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Iowa’s updated state plan for school accountability and support under the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has been approved by the U.S. Department of Education as submitted, unifying Iowa’s school accountability systems. Iowa’s updated plan builds upon bold education improvement efforts underway to focus resources on the classroom and what has the greatest impact on student achievement and growth.
The accountability system utilizes a streamlined set of core indicators including proficiency results in English language arts, mathematics, and science, student academic growth, chronic absenteeism, graduation rates, and postsecondary readiness. The updates to the approved accountability system provide consistently rigorous, reliable, and fair school ratings that are easily understood by the families, educators, communities, and taxpayers.
Please contact Information and Analysis Services Bureau Chief Jay Pennington at jay.pennington@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department released new spring 2024 assessment results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress (ISASP) for students in grades 3-11. State-level results from the spring 2024 ISASP show student achievement reaching or exceeding pre-pandemic levels across most grade levels in both English language arts and mathematics. Significant proficiency gaps remain among students with disabilities and students who are English language learners.
The spring 2023-24 ISASP state-level results, which include graphs and charts, as well as district-level data, can be found on the Department’s Education Statistics webpage.
Please contact Information and Analysis Services Bureau Chief Jay Pennington at jay.pennington@iowa.gov with questions.
The Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, commonly referred to as Perkins V, provides federal support for career and technical education (CTE) programs. Iowa receives nearly $13.9 million annually in federal funds to support secondary and postsecondary CTE programs delivered through public school districts and community colleges. The Iowa Department of Education’s 2020 Perkins State plan extends through the 2024-25 school year, and an updated state plan must be submitted to and approved by the U.S. Department of Education before the 2025-26 school year.
The Department is reviewing initial stakeholder feedback on work-based learning, industry-recognized credentials, career and technical student organizations, concurrent enrollment and career academies, and the CTE teacher pipeline, as well as Iowa’s latest Perkins data and state CTE data. Similar to the ESSA state plan revision process, the Department will propose revisions based on initial feedback, make additional revisions based on public comment sessions, and then conduct a statewide survey for final input prior to submission to the U.S. Department of Education.
Please contact Section Chief Dennis Harden at dennis.harden@iowa.gov and Administrative Consultant Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov with initial feedback or questions.
Director Snow announced that Iowa K-12 art classes can help determine the future design of the state’s specialized education license plate in a new statewide contest for students.
The Department’s introductory video kicks off the Iowa Education License Plate Contest and invites art teachers to submit up to 10 student plate designs for consideration. The Department is also seeking art teachers to serve as volunteer contest adjudicators to help review license plate artwork submissions.
Full contest details, including an art worksheet, consent and release form and specific timelines, can be found on the Department’s website. Submissions are due by December 1, 2024.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Kris Versteegt at kris.versteegt@iowa.gov with questions.
Iowa answered a nationwide challenge to improve student attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism across the state by 50 percent over five years.
In 2018-2019, 12.7 percent of Iowa students were chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism reached 25.6% in 2021-2022 and is down four percentage points over the past two years at 21.6% in 2023-2024. Iowa aims to support school communities in removing barriers to school attendance, including health, safety, housing security, other basic needs, and transportation.
Building on the hard work of students, families, educators, and community partners to prioritize attendance, Iowa joins Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, Washington, and West Virginia in this commitment.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Sarah Seney at sarah.seney@iowa.gov with questions.
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Advised by the feedback of the Department’s Chronic Absenteeism Work Group and to further support schools in implementing Senate File 2435, the Department provided a Absenteeism Prevention Plan sample template and completed sample plan. The Department also provided Senate File 2435: Chronic Absenteeism FAQs, in addition to the SF2435 Summary for Schools and 2024-25 Attendance Coding technical assistance document provided in early August.
The Absenteeism Prevention Plan sample template includes student information, engagement information, attendance and academic history, barriers to school attendance, absence intervention plan including legislatively required weekly parent/guardian contact, implementation details, and signatures of attendees. The Absenteeism Prevention Plan completed sample plan uses a hypothetical student’s information to provide an example of how the template could be used. School districts and schools may use or adapt these templates to meet the Senate File 2435 legislative requirements regarding absenteeism prevention plans.
Senate File 2435: Chronic Absenteeism FAQs includes questions and answers regarding attendance exemptions, attendance coding, notices and communications with parents/guardians, school engagement meetings and absenteeism prevention plans, truancy and engagement with county attorney offices, and school accountability.
