The Channel

ACHIEVE Reminders – we are partnering with Keystone AEA to help with ACHIEVE data. This list provides you with the data tech assigned to each district and their contact information as well as the person responsible for the SIS within the district. Please review these reminders about ACHIEVE – our data techs are working hard to get things updated for fall and they are getting bogged down by emails – these tips will help reduce this. Access issues can be handled with these directions AEA or LEA.

• ACHIEVE issues should be handled through the ACHIEVE ticketing system and not via emails to Nicole or other data techs (left sidebar under ACHIEVE Support, select Support Request or Support Email).
• The district SIS is the source of truth for student name, date of birth, and grade level – if you have issues with accuracy, start with the district SIS – if this doesn’t work, submit a ticket (be sure to say you already worked with the school).
• Facilitators must finalize IEPs, exits and enter a change status on consents.
• Evaluation button missing – make sure FIIE consent is approved, then refresh.
• Meetings can only be dated 7 days prior to the date the IEP is opened.
• Amendments – when an Amendment requires a meeting it should be scheduled after the amendment is open – otherwise you will likely run into issues with finalizing.
• Exiting:
  • PRC code doesn’t display until after the consent is changed to parent revoked.
  • When reeval meeting required – paperwork needs to be completed within 30 days of the meeting or it won’t finalize. Submit a ticket if the system is requiring a 2nd meeting.
• If you are unable to assign teachers/staff in learners’ IEPs (prompts used outside of ACHIEVE), the learner is likely displaying at their resident district vs. attending. Submit a ticket with the attending district info.
• The AEA Powerschool is used for students not in a district SIS. Submit a ticket with all demographic information to have a student added.

Family Verification in ACHIEVE: in preparation for the family portal launch, districts and AEAs are required to verify the contact information and role for each family in ACHIEVE. This means that Early ACCESS service coordinators and any AEA support staff providers with support only IEPs will need to complete this process in September/October.  We will be sending out specific directions once data techs have rosters updated. Watch for more information in the coming weeks. If your district(s) request that you complete this process, please assure them that you will have this accomplished by the due date and then wait for our direction. You will notice a banner on ACHIEVE and may get questions from teachers – encourage them to reach out to their principal for guidance. This document provides an overview of parent roles that need to be identified as part of this process.

Harvest: guidance doc – remember, we are only tracking services provided to districts. Your paperwork and planning time specific to students should be included in the amount of time you document for that building.

Special Education Count Date for 2024 will be Friday, October 25.

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Special Education Updates page
• Updates with CRAEA Special Education doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel)

Here is the Harvest guidance information for Ed Services. Please be sure to go back and log for July 1. If you did not have service in a particular week, you can simply press “submit for week” at the bottom right of the entry page. 

Live documents, helpful resources and guides can be found on our staff website.

• Ed Services/Media Updates
• Updates with CRAEA Ed Services & Media doc (this will include every update from editions of The Channel)

Iowa Iowa Legislature has published the application process for the AEA Task Force legislated by House File 2612. According to Code, the task force will be composed of the following voting members who are appointed by the legislative council to represent different geographical regions of this state. It is not known when the Task Force will convene.

(1) One special education teacher who is employed by a school district with a total enrollment of greater than or equal to one thousand students.

(2) One special education teacher who is employed by a school district with a total enrollment of less than one thousand students.

(3) One superintendent who is employed by a school district with a total enrollment of greater than or equal to one thousand students.

(4) One superintendent who is employed by a school district with a total enrollment of less than one thousand students.

(5) One teacher who is employed by a school district and who does not provide special education programs or services.

(6) One parent or guardian of a student who has an individualized education program.

(7) One parent or guardian of a student who has a plan under section 504 of the federal Rehabilitation Act, 29 U.S.C. § 794.

(8) One president or chief executive officer of an accredited nonpublic school.

b. The task force shall also consist of the following voting members:

(1) One member to be appointed by the governor.

(2) One member to be appointed by the director of the department of education.

(3) One member who is the chief administrator of the heartland area education agency.

c. The task force shall also consist of the following ex officio, non voting members of the general assembly:

(1) Two state senators appointed by the majority leader of the senate.

(2) One state senator appointed by the minority leader of the senate.

(3) Two state representatives appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives.

(4) One state representative appointed by the minority leader of the house of representatives.

Some of you may have noticed that as the school year has gotten underway, media outlets have been requesting interviews with many of the AEAs to follow up on the implementation of HF2612 to see what the immediate impact has been on AEAs and school districts.

