In an effort to increase paraeducator and teacher pipelines, the Iowa Department of Education has awarded a total of $145,000 in six competitive grants. Recipients include Upper Iowa University, Prairie Lakes Area Education Agency, Great Prairie Area Education Agency, Northwest Area Education Agency, Indian Hills Community College and Hawkeye Community College.

This grant enables current paraeducators to take the coursework necessary to earn a paraeducator certification in high-need areas and supports the recruitment and retention of effective educators in Iowa.

Thanks to Department staff – Kelly Faga, Jeffrey Fletcher, Lora Rasey, Isbelia Arzola, Maryam Rod Szabo, Jillian Dotson and Amy Gieseke – who collaborated on this grant opportunity.

Questions regarding the paraeducator grant can be directed to Kelly Faga at kelly.faga@iowa.gov or 515-205-4697.

Pathway Pillars in Practice is a bi-semester series of webinars that create communities of practice around specific topics related to one of the four pillars of Guided Pathways. To increase participation, webinar sessions are held over the lunch hour, and anyone is invited to join in the discussion. Each topic will be presented by the Iowa Department of Education as well as one of the 15 community college districts.

The next Pathway Pillars in Practice will be held on Wednesday, April 5 at 12 p.m. on the topic of program maps. Kelly Friesleben, education program consultant in the Bureau of Community Colleges, will share information on program maps with examples from community colleges across the nation. Kirkwood Community College will also share information on how they implemented program maps this past fall and the review process and changes they have been discussing throughout the academic year, which includes incorporation of non-credit and concurrent enrollment courses and plans for future advisor training.  

Register for this webinar today and join in the discussion on April 5!

For more information, contact Kelly Friesleben, education program consultant, at kelly.friesleben@iowa.gov or 515-868-2847.

In only their first year out of high school, Southwestern Community College students Osten Blevins and Aiden Evans are already set to graduate with their respective associate degrees this May. How is this possible, you ask? Easy. It’s a combination of individual hard work, ambitious career pathways and opportunities provided through Iowa’s top-notch concurrent enrollment program.

Simply put, concurrent enrollment allows students to enroll in college-level courses while still in high school and earn both college and high school credits simultaneously.

Blevins, 19, started taking electrical technology courses from Southwestern Community College (SWCC) during his junior year at Clarke High School in Osceola. 

"I wanted to do something hands-on," he said. "Sitting in a classroom or office is not my forte. Taking the electrical technology courses weren't just lectures from a book. They were hands-on, with one-on-one time with instructors, and turned out to be something I really liked." 

Opportunities to earn college credit while still in high school can help students explore potential career paths and expedite their pursuits toward industry credentials, a diploma or degree. Additionally, high school students participating in concurrent enrollment courses can get accustomed to the rigor and expectations at the college level, which can encourage them to enroll in further higher education and training after graduation. The best part of all of this is that students are able to experience concurrent enrollment and its benefits for free.

Each year, the Iowa Department of Education, in conjunction with Iowa College Aid and Iowa Workforce Development, evaluates programs at Iowa community colleges for eligibility for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship.

The 2023-24 eligible programs have been finalized and over 600 programs at 15 community colleges are considered high-demand. To qualify for the scholarship, students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and enroll in an eligible program of study. 

Awards for Last-Dollar Scholarship in the 2023-24 academic year will be authorized after appropriations for the upcoming academic year have been enacted. Programs are evaluated each year based on shortages identified by Iowa Workforce Development, and eligible college programs must be two years in length or less. The directory of eligible programs can be found at the Future Ready Iowa's website. 

Leading the nation in the effort, the Iowa Department of Education annually collects a comprehensive database of noncredit programs and courses offered by Iowa community colleges. The database is used for a variety of purposes, including demonstrating the outcomes of noncredit training program participants.

This allows for alignment of noncredit credentials with traditional credit credentials and provides a meaningful comparison of student achievements after graduation, on both the credit and noncredit sides of college educational offerings.

The collection is conducted through a web-based secure system, known as WebMIS. Fine-tuning of the automated data validation system for that collection has been finalized, and new validation rules will be transferred to the active system by the end of March. The newly introduced data validation system will allow for faster, more reliable processes of noncredit program and course data submission, including real-time, detailed feedback for the colleges.

The Department plans to work in partnership with community colleges on noncredit data reporting issues with the help of the pre-reported noncredit program and course master. The Department will work to align reported noncredit enrollments with the courses and programs of their study, report in standard, well-defined categories and provide completion tracking of noncredit students to further post-secondary enrollment or employment in high-demand occupations.

For more information, contact Administrative Consultant Vladimir Bassis at Vladimir.bassis@iowa.gov or 515-281-3671, Education Program Consultant Lisa Gard at lisa.gard@iowa.gov or 515-418-3156 or Education Program Consultant Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378.

The State of Iowa Curriculum System (STICS) has been serving as the curriculum database and program approval system for over a year and approves post-secondary career and technical education (CTE) and arts and science courses and programs at Iowa’s 15 community colleges. The system is also being used for the storage of the Iowa community college course number system.

Since the inception of STICS, there have been 18 new CTE programs and 33 new transfer major programs approved in the system. Based on feedback from community college curriculum personnel and Department staff, several updates are currently being added to STICS to enhance user experience.

Upcoming enhancements will allow community college users to embed work-based learning components into CTE programs, select specific discipline framework courses in transfer majors, include more specific information about terms in a program (e.g. summer semester), update program titles and add prerequisites and co-requisites to courses.

Department users will also find improved functionality to data validation, more flexibility with system configuration and enhancements to downloads and reports. Enhancements are scheduled to go live in STICS in the next few weeks.

The website for STICS can be accessed at https://www.iowastics.com.

For more information about post-secondary course and program approvals and additional training opportunities, contact Heather Meissen, education program consultant at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or 515-326-5378. 

The latest data and information on career and technical education in Iowa has been released in an annual report by the Iowa Department of Education.

The 2023 Annual Condition of Secondary Career and Technical Education (CTE) report features an analysis of CTE programming during the 2021-22 academic year. Trends over the past five years in secondary CTE courses and programs, enrollment, student characteristics and instructor demographics have been detailed in the report. This annual update also offers an overview of career and technical student organizations, career and academic plans, work-based learning and regional centers.

“Career and technical education remains strong in Iowa schools,” said Dennis Harden, CTE bureau chief at the Iowa Department of Education. “CTE programs are providing students with opportunities to explore and pursue potential college and career pathways in high-demand job areas.”

Information provided in the report helps align House File 2392, a policy framework to provide equitable access to secondary CTE programs, and the implementation of the Perkins V State Plan, which is committed to providing all students with real-world learning experiences.

Notable 2021-22 data highlights can be found on the Department's website. Questions regarding the report can be directed to Dennis Harden, CTE bureau chief at dennis.harden@iowa.gov or 515-314-7852

The annual Iowa Work-Based Learning Coordinators Conference will be held on April 4 at the Prairie Meadows Conference Center in Altoona, Iowa.

Coordinated by Iowa Work-Based Learning, the conference will feature national speaker Josh Davies from The Center for Work Ethic Development during the keynote session. The Department’s work-based learning consultant, Kristy Volesky, will also help kick off the conference with opening remarks.

The conference is a great opportunity for work-based learning coordinators, educators, instructors, counselors and administrators to learn best practices with implementing work-based learning in schools and colleges.

Sessions offer opportunities for resource sharing and collaboration to improve work-based learning experiences for students.

Registration for the conference closes on March 31. For more information on the upcoming conference or Iowa's work-based learning programs, contact Kristy Volesky at kristy.volesky@iowa.gov or 515-971-0669.