Monday, April 18, 2016

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 



Action Alert: Follow-Up to Last Week’s Proposed AEA Budget Reduction

As a follow-up to last Thursday's announcement of the proposed additional $5 million AEA funding reduction, we have been told that the AEAs are making some progress with our messages to legislators. They are listening!

Today and tomorrow there may still be a chance to make a difference before the final bills are voted on. Please continue reaching out to administrators, teachers and parents to contact legislators to let them know that a further reduction in AEA funding is a direct reduction to services for children with disabilities. Heartland AEA has prioritized service to children with disabilities by spending reserve funds and not providing other services that would otherwise be available to schools.

Please be respectful in your comments (we have not had the same courtesy from some legislators, but let’s take the high road) and thank them for their service and for considering your information.

Remember: If you send personal emails or make phone calls, do not use agency computers, email addresses or phones to do this and try to make contact during non-work hours.

Resources

  • A letter that school administrators can send (email is preferable) to their legislators and committee members or use as talking points for phone or face-to-face conversations. See committee membership links below.
  • A letter that parents can send (email is preferable) to legislators in their area and to the committee.
  • A piece from IASB that outlines funding cuts to AEAs since 2002.
Use the Iowa Legislature website to look up the legislators who serve your area.

Coming Soon: Clarity Survey to Gauge Technology at Work & Home

Heartland AEA is again partnering with BrightBytes, an educational research and analytics organization, in order to learn more about how you use technology for learning and for delivering our services to our districts, as well as helping our agency understand your ability to access technology in the context of your work.

We are reaching out to ask you to take part in completing a survey. Just as our schools and districts are working to use technology in authentic and meaningful ways—as a transformative tool for learning rather than just a learning outcome—we are hoping to learn how to become more tech-savvy in how we deliver services that meet the needs of all those we serve. Acting quickly and strategically to embrace technology will help us ensure that we stay relevant and of great service to the students and teachers we support.


Your participation is essential in helping us form a more complete picture of technology use at Heartland AEA, and we are very excited to see how the work we’ve done this year to build technology skills will influence our survey results. As you know, this is one important piece of data that we use to help our agency choose the right technology for our work and the right professional development for our staff.
 

On April 20 you will receive an email with the link to the survey, which will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. The last day to complete it will be May 3, 2016. Please know that all of your responses will remain anonymous to protect your privacy.

Thank you for providing the Agency with this important information!

Some Changes Coming in Regional Director Assignments for 2016-17

We wanted to let you know about changes in director assignments and responsibilities on the Learning & Leadership/instructional services side of our agency for the 2016-17 school year.

As you know, Heartland AEA posted openings for a director of special education and a part-time regional director. After considering more options, the Agency decided to free up time for some of our leaders to help support special education and reorganize some responsibilities in instructional services. In order to accomplish this, the Agency hired Amy Wichman as a part-time regional director and did not hire a director of special education.

Support for special education will continue to be led by Cindy Yelick, Associate Administrator; Misty Christensen, Assistant Director of Special Education/Regional Director and Keri Steele, Assistant Director of Special Education/Regional Director. In order to support these leaders, the following changes are being made to Regional Director assignments in Regions 1, 2 and 6 for 2016-17. Note that only changes in district assignments are listed. 













If you have any questions, contact Cindy Yelick or Kevin Fangman, Executive Director of District Services. 

Reminder: Mark Your Calendars: “Chats With the Chief” Scheduled for April & May

Mark your calendars for “Chat With the Chief” sessions to be held throughout the Agency this spring! These will be non-mandatory open forum-style meetings with no formal presentation. They are an opportunity for you to talk with me about anything and everything. If you aren’t able to attend the session in your region, you are welcome to attend in another region. I look forward to seeing those of you who are able to fit one of the chat sessions into your busy schedule. If you aren’t able to participate in any of the sessions but have input to share, feel free to e-mail me. (Remember you can always contact me if you have questions, concerns, feedback or good news to share.) I look forward to hearing from you!

