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

2018 All-Staff Meeting Follow-Up & Survey

What a fun day our All-Staff Meeting was to connect, celebrate and learn with one another! Despite the damp weather, the energy in the room as high, and we all left with a mission this year to inspire smiles in those we serve! We hope you again enjoyed time to reconnect with colleagues, celebrate our accomplishments and learn from one another during our afternoon presentations.  


In this folder, you'll find materials from the meeting: 

• Celebration Slideshow  
• Morning Presentation  
• Photos 
• Program Packet 

Survey  
Please take a few minutes to offer your feedback and comments about this year's All-Staff Meeting. Your responses will help us plan for future meetings. Please respond by Oct. 12. Thank you for your participation! 
All-Staff Meeting Survey 

Lost & Found 

Black Anne Klein jacket found in the flu shot area

Still unclaimed from last year's All-Staff Meeting: Denim jacket

Still unclaimed from last year's meeting: Denim shirt

Thanks again for a great day as Heartland AEA!

Heartland AEA Emergency Response & Safety Plan Updated for 2018-19

Contact information has been updated on the Agency’s Emergency Response & Safety Plan and is current for the 2018-19 year. 

Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the plan, which can be found on the Intranet > Emergency Response & Safety Plan. 

If you have any questions, contact Dustin Gean, Operations Manager, Lead of the Agency’s Emergency Response & Safety Committee.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month

Each October, the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center serves as co-host with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's National Cyber Security Division, the National Association of Chief Information Officers and the National Cyber Security Alliance in promoting National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NSCAM).   

Each and every one of us needs to do our part to make sure that our online lives are kept safe and secure. We lead web-based, digital lives. From personal computers, smartphones, and tablets, e-book readers, to working, shopping, and social networking, virtually every aspect of our lives touches the digital world. Our reliance increases as digital technology advances and high-speed Internet access becomes more widespread. Yet, if we are to maximize the convenience, speed, and future potential of a digital society, we must protect the resource that makes it possible. 

STOP. THINK. CONNECT. 

• Stop. Before you use the Internet, take time to understand the risks and learn how to spot potential problems. 
• Think. Take a moment to be certain the path ahead is clear. Watch for warning signs and consider how your online actions could impact your safety or your family's. 
• Connect. Enjoy the Internet with greater confidence, knowing you've taken the right steps to safeguard yourself and your computer. 

For additional information, visit the following websites: 

• StaySafeOnline.org (National Cyber Security Alliance) 
• Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center 
• U.S. Department of Homeland Security

Iowans Invited to Give Input on Children's Mental Health Services in October

Iowans are invited to provide input on children’s mental health needs at regional listening posts scheduled statewide beginning Oct. 2. 

The listening posts will be hosted by Iowa’s Area Education Agencies on behalf of the Children’s System State Board established by Gov. Kim Reynolds through Executive Order 2 in April. The board is co-chaired by Iowa Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven and Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise. Board members will review information gathered from the listening posts as part of their charge to develop recommendations to create a children’s mental health system. The recommendations are due to the legislature on Nov. 15. 

Listening post details are as follows: 

Oct. 2, 2018 
6 - 7:30 p.m.

Northwest AEA 

940 Lincoln St. SW, LeMars 

Oct. 3, 2018 
6 to 7:30 p.m.

Prairie Lakes AEA 

500 NE 6th St., Pocahontas 

Oct. 8, 2018 
5:30 to 7 p.m.

Heartland AEA 

6500 Corporate Dr., Johnston 

Oct. 8, 2018 
6 to 7:30 p.m.

Fairfield Arts & Convention Center (Great Prairie AEA)

200 North Main St., Fairfield 

Oct. 10, 2018 
5:30 to 7 p.m.

Green Hills AEA 

257 Swan St., Creston 

Oct. 10, 2018 
6 to 7:30 p.m.

Carrie Lee Elementary Auditorium (Keystone AEA)

210 Vernon St., Decorah 

Oct. 10, 2018 
6 to 7:30 p.m.

Central Rivers AEA 

9184 265th St., Suite B, Clear Lake 

Oct. 11, 2018 
6 to 7:30 p.m.

Grant Wood AEA 

4401 6th St. SW, Cedar Rapids 

Oct. 11, 2018 
5:30 to 7 p.m.

Mississippi Bend AEA 

729 21st St., Bettendorf 

Iowa families who are unable to participate in the listening posts may provide input online in the following ways: 

• An online survey. The survey deadline is Oct. 12. 
• An online listening post will run from noon to 1 p.m. on Oct. 4. 
To join from a computer, visit: https://zoom.us/j/290354386 
To join by phone, call 1-646-876-9923. When prompted, enter meeting code 290-354-386. 

