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

Structure for 2020-21 Certified Staff Meetings & Learning Announced

We are pleased to share dates for important agency and job-alike meetings and learning during the fall of 2020. 

Agency leadership groups, including the Agency Planning Council (APC), Regional Directors, Job-Alike Facilitators and MTSS agency leads, continue to consider our unique circumstances and have designed a flexible structure for Certified staff meeting and learning, Aug. - Dec. 2020. 

2020-21 Certified Staff Meeting & Learning Structure

Reminder: Iowa Has Adopted New Early ACCESS Diagnosed Conditions Eligibility List

The state of Iowa has created its own "Iowa Early ACCESS Diagnosed Conditions Eligibility List" to use as a reference for which diagnosed conditions would (or would not) entitle a child for Early ACCESS services under the "known condition" criteria. This list will replace the Colorado List of Established Conditions going forward. 

A training has been prepared by the Child Health Specialty Clinics Early ACCESS Liaison to support the use and intention of this list, understanding diagnosed conditions and ways to submit new conditions for review to be added to the list in the future.  

The list can be accessed on the Iowa Family Support Network's website and is linked under the eligibility section. (It is recommended to bookmark this page for future reference).  

Two items of note in moving from Colorado's List to the Iowa List is that we use the term "diagnosed condition" rather than "known condition" and the list was revised to include the following conditions as eligible:  

1. Bronchopulmonary dysplasia requiring supplemental oxygen at discharge from the neonatal intensive care unit 
2. Cleft palate (prior to the operation to repair the cleft and up to one year post-operative) 
3. Congenital hypothyroidism 
4. Necrotizing enterocolitis requiring surgery 
5. Neurofibromatosis 
6. Noonan syndrome

Reminder: Have You Been Having Issues Logging into Employee Online? We Have a Workaround for Now

Multiple staff has reported receiving the message “redirected too many times,” when attempting to access Employee Online from the new Employee Dashboard. 

The Information Systems Department has contacted the Employee Online vendor for help to resolve the issue. In the meantime, the error can be resolved by quitting the web browser you’re using and logging back into the Employee Dashboard. 

To quit your web browser, click its name (Chrome, Firefox or Safari) in the Menu bar on your computer and then choose “Quit Google Chrome, Quit Firefox or Quit Safari.” Please note that clicking the red circle/"x" on the top left of the window does not quit the web browser.

Iowa IDEA Information (i3), New Early Intervention & Special Education Guidance System, Launches

Iowa IDEA Information (i3), New Early Intervention & Special Education Guidance System, Launches The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa's AEAs announce the launch today of a new early intervention and special education guidance system, known as Iowa IDEA Information (i3). It was developed collaboratively with local districts and with input from parents and partner agencies from across Iowa. 

The launch of i3 means the phasing out of the current Iowa IDEA Info site, including AEA Special Education Procedures. Staff who work in special education will want to bookmark the i3 site as this is replacing your AEA Special Education and Early ACCESS Procedural Manuals. 

The i3 system will bring with it enhancements that will prove to be invaluable to users, such as: 

• A one-stop-shop for IFSP and IEP procedures and resources 
• User-friendly formatting for easy site navigation 
• Increased options for searching content and resources 
• Ability to allow for real-time updates with built-in options to clearly communicate updates to users 
• Translation options 

Currently, training opportunities and materials are in development and will be available in mid-July. The Department and AEAs will partner with local districts to ensure the information on i3 is available to families, as well as other community partners. 

The new IEP/IFSP system, which will be known as ACHIEVE, will be aligned with the i3 system once it is released during the 2021-22 school year. These two aligned components, when complete, will position Iowa’s educational professionals to continue to provide the highest quality support for students with disabilities well into the future. 

If you have any questions regarding this system, email iowaideainfo@gmail.com.