The Channel

Well over 2,000 local educators have already responded to the annual Department of Education Customer Feedback Survey, which closes on April 9. The survey provides local educators across the state with an opportunity to provide feedback about the quality of AEA services they receive.

“We set a goal this year of getting at least 2,000 responses,” said Dr. Dean Meier, chief administrator. “With a response this great we can have confidence in the results and act accordingly.” The agency serves about 5,000 educators, which means over 25% of them responded–a respectable rate in the social science world.

The results of the survey will be analyzed over the coming months once the survey has closed. Data will be shared with staff via a variety of formats.

The AEA 267 Board of Directors held a joint meeting with the boards from North Iowa Area Community College, Hawkeye Community College, and Iowa Valley Community College from on April 1, 2009 at Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls. An overview of AEA 267 programs and services, as well as celebrations and challenges, was presented. The community colleges shared highlights from their respective colleges.

The Board reconvened at 7:15 p.m. in the AEA 267 office in Iowa Falls for their regular meeting.

During the regular meeting, the board:

• Toured the Iowa Falls sector office facilities.

• Accepted with regret the resignation of Angela Fitch, School Psychologist (Independence Middle School); Jessica Uhlenhopp, Teacher of Mental Disabilities, Severe & Profound (River Hills); Deb Kenyon-Thom, Youth Shelter Teacher (Black Hawk Co Youth Shelter); Katie McClurg, Speech-Language Pathologist (Roosevelt Elem, Mason City); and Tiffany Orosco, Speech-Language Pathologist (Charles City). Retirement notices were also accepted including that of Margaret Dunlap, Special Education Consultant (Charles City) and Jean M. Ebert, Teacher of Early Childhood Special Education (SE Elementary, Waverly) both effective at the end of the 2008-09 school year.
• Motioned approval to hire Lorri Mehmen, Teacher of Mental Disabilities, Severe & Profound (River Hills).
• Approved the second reading of the following board policies:

701.1  Public and Media comment
701.2  Media Coverage of Board Meetings
702.2  Public Complaints
801.1  Information and Technology Services

• Renewed the lease agreement with North Iowa Community Action for the Charles City office.
• Approved a bid for a school bus to serve the AEA 267 instructional programs.
• Approved a renewal agreement with the Iowa School Cash Anticipation Program (ISCAP). Since 1985, the Iowa School Cash Anticipation Program (ISCAP) has allowed Iowa school corporations to pool their temporary cash flow borrowing needs in a safe, cost-effective program. Temporary cash flow deficits for Iowa school corporations happen for a variety of reasons, including uneven distribution of property tax collections. ISCAP allows schools to cooperatively issue warrant certificates to finance cash flow deficits until revenues from property taxes and state foundation aid are received. When ISCAP funds are not being used, they are invested in a guaranteed investment contract.
• Heard a variety of reports from directors and fellow board members.

The Iowa Department of Education released the Class of 2008 graduation rates. Statewide the graduation rate for 2008 is 88.7 percent. Iowa continues to have one of the highest graduate rates in the nation. The dropout rate is less than 3 percent. The 2008 graduation rate is 1.8 percent lower than the 2007 rate of 90.5 percent. The 2008 dropout rate is 0.55 percent higher than the 2007 dropout rate of 2.3 percent.

Some recent reports have provided the number of school dropouts alone and not offered information on the graduation and dropout rates. The adjustment in the two rates is due, in part, to enhancements in Iowa’s data system. The 2008 graduating class is the first group of students to have a statewide identification number for all four years. This has allowed Iowa school districts and the Iowa Department of Education to keep careful accounting of each ninth grader as they progressed through school. The system has provided advancements in determining when a student graduates, even if they moved to a different district in the state during their high school career.

This is part of Iowa’s effort to provide accurate information and to seek improvements to its general data system. The department was recently notified that it has received a federal Statewide Data Systems Program grant for $8.7 million over the next five years. In addition, the department will pursue the more than $250 million available through the stimulus package for educational data systems.

Iowa uses the National Center for Education Statistics’ “leaver rate” to calculate graduation rates. The department has used this rate since 2003. For more information, visit http://www.iowa.gov/educate

The Iowa Department of Education has launched a new Iowa Core Curriculum website at www.corecurriculum.iowa.gov

The purpose of the official Iowa Core Curriculum site is to help Iowa parents and all citizens learn more about the state-wide academic expectations for kindergarten through 12th-grade students.

The website offers a look at the skills and concepts all Iowa students must know under the Iowa Core Curriculum, signed into law by Governor Culver in 2008. This includes concepts and skills in literacy, math, science, social studies, and 21st century learning skills (civic literacy, financial literacy, technology literacy, health literacy, and employability skills). Parents will be able to do customized searches by academic area or by grades.

Superintendents, principals, and other education leaders in Iowa are currently receiving training on how to implement the Iowa Core Curriculum, which must be fully put into practice in high schools by 2012-2013 and in kindergarten through eighth grades by 2014-2015. Iowa’s area education agencies and the Iowa Department of Education have collaborated to provide this training. This cooperation will continue as districts begin to provide professional development directly to teachers on the Iowa Core Curriculum and supportive teaching strategies.

For background information on the Iowa Core Curriculum, please visit the Iowa Department of Education’s website at www.iowa.gov/educate and click on “Iowa Core Curriculum” on the left-hand side of the page.

The Iowa Department of Education has launched Intersect, a new web site providing research on education issues based on Iowa-specific information. Intersect can be found at http://intersect.iowa.gov.

The research is conducted by Iowa Department of Education analysts to help educators make informed decisions. The primary research is not peer-reviewed, but is based on the work conducted by the department to study variables affecting education in Iowa.

Data is part of Iowa’s history in education. For more than a decade, the department has collected information about Iowa schools. It provides multiple reports to the public on topics such as student performance on statewide tests, enrollment numbers, graduation rates and more. With Intersect, the data are analyzed to become truly informative; revealing trends and unveiling critical elements to answers. Current research papers on the site include:

District Characteristics: What Factors Impact Student Achievement?
The Relation Between District Size And Student Achievement: Summary
Iowa’s Growth Model Incorporated Into Decisions About Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

There is now an easier, faster and more convenient way to submit simple print and production requests. Simply go to the agency website and choose the Print and Production icon. On the Print and Production web page, click on the Online Print Request link located under Resources. Complete the online form, upload your original PDF document and submit the form. Information and Technology Services staff will complete your order and send it to you via van mail.

Dates for the AEA 267 spring retirement celebrations have been set. Make plans to attend and show your support for retiring colleagues. (A list of retirees will be published in the May Intersections.)

May 18–Clear Lake

May 19– Marshalltown

May 20–Cedar Falls

All celebrations will be held from 3:30-5 p.m. in the conference center of each location.

On Thursday, April 9 at 2:30 p.m. the public is invited to a “grand event” showcasing a partnership between AEA 267, Iowa Valley Community College Nursing Program, local schools, and Carrington Place in Toledo. The event will present success stories of local students who received a jump start on their education through a special collaborative program. For more information, contact Lorna Kennedy, Consultant for Career and Technical Education at 641-844-2478.

A variety of AEA 267 team members have been diligently preparing for the Department of Education (DE) accreditation site visit, which begins March 10-11. The accreditation site visit team, consisting of both DE and local district staff members, will hear an opening presentation by Administrative Cabinet members and begin an extensive document review. Video of the presentation will be made available via the agency website following the presentation.