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Contents
Based on educator feedback, we understand the need to offer the Volume 2 (Units 5-8) LETRS for Educators option. In response to the feedback we have received, we adjusted our contract with Lexia and will add a Volume 2 (Units 5-8) LETRS for Educators enrollment option.
Any educator or building that has or will complete Volume 1 (Units 1-4) independently or with another entity (meaning that the Volume 1 posttest has been completed) can enroll in Iowa Department of Education’s LETRS for Educators Volume 2 and complete the course. To enroll, visit the LETRS website and register as an individual or as a building. When you click on the registration option (individual or building), you will have the additional option to choose Volume 2 (Units 5-8) only.
We are currently accepting applications for window three. Participants will receive their manuals and online access, including participants who have designated the Volume 2 only option, in August.
Please reach out with questions or additional feedback by emailing ialetrs@iowa.gov.
You can help us find Iowa’s next Teacher of the Year! The Iowa Department of Education is now accepting nominations for the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year through April 16. Anyone can submit a nomination for an outstanding Iowa teacher for this prestigious honor.
From your nominations, nine semi-finalists will be selected as Regional Teachers of the Year, with one being named as the 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year.
Learn more about the Iowa Teacher of the Year award and submit your nomination today!
Nomination Form: 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year Nominations
Public comment is now being collected through May 7, 2024, for the proposed State Determined Levels of Performance for academic years 2024-29. Iowans interested in providing feedback are invited to review the Draft Iowa Perkins V Accountability for Continuation of State Plan.
Feedback can be submitted by email to cte@iowa.gov or via USPS mail to the Iowa Department of Education, Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness, 400 E 14th St, Des Moines, IA 50319.
The Bureau of Iowa College started receiving processed FAFSA and ISIR data from the U.S. Department of Education in mid-March following the department’s delays in releasing the 2024-25 FAFSA.
Iowa College Aid staff is currently working to process and format this data in anticipation of delivering FAFSA Completion Reports to Iowa high schools in the coming weeks.
Last year, more than 360 schools received the weekly FAFSA reports that allow school staff to view their school's FAFSA completion data and identify students needing assistance and encouragement to complete the FAFSA, or to make corrections to an existing FAFSA application.
Have you registered for the upcoming Iowa Classrooms+Workplaces Summit on April 10? This free learning opportunity will highlight STEM and work-based learning experiences. Register before April 3. Summit sponsored by the Iowa Governor's STEM Advisory Council.
Registration: Iowa Classrooms+Workplaces Summit
Teacher recruitment continues for the 2024 STEM Teacher Externships Summer Program. A signature program of the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education, the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program aims to build bridges between Iowa’s workplaces and STEM educators across the state. This summer professional development experience affords educators the opportunity to engage with real-world projects at local businesses, organizations and other workplaces alongside knowledgeable and skilled professionals. Past educators have said that the STEM Teacher Externships Program is one of the most beneficial professional development opportunities they have experienced.
The intended outcome is to build stronger connections between classrooms and workplaces for enrichments of career-linked learning for students. Currently, there are 100 STEM Teacher Extern opportunities at 75 different workplaces across the state.
While matches are now occurring, it is not too late for STEM teachers to sign up for Summer 2024. Please encourage STEM educators to apply for this great opportunity at www.IowaSTEM.org/externships .
Please follow this link to learn more about the program. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PvzjeJa0yFqCxxrYqKIxl41-k_zqEGTm/view?usp=sharing
ACHIEVE is Iowa’s online system to support implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The Iowa Department of Education developed a family portal, which is designed to improve communication and engagement with families. Through the family portal, parents will have round-the-clock access to their learner's historical information. The family portal will allow parents the ability to view and sign documents electronically, access records for their child as well as view real-time progress on outcomes and goals.
Decisions regarding the functionality and launch of ACHIEVE are made by the ACHIEVE Governance Council (AGC), which is made up of two AEA Special Education Directors, two LEA Special Education Directors and Department of Education staff. Based on feedback from the field, the AGC has decided to launch the family portal in fall 2024. This decision was made in order to align with the start of the school year and ensure sufficient support for successful use of the portal. In preparation, the Department will engage with family members and individuals from LEAs and AEAs to provide feedback and advice regarding the details of the launch.
Iowa will be the first state in the nation to offer families this type of access to their child’s special education information.
