|
March 9 (12PM-1 PM) – Research Lunch Series
The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health will host a lunch series featuring experts engaged in school mental health research. The first talk will be delivered by a team of researchers and a school practitioner, Drs. Jared Izumi and Jamie Elizalde from the University of Iowa, and Coreen Frank from Iowa City School District, respectively. They will talk about their work engaged in dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) for Iowa youth. The final talk will feature Dr. Jonathan Templin discussing assessment literacy. Join us in-person on the University of Iowa campus or via Zoom. RSVP link https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3dArFK4vehy58Ca
April 13th (12PM-1 PM) – Research Lunch Series
The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health (SCSMH) will host the final research lunch series event for the academic year. Three experts will deliver 15-minute talks about their work engaged in school mental health research. First, Dr. Seth King will talk about training staff to use function-based behavior interventions using virtual reality. Second, Dr. Yanchen Zhang will talk about the pre-implementation on enhancement strategies to promote educators’ intentions to implement evidence-based practices to improve student behaviors. Finally, Dr. Derek Rodgers will provide an overview of SCSMH research projects, with a deep dive into a mindfulness intervention in Iowa schools. Join us in-person on the University of Iowa campus or via Zoom. RSVP link: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bPc5uB7mV6yg3oW
May 4th (12PM-1 PM) – National Mental Health Speaker
The Scanlan Center for School Mental Health is hosting a virtual talk by Dr. Steven Kilgus. Dr. Kilgus is an Associate Professor in School Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and co-director of the School Mental Health Collaborative. He will talk for one hour about developing evidence-based assessment procedures and universal screeners. Join us in-person on the University of Iowa campus or via Zoom. RSVP link: https://uiowa.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2ugbUbwHphHSrtA
The Iowa Department of Education (Department) has received numerous questions and comments regarding the provision of textbooks for concurrent enrollment courses. If the school district is responsible for providing textbooks for a concurrent enrollment course, the expectation is that textbooks are provided to students enrolled in the concurrent enrollment course consistent with the district's established textbook policy, and in the same manner as the district provides textbooks for all students of the district (Iowa Code chapter 301).
If the district charges an annual textbook rental fee to all students, that established fee covers all textbooks for all courses (high school credit only and concurrent enrollment). If the district charges no fee for textbooks, then no fee may be charged to students for concurrent enrollment textbooks. Only if a district’s policy is to charge on a book-by-book basis to all students, for all courses, can a district charge a textbook fee for each concurrent enrollment course.
It would not be permissible for a district to establish a separate textbook policy specific to concurrent enrollment courses which may require a student to purchase textbooks for their concurrent enrollment courses. Doing so would be setting additional restrictions on participation in the course (281 IAC 22.4(1)(h)), as well as equate to charging tuition (281 IAC 22.11(6)), both of which are expressly prohibited in state law.
Please note the following:
1. This applies to all instructional delivery methods (taught in the high school; online; on-campus; through a career academy).
2. There would be nothing preventing the student from purchasing the textbook for the concurrent enrollment course if they wanted to keep it, but requiring the student to purchase the book would equate to charging tuition, which is not permissible.
Refer to additional information on page 27 of the Senior Year Plus guide.
For questions or comments, contact Jen Rathje, Senior Year Plus at 515-326-5389, or Scott Dryer, School Finance at 515-402-8700.
A new resource was added to the Department's Work-Based Learning website to support local work-based learning expansion. Use this three step process, which is outlined on the website, to guide decisions on expanding work-based learning experiences.
Connect with Work-Based Learning Consultant Kristy Volesky or 515-971-0669 for individualized district support on work-based learning.
Districts that are considering changing a collaboration agreement with a preschool community partner, including Head Start, or making changes to the locations where preschool programming is being provided, will need to consider how this could affect preschoolers receiving special education services. The district must convene meetings with all Individualized Education Plan (IEP) teams of the learners affected. It is the role and responsibility of the IEP team to discuss how the change will impact an individual learner’s services and special education placement.
Additionally, the amount of time a preschool learner with an IEP attends preschool must be considered individually and cannot be pre-determined by the District’s chosen preschool schedule. For example, a District that chooses to provide 10 hours a week of preschool for general education (ex. Statewide Voluntary Preschool Plan (SWVPP), 3-year old preschool, etc.), cannot require all preschool learners with an IEP attend the same amount of time. The IEP team may determine that an individual learner requires more than 10 hours per week in order to receive a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (34 C.F.R. § 300.116) and Iowa Administrative Code (Chapter 41).
A final consideration is in regards to funding for instructional IEPs. Districts receive 1.0 general education funding, plus special education weighted dollars to support all preschoolers with instructional IEPs. This can be used to provide up to a full-time preschool program as determined by the IEP team. If a preschool learner with an IEP attends for less than 20 hours per week, the learner is considered part-time and the district receives half the amount of the special education weighted dollars; however, the learner will still generate the 1.0 general education funding.
For more information, contact Administrative Consultant, Betsy Lin.
Save the date for the conference Teaching for Impact: Training for all Educators Supporting Learners with Disabilities, which will be held in Des Moines June 13-14, 2023.
Teaching for Impact training is for educators to develop and expand knowledge and skills related to the education of learners with disabilities, from birth to age 21. Training will be centered around career readiness, early childhood, leadership, literacy, mathematics and learning supports for student success. Emphasis will be placed on integrating information into practice across a variety of educational settings.
Sessions will include examples of the content in practice, as well as suggestions for classroom application. Participants will have the opportunity to share emerging ideas and network.
School administrators; building leadership teams; Early ACCESS providers and service coordinators; educators and providers from early childhood to high school, Area Education Agency professionals and higher education faculty supporting pre-service educators and providers, will all benefit from the training.
This training event is sponsored by the Iowa Department of Education and the Iowa AEAs.
Registration will open soon. Contact Nancy Hunt for further details.
It is the policy of the Iowa Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, political party affiliation, or actual or potential parental, family or marital status in its programs, activities, or employment practices as required by the Iowa Code sections 216.9 and 256.10(2), Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. § 2000d2000e), the Equal Pay Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. § 206, et seq.), Title IX (Educational Amendments, 20 U.S.C.§§ 1681 – 1688), Section 504 (Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. § 794), and the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 U.S.C. § 12101, et seq.). If you have questions or complaints related to compliance with this policy by the Iowa Department of Education, please contact the legal counsel for the Iowa Department of Education, Grimes State Office Building, 400 E. 14th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319-0146, telephone number: 515-281-5295, or the Director of the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, John C. Kluczynski Federal Building, 230 S. Dearborn Street, 37th Floor, Chicago, IL 60604-7204, telephone number: 312-730-1560, FAX number: 312-730-1576, TDD number: 800-877-8339, email: OCR.Chicago@ed.gov
|
