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The Iowa Department of Education is launching a new, intensive professional development opportunity statewide to support evidence-based reading instruction, improve grade-level reading proficiency and close achievement gaps across the state. The sustained professional development in the Science of Reading, called LETRS® (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling), is being provided at no cost to K-5 teachers and school administrators.
The spring 2023 assessment results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress show 66 percent of Iowa’s third graders reading at grade level and significant achievement gaps experienced by students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch (51 percent proficient), students with disabilities (25 percent proficient), and students who are English learners (26 percent proficient). To improve grade-level reading proficiency and close achievement gaps, educators participating in LETRS professional development will master the four critical outcomes for effective reading instruction: understanding the Science of Reading, converting research to practice, enhancing teacher effectiveness, and transforming instruction.
Superintendents and their teams are invited to register for one of our live webinars to learn more about this exciting opportunity:
Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 4 p.m.
https://lexialearning.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_V8Am6hrlSnS4YUb1TR18FA
Tuesday, Nov. 28 at 4 p.m.
https://lexialearning.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_7XITv5RvQd6qFBnES9WKnA
Information and interest forms to register for the courses are available at the Iowa LETRS webpage. If you have questions, email IALETRS@iowa.gov.
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A federal judge has given preliminary approval to a settlement between a nationwide class of school districts and a consultancy firm that the school districts allege contributed to the opioid crisis. The settlement will provide $20.3 million to the nation's school districts, in the form of competitive grants "to abate and mitigate the opioid crisis." All Iowa school districts are members of the class. No school district is guaranteed to receive any amount of funds. All funds will be competitively awarded. A school district that wishes to opt out of or object to the settlement has until January 5, 2024, to do so. If the settlement is approved, information on the competitive grant process will be made available at a later date. For more information, visit the court-approved website (McKinseySchoolDistrictOpioidSettlement.com) or consult with your district's attorney.
The annual upload for the Secondary Career and Technical Reporting Application (SCTERA) courses in a program begins Tuesday, January 2, 2024, and is to be completed by Friday, February 2, 2024. The first step is submitting a 100% complete and finished 2023-24 Student Reporting in Iowa (SRI) file, then following the Secondary CTE Reporting Application Handbook. SRI cannot be certified until SCTERA is completed.
The Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness will be holding two virtual ZOOM training webinars to walk through the steps on how to complete the report. These training webinars will be held:
- Dec. 20, 10 to 11 a.m.
- Jan. 3, 3 to 4 p.m.
Drop-in office hours will be held:
Also refer to the following resource for how to accurately report your work-based learning courses in your Winter SRI file upload: Reporting District Work-Based Learning (Perkins V WBL Indicator SCED Codes Guidance)
The first Iowa Agriculture Education Summit will be held Jan. 21-23 at the Des Moines Area Community College’s FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny. All secondary and postsecondary agriculture instructors are encouraged to attend. Registration is free for all attendees and will be available in early November.
This event is sponsored by the Iowa FFA Foundation and other partners. All participants will hear more about “Transformative Learning” and how agriculture education can use FFA and Supervised Agricultural Experiences (SAE) to ensure students are future-ready within the Iowa agricultural industry. The Iowa Agriculture Education Summit replaces the six regional agriculture education fall district inservice meetings typically held in September.
Email Matthew Eddy with questions.
Visit and subscribe to the Annual Notices and Deadlines Calendar for a list of state and federal notices and deadlines for all public and nonpublic schools.
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
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