The Bureau of Iowa College Aid's Course to College program supports high schools in building a college-going culture through five steps. The five components include; prepare, apply, finance, decide, and go.
Building that college-going culture includes college preparedness through the transition to higher education. High schools that build a strong college-going culture are more likely to have students who pursue postsecondary education.
Registered Course to College schools receive full access to all support that the program provides, including print materials, marketing materials, newsletter, weekly network calls, texting hotline, shared resources, and more.
Please visit our website to learn more about the Course to College program: https://educate.iowa.gov/higher-ed/college-career-prep/course-college
If you have questions regarding the program, its benefits, or commitments, please contact Danielle Sampson at Iowa College Aid: danielle.sampson@iowa.gov.
Once a student has met proficiency requirements, institutions may not place restrictions on participation in Senior Year Plus (SYP) programming beyond that which is specified in statute or administrative rule. For example, a school district may not require students to exhaust the school district curriculum prior to enrollment in SYP courses or place restrictions on the number of credits a student is eligible to enroll. A school district may also not deny an eligible student from participating in concurrent enrollment courses during the school year even if the courses occur before, during, or after school, including winter sessions.
In addition, there should not be any restrictions placed on the number of credits that a student can take. Prior to 2020, the cap on SYP credits was 23 credits per academic year at any one postsecondary institution. However, legislation in 2020 eliminated this limit on credits.
For additional information, please contact Heather Meissen, Senior Year Plus contact, at heather.meissen@iowa.gov
Is your high school planning a Senior Decision Day? It’s time to start planning for one of the most exciting and memorable events in a student's senior year, the time when they get to share and be celebrated for their decision to commit to grow as a productive citizen of their community by entering the world of academia, employment, military, or apprenticeship.
As you start to plan your event, communicate with the Bureau of Iowa College Aid on your event plans, such as date, time, and location. We would like to come to your event and celebrate with you and your students. Please complete this form about your Decision Day Event and your interest in our attendance.
An application deadline is approaching for several scholarship and grant programs administered by the Bureau of Iowa College Aid (Iowa College Aid). Most state financial aid programs have a traditional FAFSA filing deadline of July 1 prior to the corresponding academic year. All scholarship/grant programs administered by Iowa College Aid require completion of the FAFSA; several require completion of the Iowa Financial Aid Application as well (i.e. National Guard Service Scholarship, Education Training Voucher). More information on these programs and their deadlines can be found here.
The annual upload for the Secondary Career and Technical Reporting Application (SCTERA) Spring Collection (student data) runs from Monday, April 1, 2024, through EOB Friday, June 14, 2024.
Districts should reference the Secondary CTE Reporting Application Directions for detailed instructions, as well as the SCTERA Spring Collection Webinar PowerPoint and SCTERA Spring Collection Webinar Recording, which thoroughly covers the process.
If you have questions, contact Jeffrey Fletcher or 515-321-7309.
Question: Can Gifted and Talented categorical funds pay for assessments specifically used to identify students for the gifted and talented program?
Answer: The purpose of the gifted and talented funding described in Iowa Code section 257.46 is to provide for identified gifted students’ needs beyond those provided by the regular school program pursuant to each gifted student’s individualized plan. The funding shall be used only for expenditures that are directly related to providing the gifted and talented program.
Gifted and talented funds cannot be used to pay for assessments to identify students if said test is being used as a universal screener. In this case, all students in that grade level are being tested, and therefore, the cost should be paid from a district’s general fund. Using funds to pay for the cost of testing is inappropriate as it is not directly related to providing the gifted and talented program beyond the scope of the regular classroom.
Gifted and talented funds can be used if the assessment is being used to confirm a suspected gifted student or group of students (Example: A district uses the CogAT screener for all 2nd graders. Based on those scores, a small population of students are suspected to qualify for the gifted and talented program and are given the post-screener CogAT assessment. Gifted and talented funds would not be used to pay for the screener, but may be used to pay for the CogAT for the smaller population of students).
Gifted and talented funds can be used if the assessment is being used to affirm or confirm an already identified student (Example: A district uses the CogAT as a universal screener for all 2nd graders and also to test a handful of identified 5th grade students to reconfirm their gifted identification. Gifted and talented funds would not be used to pay for the 2nd grade tests, but may be used to pay for the 5th grade tests).
Additional questions? Contact Molly McConnell, molly.mcconnell@iowa.gov.
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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