Iowa’s AEAs Commit to Supporting Schools as They Prepare Students for the Future

Statewide AEA teams are currently meeting regularly to build equity in the areas of Future Ready, Well-Being and Efficiency. This piece on Future Ready is the first of a series of updates regarding that statewide AEA work. In the coming weeks, expect updates on two other AEA priority areas -- Well-being and Efficiency.   

In 2012, Iowa’s nine AEA’s began the formation of what today is known as the Iowa Association of AEAs (IAAEA). Our AEA system knew that we needed to build stronger continuity and create greater equity of services across the state. One of the first steps in undertaking that process was to identify and commit to common areas of emphasis across the AEA system. This resulted in the development of the AEA Compact, which was released to stakeholders in the fall of 2012. That document committed Iowa’s nine AEA’s to focusing on common student outcomes and core services in four areas. Those areas were: 

1. Literacy 
2. Numeracy 
3. Reducing the achievement gap for students with disabilities 
4. Post-secondary readiness   

Since the release of the Compact, Iowa’s AEAs have worked to stay current in meeting the needs of Iowa’s education stakeholders. Our AEA system continues to strive toward improved student outcomes in literacy and math and closing the achievement gap, but Iowa’s educational and political landscape has caused us to add a new area of focus on social-emotional learning and behavior and mental health (which we now refer to collectively as “well-being”). In addition to the area of well-being, the IAAEA has also redoubled its efforts in the area of post-secondary readiness, which we now call “Future Ready.” Over the past year, statewide teams have been working to develop and coordinate services in the areas of Well-being and Future Ready.   

What is Future Ready? 
I want to provide you with more information on the focus of the statewide Future Ready work team and give you an update on the progress they have made over the past year.    

Many of you may have already been exposed to some of the data describing the current status of Iowa’s graduating seniors as they enter their post-secondary experience. Iowa has long taken great pride in its high school graduation rate, most recently finishing first in the nation. But while nearly 80% of graduates say they intend to enroll in a post-secondary program, just 2/3 actually enroll and fewer than half finish a credential or degree within six years of graduation. The numbers are even more concerning when we look at the data disaggregated for sub-groups like English learners, ethnic minorities or students with disabilities.  

This data, combined with Iowa’s current and projected workforce shortage, has raised concerns about how well our schools are preparing graduates to navigate the post-secondary world. It has also caused many states, Iowa included, to use post-secondary attainment data as part of its accountability system in evaluating and reporting out on school district performance. No longer are school districts being scrutinized merely for student outcomes achieved during the school-age years. Now, in addition to reporting out on proficiency levels and standardized test performance, districts will also be evaluated in part by how well their graduates perform after leaving school.    

AEAs Focus on Five Future Ready Strategies 
The IAAEA Future Ready work team is focusing on five strategies to align and embed Future Ready initiatives across Iowa schools, with a particular focus on closing opportunity gaps for high-need, underserved students, including those with disabilities. Those strategies are: 

1. Data – Ensure that school leaders use future ready data sources to drive decisions.
 
2. Transition – Improve post-secondary transition support services for all students, particularly those who have IEPs.
 
3. Rigor – Improve instruction based on Iowa’s academic standards, SEL competencies and 21st century skills.
 
4. Partnerships – Create partnerships to expand authentic and work-based learning opportunities.
 
5. Relevance – Increase personalized, competency-based pathways to future readiness.
   

Not every AEA will support every strategy area in the same way, but all nine AEAs are committing to providing support in all five areas. Some strategies will be supported by AEA Learning Online, where a repository of authentic, work-based projects is already in place, and instructional designers are assisting schools and businesses in creating new projects as well. Some strategies will be supported through statewide networks like AEA PREP. Other strategy areas will be supported by initiatives that are already well underway in various AEAs, such as standards-based teaching and learning. The most important challenge for us as a state system is to make sure that every district, regardless of location and size, will have access to support in all five areas.

- Jon