Paula



Let Us Know: How Would You Like to Be Notified About Weather Closures?

With winter behind us, we can now enjoy spring and summer while we work on preparations for next school year. That includes reviewing our inclement weather office closing notification process. We’d like your feedback on how you’d like to be notified of office closings due to inclement weather or other urgent situations. Please complete this survey by April 29, 2016.

Public Input Sought on Iowa’s Literacy Standards

The Iowa Department of Education is seeking input from Iowans on the state’s literacy standards for K-12 students. Two public forums will he held on April 25-26 and an online survey is available following a state panel’s recommendation to seek public feedback on the current literacy standards. The standards outline learning expectations for English-language arts and for literacy in history, social studies, science, and other technical subjects.

Feedback from the public forums and survey will be used to provide guidance to the review team, which is expected to submit a final recommendation to the State Board of Education later this year.

The survey will be open through May 13, 2016. Iowans also can provide feedback at two public forums, either in person at two central Iowa locations or remotely from satellite centers. The public forum sites and details are available on the Iowa Department of Education’s website.   

Reminder: Halfway Through Benefit Enrollment – Have You Completed Yours?

We are halfway through our benefit enrollment period and only a third of you have completed your enrollment! What are you waiting for? Remember if you have any questions or need assistance, don’t hesitate to contact Juliette Houseman, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14315.

Also of note, new additions to our health insurance plans for 2016-17:

  • Annual eye exams will be covered at 100%.
  • Hearing exams will also be covered at 100%, and insurance will cover up to $2,500 towards hearing aids every 3 years.
Our annual benefit enrollment is open to all full-time and 96-day employees from April 1 through April 30, 2016 at 4:00 p.m. for the 2016-17 year benefit year, which begins July 1, 2016. Full-time employees may enroll in health and dental insurance and medical flex spending plans, while part-time staff (96-day) may enroll in the medical flex spending plan. (Note: This enrollment period is not for enrollment in the dependent care plan, which is done in November.) We will need your enrollment selections even if you choose not to make any changes to your benefits for next year. This is the time that you can add and/or drop family members to your health and dental plans without a life event or change of status. 

Enrollment can be completed through the Employee Online tab on the Employee Dashboard. If you are having trouble enrolling, log out of Employee Online and then log in before you start the enrollment process. This helpful tip and more can be found in the enrollment instructions document, which now includes how to print off your benefit statement!

VOYA Life Insurance Enrollment 
During our annual benefit enrollment, employees who didn’t opt for additional life insurance coverage through VOYA can also enroll. Complete the enrollment form and submit it to Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist. Existing employees who are enrolling for the first time will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Existing employees who are already enrolled but who want to increase their coverage may also do so at this time. Existing employees may increase their coverage, but if they choose to increase it over $10,000, they will be required to fill out an Evidence of Insurability form. Enrollment will be during April but will be effective on July 1, 2016.

If you have any questions, contact Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, at ext. 14315.

New Site Devoted to Dyslexia Resources Goes Live

The C4K (Collaborating for Iowa’s Kids) group, a collaboration between the AEAs, Iowa Department of Education and local schools, has developed a site with resources to support educators who serve students identified with dyslexia.

The site offers information for parents and educators alike, including:

  • Definition of Dyslexia in the State of Iowa
  • Presentation for educators on Dyslexia
  • Letter for parents about the services that districts and AEAs can provide students with reading concerns
  • Information about seeking a diagnosis 
An expert group that included Wendy Robinson - Heartland AEA, Director of Instructional Services, Jen Sigrist - Van Meter CSD, Director of Learning and Innovation, and Deb Vail - Heartland AEA, Media/Instructional Technology Consultant identified and developed the resources on behalf of the C4K group. Content was vetted by C4K Work Team Co-Chairs, AEA Educational Services Directors, AEA Special Education Directors and AEA Media Directors. 