For more information about the Children’s System State Board, visit the Iowa Department of Human Services’ website.

Message from Ryan Wise: Additional Information on ESSA Timeline for 2018-2019

I’ve announced that the Iowa Department of Education has changed the notification date for ESSA levels of support from Oct. 15 to sometime between Dec. 3-14. Because of this change in the timeline for notification to schools, the school improvement schedule this year will also be adjusted. I’m pleased to tell you that most of the schedule will remain intact. The staff at the Department and all of our AEA colleagues have worked hard to ensure as little disruption to schools as possible.



The newly revised ESSA School Improvement One-Page Timeline is accessible HERE. The full ESSA School Improvement Timeline - with links to webinars and presentation slides - is at the same link as before and has been revised to match the one-page timeline. Here are the critical points you need to know about the updated timeline:



The Department and AEA staff chose to leave the schedule of professional learning intact because we feel this is the right work regardless of federal compliance requirements. We want to value the hard work of schools that have been on this journey of continuous improvement long before ESSA was a consideration by continuing to offer high-quality professional learning in collaboration with the AEA system. This will be done largely on the same schedule we had communicated prior to the ESSA notification change.



The Administrator Information Sessions previously scheduled for the month of October have been canceled. We will instead hold a series of webinars during the month of October to keep administrators and other staff up-to-date on ESSA. The dates, times and topics will be posted to the ESSA School Improvement Timeline as soon as they are available. All webinars will be recorded and posted to the same document.



In addition, we will reschedule Administrator Sessions between Dec. 10 and Jan. 11. Department staff will be at one session in each AEA to go over the ESSA designations, report card, and any questions you may have.



Any changes to the AEA registration system for all professional learning opportunities will be finalized by Oct. 10. Only small changes will be made in individual agencies after this date.



While we will not be offering Intervention System professional learning during the regular school year, as planned, we will make it the focus of our Summer Institute. The Institute is required for schools receiving comprehensive assistance, recommended for those receiving targeted assistance, and open to all other schools, as well. The dates freed up by moving the Intervention System professional learning will be repurposed to offer the necessary ESSA components for schools, such as Self-Assessment of MTSS Implementation (SAMI) and Action Planning.



Schools will not be able to do the ESSA data review until after designations are announced. Even so, we will provide you with a list of other data sources that may be useful as you engage in the self-assessment in the fall.



We will add additional dates to our fall professional learning calendar for 2019 for Universal Tier Tools and Intervention System.



Site visits for schools receiving comprehensive assistance will not take place now until the spring semester of 2020. We will conduct two pilot sites in fall 2019.



If you have questions about these changes prior to the October webinar series, contact Barbara Ohlund.

Iowa's Teacher Leadership System Empowers Teachers, Impacts Student Achievement

Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation (TLC) system continues to strengthen the teaching profession and improve classroom instruction, with a significant increase in school districts reporting they met local goals for student achievement in the 2017-18 school year, according to two new reports released last week by the Iowa Department of Education.   

Iowa has the nation’s most extensive teacher leadership system, which taps into the expertise of top teachers to strengthen instruction and raise student achievement.   

An end-of-year report from school districts showed teacher leadership was a factor in student achievement gains, with 56 percent of districts reporting they fully or mostly met their local student achievement goals in the 2017-18 school year. This is up from 50 percent of districts the year before. Student achievement goals are based on multiple measures, such as the state test, literacy screening assessments and student engagement data.   

“Educating our children for the knowledge economy is critical to our state’s future, and it’s vital Iowa’s teachers have the necessary tools for their success,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said. “Each year, we invest more than $159 million in rewarding teachers with leadership opportunities and mentoring roles. Our TLC approach attracts the most promising teachers with competitive starting salaries and fosters greater collaboration among teachers. A quality education is priceless and opens the door to greater achievement for Iowans of all ages.”   

“TLC is keeping great teachers in the classroom and elevating the teaching profession – and the numbers back that up,” Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg said. “This report shows that a majority of districts credit TLC’s salary increases and leadership roles for retention of their teachers.”   

The same report showed 89 percent of school districts met local goals for attracting and retaining teachers in the 2017-18 school year, up from 85 percent the year before. Most districts credited the teacher leadership system’s salary increases and meaningful leadership opportunities with their success in retaining all or most of their teachers.   

A second report, conducted by American Institutes for Research, identified common strategies that led to successful implementation of teacher leadership plans in six Iowa school districts.   

“Iowa is a trailblazer in teacher leadership, which is about supporting and empowering teachers to do their best work so that students can do their best work,” Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise said. “We’ve known for some time that Iowa’s teacher leadership system is elevating the teaching profession, and we’re seeing a positive impact on student achievement as well.”   