Please note that all five of these technical assistance documents provided by the Department are advisory in nature and are provided at the request of education stakeholders to support school districts in meeting their statutory requirements.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Greg Feldmann at greg.feldmann@iowa.gov or Administrative Consultant Sarah Seney at sarah.seney@iowa.gov with questions.
To further support schools in implementing House File 2618, the Department provided House File 2618: Section 2: Early Literacy Implementation FAQs, which includes questions regarding the determination of reading proficiently, personalized reading plans, and parent/guardian written notice and retention. These FAQs are in addition to the Model Personalized Reading Plan provided by the Department to schools this summer. The Model Personalized Reading Plan is intended to support instructional best practices. Although voluntary, use of this Model Personalized Reading Plan complies with the requirements in House File 2618.
Please note that both of these technical assistance documents provided by the Department are advisory in nature and are provided at the request of education stakeholders to support school districts in meeting their statutory requirements.
Please contact Administrative Consultant, Greg Feldmann at greg.feldmann@iowa.gov or Dyslexia/Literacy Consultant, Wanda Steuri at wanda.steuri@iowa.gov with questions.
To further support schools in implementing Senate File 2411, the Department provided a Work-Based Learning Definition and Reporting one-pager with the new work-based learning definition, which is distinct from career exploration and career-connected learning, and reporting requirements for the 2024-25 academic year. Additional resources are on the Department’s Work-Based Learning webpage.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Joe Collins at joe.collins@iowa.gov with questions.
House File 2465 allows instruction for students enrolled in grades 9-12 related to agriculture to meet a portion of the unit requirements related to science and allows instruction related to applied sciences, technology, engineering or manufacturing to meet a portion of the unit requirements related to mathematics. To further support schools in implementing House File 2465, the Department provided HF 2465 Technical Assistance for Reporting, which provides information regarding SCED codes to use for reporting purposes as well as SRI reporting, CTE educator endorsement requirements and concurrent enrollment considerations.
Please contact Education Programs Consultants Alan Spencer (Ag) alan.spencer@iowa.gov or Cale Hutchings (Applied Sciences) cale.hutchings@iowa.gov with questions.
Per the HF 2278 technical assistance documents provided in June, a receiving school district may send vehicles two miles into the resident school district if the receiving district meets the criteria in one of the following options:
- Option 1: Both the resident and receiving district school boards agree to a transportation arrangement.
- Option 2: The receiving district’s total enrollment is less than 2,000 students and the student’s primary residence is closer to the attendance center in the receiving district than the attendance center in the resident district.
- Option 3: The receiving district’s total enrollment is greater than 2,000 students and meets all of the following criteria:
- The total enrollment of the student’s resident district is less than 2,000 students;
- The student’s resident district is contiguous to the receiving district; and
- The student’s resident school district has sent school vehicles into the receiving district pursuant to option 2
Parents/guardians continue to be responsible for transportation if neither district elects to provide transportation for students who are open enrolled in or out of a district. Transportation assistance may be available if a parent/guardian meets all of the following criteria:
- If the resident and receiving district are contiguous;
- If the parent/guardian’s income meets the economic eligibility requirements; and
- The parent/guardian is not utilizing any transportation provided within the receiving district.
Please see the Department’s open enrollment resources, including the Open Enrollment Handbook and Open Enrollment Transportation Assistance technical assistance documents, available on the Department’s Transportation Assistance webpage.
Please contact School Improvement Consultant Sara Nickel at sara.nickel@iowa.gov with questions.
The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Workforce Development are hosting a new, statewide webinar series to support schools in connecting to employers and expanding work-based learning opportunities.
Additionally, Iowa Workforce Development is supporting schools in registering their Quality Pre-Apprenticeship (QPA) programs with the Iowa Office of Apprenticeship by providing certificates of completion. Visit Iowa Workforce Development’s website to learn more and sign up today.
Please contact CTE and Postsecondary Readiness Consultant Joe Collins at joe.collins@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department’s preschool team is holding virtual office hours via zoom twice a month to address topics and questions from the field related to the IQPPS Desk Audits, which opened September 15. Information will be shared at the beginning of each Zoom session with the bulk of the time reserved for questions from participants.
Sessions will be held the second Tuesday of each month at 1 p.m. and the fourth Tuesday of each month at 8:30 a.m. The first session of the month will be devoted to supporting administrators in completing the IQPPS Desk Audit; the second session will focus on timely preschool topics. Those interested can join the office hours via Zoom using this Zoom link.