A few of the recent stories that have focused on the AEAs as a whole have been:

• Iowa AEA changes phase in as school year begins (CRAEA mentioned)
• Area Education Agency staff numbers see sharp decline (CRAEA mentioned)
• Iowa Public Radio – Iowa AEA changes phase in as school year begins 
• Iowa’s Area Education Agencies lost 429 staff since last school year
• Area Education Agency staff numbers see sharp decline
• Iowa AEAs see 429 fewer staff as school year begins, Democratic lawmakers say
• KCCI – Close Up: What’s the impact of Iowa’s new law reforming AEAs? 

We’ve received a few questions about the reported staffing numbers, so we wanted to share that data with you.

As a state system, we are down 429 staff from the beginning of last school year to the beginning of this school year. Specifically at Central Rivers AEA, we are down 68 staff from last school year.

Thank you for continuing to ask questions and wanting accurate information to share with others.

Iowa’s AEAs have launched a new, more user-friendly AEA Professional Learning Registration System! While the new system will have separate sites for each AEA and AEA Learning Online, you’ll still have access to courses from all AEAs and find the sites easier to navigate.

As we continue to enhance the system and introduce new features, we’re confident you will benefit from being able to:

• Browse course catalogs without having to be logged in.
• Log in with identAEA, which uses Google or Microsoft credentials. 
• Create a new account instantaneously, rather than waiting 24 hours for activation.

What about my course history & transcript?

Each person’s course history is currently being imported into the new system. As the transcript feature in the new system is being finalized, you may want to download your transcript from the former registration system, as that system will not be available after Sept. 30, 2024. Instructions for how to download your transcript are available here. If you need assistance, reach out to the PL team.

What about instructors?

Instructors should have already entered their credentials (vita) in the new system. If you are an instructor, and you have not yet done this, refer to this communication for more information.

If you are an instructor proposing a new course, make sure to enter the course in the registration system of the AEA you are teaching the course for. Example: If you are teaching a course for Central Rivers AEA, go to the Central Rivers AEA registration site to enter your course proposal.

AEA Professional Learning Registration Websites:

• AEA Learning Online
• Central Rivers AEA
• Great Prairie AEA
• Heartland AEA
• Mississippi Bend AEA
• Prairie Lakes AEA
• Grant Wood AEA
• Green Hills AEA
• Keystone AEA
• Northwest AEA

If you deliver professional learning and are asked to share resources you’ve developed, please use this system-wide response:

“We currently don’t have open access to share our resources. The AEA system is seeking legal clarification and guidance on our proprietary rights. Once we receive guidance, we will update you.”

Additionally, for your reference, a disclaimer and copyright policy are being developed for AEAs, but we need to wait for them to be finalized. It’s also okay to inform your audience that recording or photographing the presentation is not permitted at this time. If anyone pushes back, please refer them to a Regional Administrator.Please reach out to Annette Hyde and Tesha Moser-Zimmerman with questions. Keep an eye out for more updates in the coming weeks!

A monthly Zoom update for both Central Rivers AEA and Keystone AEA staff is planned for the second Thursday of each month, beginning August 29, 2024 through May 8, 2025, from 4:00-4:30 pm. The Zoom link for these meetings has been updated. You can find the new link below as well as in the CRAEA Master Calendar.

• https://aea1.zoom.us/j/93464974419?pwd=Q2hl1s1RZIcSHzDYbdAl9ARPrXdLAY.1
• Meeting ID: 934 6497 4419
• Passcode: 002870

These updates will be conducted by Chief Administrator Stan Rheingans, Executive Director of Ed Services Tesha Moser-Zimmerman and Executive Director of Special Education Annette Hyde. Please join each month as your schedule allows.

If you missed the first meeting on August 29, the slidedeck and Zoom recording are now available.

• August 29, 2024 meeting slides
• August 29 Zoom recording (expires in 30 days – Watch before September 30)

All future joint staff meeting slides and recordings can be found on the staff website. (Resources > Post-HF 2612 Resources & Guides)

At the Educator Quality (EQ) meeting on August 29, 2024, the EQ Committee – made up of both Certified Staff and Administrators – approved several important budget decisions.

The committee:

• Agreed on a $250 stipend for staff who complete a micro-credential.
• Confirmed the continuation of the $1,000 stipend for Year 1 and Year 2 mentors.

$50,000 was set aside for professional development opportunities for Certified Staff. If you’re interested in using these funds, please consult with your Sector Administrator about your learning goals. It was also noted that the EQ budget is being gradually spent down, with an expectation that it will be depleted during the 2025-2026 academic year, following the legislative decision to discontinue support for these funds a few years ago.

