEEK. In order for you to be able to print to these new printers, we need you to use Self Service to install the HP LaserJet 600 M601 print driver, using the directions below. More information about the new printers will be sent to you later by your office’s administrative assistant. In the meantime, please install the new printer driver. See the tech support lead in your office if you need assistance. 

Self Service Instructions