AEA Legislative Update Now Available


Each week during the Iowa legislative session, we will bring you an AEA Legislative Update from the AEA system’s lobbyists, Tom Lane, Matt Eide, John Pederson and Kate Walton.

Reminder: Must Do: New Heartland AEA Digital Resources Technology Training


The Heartland AEA Digital Resources technology training module is now up and ready to go!


Heartland AEA provides a number of online tools/resources to assist teachers, students and families in their learning. The Digital Resources module will provide an overview of some of these digital instructional resources that are available at no cost to schools in our service area. The module will explore a specific subset of these resources and will help you as an AEA staff member:

  • learn what resources are available.
  • provide you with ideas for using the resources.
  • visualize practical strategies for helping teachers incorporate the digital resources into their practice (with differentiation and rigor in mind).


Through readings, short videos, real-world scenarios/examples and some quick checks for understanding, you will gain a deeper understanding of the high-appeal digital collections and resources available 24/7. Note that there is a pre-assessment built into this module. If you can’t remember where to go to access the trainings, please read below!

 
Q: How do I log in to the AEA PD Online Learning System?
A: First, you will need to have an AEA PD Online account. (If you have an account, but don’t remember your login information, contact Shelley Christensen for assistance. This is the same system that you’ve used to take Bloodborne Pathogens, Mandatory Reporter, etc.)

If you haven’t created an account, follow the steps below:
1.    Begin on the AEAPD Online Learning System.
2.    If you are a first time user to this training system, Click on Register here.
3.    Enter your first and last name.
4.    Enter your email address.
5.    Enter your BoEE folder number
If you don't know this number, you can look it up at the BoEE Website.
 If you don't have one, indicate N/A.
6.    Click Yes to indicate that you are an AEA or District Employee.
7.    Locate Heartland AEA from the district list.
8.    Enter the District Password - aea11
9.    You may complete the other fields, but they are not required.
10.  Click on Submit Registration Info.
11.  The screen will not appear to change, but you will see a Continue button under the Submit button.
12.  Click on Continue.

Q: Once I login, how will I know where to start?

A: Once logged in to the AEAPDOnline Learning System, you will choose the catalog link in the upper left hand sidebar. Then, click on district modules, and all of Heartland AEA’s content for our capacity building training will be listed. Begin by clicking on the course you want to take. You will need to take the Heartland AEA Digital Instructional Resources module. When you have completed the module, you can print out your certificate of completion.


Q: Whom do I contact if I have questions about the learning system?
A: You can contact LynnMcCartney, Instructional Technology Consultant, or Mande Gamble, Technology Training Specialist, for help with Heartland AEA-specific technology trainings. Continue to contact Shelley Christensen for help with the Bloodborne Pathogens, Mandatory Reporting and other statewide trainings.

Reminder: Agency Will Be Updating All Mac Computers to New Version of Operating System

The Agency is getting ready to upgrade all of its Mac computers to operating system (OS) 10.11. This is the current Mac operating system, and by getting everyone to the same OS, we will enhance our security and simplify the process of providing support.

Later this week, you will receive an email with detailed instructions about this upgrade. We’d like everyone to complete this update by the end of April, because we know May can be a very hectic time for many of our employees as they wrap up the school year. Included in the email will be a short video -- just 2 minutes and 40 seconds -- that you will want to watch prior to doing the upgrade, so you know what to expect. You will also want to do a Time Machine backup just prior to doing the upgrade.

The time to install the new OS will depend on the model of computer you have and where you are located. With a new computer that is being updated in the Johnston REC, the process could take as little as 35 minutes. If you have an older model, and you are using your home wifi, it might take 2-3 hours, so you will want to plan accordingly. For those of you who upgraded as part of the pilot, we want to thank you for your willingness to help us test the process. If you were in the pilot group, there is no need for you to do anything more at this time other than perform minor updates, as usual.