Farewell to HR Coordinator, Shirley Horak, who will be retiring at the end of September 2024.

“Shirley’s 38 years of dedication leaves an imprint that can’t be erased. Her attention to detail, institutional wisdom, and gentle guidance have been invaluable to me personally and to the HR Department. We will miss her ability to catch those ‘errors’ before they happened, but most of all, we’ll miss her caring and supportive presence. Central Rivers AEA won’t be the same without her. Please join me in wishing Shirley a well-deserved ‘Happy Retirement!'” -Karl Kurt, Assistant Chief/HR Director

Thank you for your years of service, Shirley! Central Rivers AEA wishes you best on your much deserved retirement! If you would like to send Shirley off with your own words of encouragement, submit your message on this Padlet.

We are delighted to announce Central Rivers AEA HR Office’s newest team member, Danielle Stratton! Danielle joined our team in September 2024 as our HR Coordinator, due to Shirley Horak’s retirement. She will be based out of the Cedar Falls office. Please take a moment to read through Danielle’s following bio and welcome her to the agency!

I was born in Cedar Falls but spent time in Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska before settling in Hudson, IA, which is what I consider my hometown. I earned a degree in Organizational Psychology and a Human Resources Certification from Upper Iowa University and bring 13 years of HR experience. Most recently, I served as the Human Resources Director for the City of Waverly.   

I currently live in Cedar Falls with my Husband, Nic and my four-year-old daughter, Natalie. Outside of work, I soak up every second I can get with my family. We love fishing, finding new parks to explore, spending time with extended family and traveling to any beach location.

As part of our ongoing commitment to fostering an inclusive and equitable work environment, we have previously mandated the completion of “Disrupting Bias Training” for all staff members. This training has been instrumental in helping us identify, understand, and address biases that can impact our interactions with colleagues, students, and the community.

However, after careful consideration due to our awareness of the challenges posed by taking staff out of their daily roles, we have decided to shift our approach. Moving forward, participation in “Disrupting Bias Training” will be strongly encouraged, rather than required.

Why the change?

Our decision to make this shift stems from a desire to balance the importance of this learning with the practical realities faced by our staff. We recognize that the demands of your daily responsibilities are significant, and we want to ensure that our professional development opportunities enhance, rather than hinder, your ability to fulfill your core duties.

Continued commitment to learning

Though the training is no longer required, we remain fully committed to the principles of equity and inclusion that the original training promotes. We believe that this training is a valuable tool in our collective effort to create a more inclusive work environment. We encourage all staff to take advantage of the upcoming sessions as part of their professional growth and to continue developing the skills needed to address and mitigate bias.

Upcoming Training Sessions

For the 2024-2025 school year, “Disrupting Bias Training” will be offered on the following dates:

• February 28, 2025 – Clear Lake
• April 24, 2025 – Cedar Falls

These sessions will be facilitated by Gina Weekley and MaKenzie Hakemen, both of whom bring a wealth of experience and insight into the complexities of bias and its impact on our work.

How to participate

Interested in participating? Please sign up using this form by January 28, 2025.

To minimize waste and conserve resources, we’ve made the decision to discontinue providing coffee. The number of people who bring their own coffee or other drinks has increased, resulting in unused coffee being discarded. To ensure that everyone is informed, please communicate this change to participants if you are hosting a meeting, class or workshop.

Micro-credential Incentive Opportunities

At Central Rivers AEA, we are committed to supporting the well-being and growth of our staff. To encourage professional development, we are offering a $250 incentive for staff members who successfully complete one of three micro-credentials focused on INspired Leadership. The available options are:

• Awareness of Internal Energy
• 4 Key Mindsets
• A new Micro-Credential is coming soon!

All of these can be accessed in our On-Demand Library, and all evidence submitted will be reviewed by Dr. Leslie Moore. Learn more about micro-credentials or log in now and register in CRAEA’s On-Demand Library by selecting “Micro-credential” in the “Categories” dropdown. Please note that registration is also required in the new AEA Professional Learning System. For assistance with registration, please contact Angie Gansen, Professional Learning Registration System Coordinator.

To Reduce Stress: Reframe!

Our partners at ESSDACK in Kansas offer a valuable reminder about stress management in a recent blog post. They emphasize that we have the power to reframe our perceptions of events and people in ways that reduce stress. When facing a challenging situation, consider shifting your perspective to lessen the impact. After reading the ESSDACK blog post, try applying this technique by choosing a more positive or empowering way to view a current stressor in your life.