Please contact Early Childhood Administrative Consultant Mary Breyfogle at mary.breyfogle@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Department will be reopening applications for the Credentials to Child Care Careers (C4) Grant, providing a second round of awards to approved applications to support Family and Consumer Science CTE programs in aligning to the attainment of a child care industry-recognized credential.
The $1 million Credentials to Child Care Careers grant program supports school districts in:
- Preparing students for success in postsecondary education and in-demand careers through attainment of a Child Development Associate;
- Recruiting and retaining an early childhood workforce that is of and for local communities; and
- Expanding access to high-quality child care, supporting working families and students and teachers who are parents of young children.
There are different grant models based on the community’s needs and existing landscape, which include supporting partnerships with community-based child care centers and growing child care centers at the school district. Additional information regarding the grant opportunity is available on the Department’s website.
Please contact Early Childhood Bureau Chief Kimberly Villotti at kimberly.villotti@iowa.gov with questions.
Registration for Round 5 of LETRS is open through November 22, and participants will start their course in January 2025. Districts and nonpublic schools are encouraged to consider full implementation to best improve instructional effectiveness and accelerate reading. In addition to all PK-5 elementary teachers, middle school special education educators and interventionists, curriculum directors, district administrators, and college preparation professors can sign up now.
To sign up for the different LETRS offerings, please use the following links:
Please contact IALETRS@iowa.gov with questions.
Following the Department’s statewide expansion in August, over 150 school districts across Iowa have already signed up for EPS Reading Assistant, a personalized reading tutor that provides reading practice and in-the-moment tutoring. It uses safe, effective artificial intelligence (AI) to listen, assess, and tutor students in foundational reading skills, based on each student’s zone of proximal development. As students read aloud, a digital avatar named Amira listens, assesses, and intervenes when they struggle, providing corrective feedback and encouraging support.
Please visit Iowa Reading Assistant Sign-Up | EPS Learning or contact Elementary Literacy Consultant April Gosselink-Lemke at april.gosselink-lemke@iowa.gov with questions.
As a reminder, Governor Reynolds directed the Department to restore the Teach Iowa platform in partnership with leaders in the Iowa General Assembly. Teach Iowa provides employers with access to a pool of potential candidates who have made their resumes and application information available and provides applicants the ability to search jobs based on proximity, location, endorsement/authorization area(s), grade level(s), and more.
Schools interested in using this optional platform to post positions, recruit high-quality candidates, and track applicants must complete the Teach Iowa District Registration Form.
Please contact Teach Iowa Consultant Lora Rasey at lora.rasey@iowa.gov with questions.
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Verification is confirmation of eligibility for free and reduced price meals under the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) requires verification based on a school’s sample size as of October 1st each school year and the verification process must be completed by November 15.
Additionally, the USDA requires all School Food Authorities (SFAs), including SFAs that are not required to conduct verification, to complete the Verification Collection Report. The Verification Collection Report is due in IowaCNP by December 6. IowaCNP is the Bureau of Nutrition and Health Services Child Nutrition Program data system for reporting and claiming. A webinar on how to complete the Verification Collection Report for all SFAs is October 14.
Please contact School Nutrition Consultant Meredith Vrchoticky at meredith.vrchoticky@iowa.gov or Nutrition and Health Services Administrative Consultant Patti Harding at patti.harding@iowa.gov with questions.
House File 2652 requires school districts to submit their emergency operation plans to specified law enforcement entities, including the Governor’s School Safety Bureau and the Iowa State Patrol in the Iowa Department of Public Safety. Please meet this requirement by submitting your emergency operation plans to the Iowa Department of Public Safety at schoolsafety@dps.state.ia.us. Your plans will be securely stored and will only be accessed in the event of an emergency.
School districts are also required to submit their emergency operations plans to the local sheriff’s office and/or police department. If a school district's boundaries include multiple counties or service is provided to schools by multiple local police departments, the plans should be shared accordingly.
Emergency operation plans are confidential and are not public records under Iowa Code Chapter 22. The Department and the Governor’s School Safety Bureau recommend school districts place a confidential warning on emergency operation plans to prevent accidental disclosure.
Please contact Governor’s School Safety Bureau Chief and Special Agent in Charge Matt Anderson at mranderson@dps.state.ia.us with questions.
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 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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