The strategies included establishing full-time instructional coaches, tailoring professional development to meet the individual needs of schools and including teachers and other stakeholders in the planning and implementation of teacher leadership plans.   AIR’s findings are based on case studies of the Audubon, Cedar Falls, Graettinger-Terril, Lewis Central, North Polk and Williamsburg community school districts.       

Iowa’s Teacher Leadership and Compensation system is the centerpiece of an education reform package proposed by the Branstad-Reynolds administration and adopted by legislators in 2013. The system rewards effective teachers with leadership opportunities, attracts promising teachers with competitive starting salaries and support and fosters greater collaboration for all teachers to learn from each other.   

The system was phased in over three years. The 2017-18 school year marked the second year involving all Iowa school districts. More than 25 percent of teachers in all 330 school districts are in leadership roles, such as instructional coaches and mentors. Iowa invests $159.4 million in the system annually.

Winners from Benefits & Wellness Fair Drawing Announced

Human Resources has drawn the names from those who participated in the “Passport to Wellness” drawing from last Friday’s All-Staff Meeting. 

Grand Prize 
The grand prize for getting all 12 vendor stamps is a one-on-one lunch with and courtesy of our Chief Administrator, Jon Sheldahl, along with $100 cash, courtesy of the Human Resources team! 

Congratulations to Katherine Kline! 

Consolation prizes for getting all 12 vendor stamps go to the following staff: 
Martha Condon 
Brianne Peppers 
Amici Hayek 
Sarah Johnson 
Jeri Gustafson 
Kim Thomas 
Brandie Cox 
Lindsay Rains 
Sue Mostek 
Emily Sweeney 
Erin Rush 
Andrea Gach 
Todd York 
Dawn Grimes 
Rick Bingaman 
Sara Mercer 
Mary Keul 
Annis Austin-Woods 
Rebecca Carver  

Consolation prizes for getting at least 8 vendor stamps go to the following staff: 
Molly Warnemunde 
Robin Heuser 
Jessica Stumme 
Carrie Johnson 
Janet Hanson 
Amanda Khader 
Kathryn Bohlender 
Christi Rohlfing 
Rita Pray 
Nicole Healy 

Juliette Houseman will be contacting winners to determine the best way to get prizes to you. Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by the vendor tables at the Benefits & Wellness Fair! And because we want everyone who participated in the “Passport to Wellness” activity to be a winner, Juliette will be sending out a special participation prize to everyone who participated. Look for an email soon with the details!

FYI If You’ve Completed the Wellness Program Baseline Items

Staff who complete all baseline items in the Wellness Program will earn a $40 credit toward the purchase of Heartland AEA logo items. Stay tuned for information after Jan. 1, 2019 on how to order your items!

Answering Your Questions From the Benefits Survey

As an initial wave of Benefits Surveys is completed, questions and comments are being made in the survey as well. Juliette Houseman, Benefits Specialist, will be taking some time to address a number of those questions in the coming weeks. 

Question/Comment: “Add my chiropractor to the list of in-network providers.”
Answer: Your chiropractor can apply to Wellmark to become a Blue Choice provider. Unfortunately, many chiropractors choose not to participate under Wellmark because as a provider their rate is determined by Wellmark and then they are unable to charge patients a higher amount. 

Question/Comment: “Wellness visits at the chiropractor and other alternative wellness coverage -- if I could do wellness visits at the chiropractor, I can get away with not taking depression and anxiety medication, which is a big deal to me when I am pregnant.”
Answer: If your chiropractor is a Blue Choice provider, then you would only pay 15% for your chiropractic visits vs. 100% if they are not a Blue Choice provider. Again, your chiropractor would need to apply to Wellmark to become a Blue Choice provider. 

Question/Comment: “Would like to add chiropractic.” 
Answer: There is chiropractor coverage under the Blue Choice plan; you can search for participating chiropractors under “Find A Provider” on wellmark.com (Doctors by Specialty and then type in Chiropractor). 

Question/Comment: “I wish our insurance provider fully covered additional legitimate health services like acupuncture and chiropractic, for example. Both have helped me immensely with average illnesses to larger challenges and kept me off of prescription pain meds.” 
Answer: If you are using a Blue Choice chiropractor, he/she should complete paperwork with Wellmark after the allowed 20 annual visits if you still need additional visits in order to assure continued coverage.

Teacher Quality Stipends Set for 2018-19

The Teacher Quality (TQ) stipend for participating in a 15-hour class or study group this year will be $700. Study group facilitators will be paid $750 and course instructors will receive their per diem. Addendum pay for TQ is generated once the instructor closes out the class or study group. This usually takes 1-4 weeks. 

If you have any questions about your TQ pay, contact Kevin Fangman, Chief Academic Officer. Pay addendum for completed TQ opportunities is being generated this week.