2024-25 INspired Leadership Workshops

If you haven’t yet participated in a two-day INspired Leadership Workshop or if it’s been more than three years since your last session, now is the perfect time to sign up. Check out the 2024-25 workshop dates and locations, and make plans to join us for this transformative experience! For questions, contact Dr. Leslie Moore, Leadership Coach.

The business office is holding an informational meeting via Zoom for new staff and those wanting a refresher on how to submit mileage reimbursement. The meeting will be held on Thursday, September 12, beginning at 3:30 p.m. Zoom link to join: https://centralriversaea.zoom.us/j/86736030693.

The agency is partnering with the Hy-Vee Pharmacy to offer flu shot clinics for employees and their families. The vaccination schedule is as follows:

Friday, October 4, from 7:30-9:30 am

• Cedar Falls office (Central Perk) – 1521 Technology Parkway
• Clear Lake office (Room D) – 9184 265th Street, Suite B
• Marshalltown office (Room F) – 909 South 12th Street

Friday, October 11, from 8-10 am

• River Hills School (large conference room) – 2700 Grand Blvd, Cedar Falls

Please complete the 2024 Flu Shot registration form by Monday, September 16 if you wish to participate. During the morning of the clinic, remember to bring:

• A copy of your driver’s license.
• A copy of your insurance card (front/back).
• A completed flu shot consent form
  • Cedar Falls Office Location Only: In lieu of printing off the consent form, Cedar Falls Hy-Vee is providing the option to complete an online consent form. After you sign up for your flu shot, the link for this form will be sent to you on approximately September 20.

Flu shots may be covered at no cost to employees and their family members with proof of insurance. Please contact Kevin Klobassa (319-273-8202) with any questions.

The PAB is a powerful tool integrated into your Gmail account that empowers you to report suspicious emails directly to KnowBe4’s security experts.

When to use the PAB

Use the PAB for suspicious emails or potential phishing attacks, but not for spam or marketing emails. There is a separate “report spam” button included in your Gmail.

Phish Alert Benefits

• Strengthens your organization’s security culture by allowing users to report suspicious emails with a single click.
• Employees receive immediate feedback, reinforcing their training.
• Incident Response teams get early alerts on potential phishing threats, creating a network of user “sensors.”
• You can customize the recipient email address and add a prefix to phishing reports.
• The user dialog box text can be regularly updated to align with your security awareness program, automatically refreshing when users open their email client.

As a reminder or for those new to the agency, Central Rivers AEA has two primary communication channels used to reach staff with agency news, decisions and relevant resources. The two major channels we use frequently are:

The Channel: a monthly blog designed to keep staff informed about all major internal news.

• How do I access The Channel? – the front page of the staff website (note that you will need to login to access the staff website) or access it via the Employee Dashboard.
• Who is The Channel for? – All Central Rivers AEA staff; typically sent electronically on behalf of the Chief Administrator 1-2 days following the monthly board meeting.

Agency Staff Website: an internal website used to archive timely and relevant resources to enhance productivity and communication.

• How do I access the Agency Staff Website (Staff Intranet)? Bookmark the staff website on your browser or access it via the Employee Dashboard.
• Who is the Agency Staff Website for? – All Central Rivers AEA staff

Please note that we are discontinuing the use of The Stream going forward. Instead, updates for staff who work specifically with children, families and educators will be incorporated into The Channel as part of the Executive Director updates.

The Equity Committee strives to ensure all voices are heard and represented as we continue our work and would like to add a few additional members. If you are interested in joining the committee please reach out to Dr. Dana Miller or MaKenzie Hakeman.

All agency documents and presentation materials that staff create to present to their school districts or in team meetings are expected to follow official Central Rivers AEA branding guidelines to maintain a consistent look. When writing for the website (including blogs), please use the online writing guide, which includes important accessibility information. If you have accessibility questions, please review the Accessibility Module.

The Communication Guides and Agency Templates page on the staff website offers many Central Rivers AEA branded resources. Some reminders to staff:

• If you want a custom Google Slide theme, you can place an order through Creative Services.
• Do not create your own themes from scratch or by editing/customizing copies of the themes found in the Google Slide gallery.
• The Branding, Copyright, Accessibility & LMS Guidelines presentation is the “one-stop-shop” resource for all guidelines.

If you have questions regarding branding guidelines and requirements, please reach out to Beth Strike, Director of Communications & Creative Services or Contessa Van Buskirk, Communications Specialist, for assistance.