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Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Education (Department) announced yesterday a statewide investment of over $3.5 million to provide every first grade student with two Just Right Reader decodable book packs with ten books each. Students will take home and keep the book packs, reinforcing classroom instruction. In total, more than 100,000 book packs containing over one million books will be sent to all public and accredited nonpublic schools across Iowa this winter. Book packs will be sent directly to schools for distribution to students as soon as the week before winter break. The Department will provide distribution instructions with superintendents to share with district leadership teams and principals.
In addition to all first-grade students, kindergarten through second grade students in need of support who attended a Department-funded high-quality summer reading program or a Learning Beyond the Bell out-of-school program this year will also receive decodable book packs to further advance their reading gains. Book packs will also be sent directly to schools for distribution to students during their programs.
Grounded in the Science of Reading, the decodable book packs are sequential, progressively introducing more complex skills, and are available at multiple reading levels. Each decodable book includes a QR code with access to video lessons for active family engagement. Information about Just Right Reader can be found on the Just Right Reader | Decodable Books + Take-Home Decodable Boxes website.
Please contact Literacy Consultant Leigh Bellville at leigh.bellville@iowa.gov with questions.
Building upon historic teacher pay raises and multiple pathways to teacher licensure, the Department recently announced $8.5 million in competitive grants to support Iowa school districts in developing systems to identify and recognize teachers who significantly accelerate student learning, helping districts attract and retain top teachers. The Teachers Accelerating Learning grant program supports districts providing supplemental pay to teachers for significantly increasing student learning, and the application deadline is January 10, 2025.
In addition to locally determined measures of effectiveness that are objective and transparent, districts must incorporate the Education Visualization and Analytics Solution (EVAAS) growth visualization tool as a core component growth measure from grades 4-8 and participate in state training opportunities focused on using data to support teachers and students. Total district award amounts will vary based on the number of teachers in the district, not to exceed $500,000 a year for each of the 2024-25 and 2025-26 school years. Awarded districts will use the grant funds to provide supplementary pay of up to $2,500 per year to up to the top 10% of teachers within the district.
Please contact Information and Analysis Services Bureau Chief Jay Pennington at jay.pennington@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department has announced nine teachers, representing all areas of the state and different grades and subjects, who have been named as the first-ever Iowa regional Teachers of the Year. From nominations submitted by fellow educators, students, families and the general public, nine regional committees of educational leaders helped select the following 2025 Iowa regional Teachers of the Year:
- Central Rivers regional Teacher of the Year Kevin Gartman, Montezuma Community School District
- Grant Wood regional Teacher of the Year Susie Stark, Cedar Rapids Community School District
- Great Prairie regional Teacher of the Year Samantha Freeman, Mount Pleasant Community School District
- Green Hills regional Teacher of the Year Sarah Stephens, Creston Community School District
- Heartland regional Teacher of the Year Blake Hammond, Des Moines Public Schools
- Keystone regional Teacher of the Year Alyssa Dalsing, Western Dubuque Community School District
- Mississippi Bend regional Teacher of the Year Kaitlin Mahoney, Bettendorf Community School District
- Northwest regional Teacher of the Year Beth Oolman, MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District
- Prairie Lakes regional Teacher of the Year Melanie Bloom, Sioux Central Community School District
Additional information on the Teacher of the Year process, including profiles of each regional Teacher of the Year, is available on the Department’s website. You can join the Department in celebrating these educators by sharing our individual video profiles of each Regional Teacher of the Year on the Department’s YouTube channel and our social media platforms—Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
Please contact Communications Director Heather Doe at heather.doe2@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department is launching a new, first-in-the-nation online tool to enhance engagement and foster collaboration between families and IFSP/IEP teams. The ACHIEVE Family Portal will provide parents, guardians and eligible learners with round-the-clock, direct access to district-uploaded IFSP or IEP information, beginning in February 2025. Portal users may also have the ability to sign documents, access records, and view real-time progress reports on outcomes and goals. You may also review Frequently Asked Questions related to the ACHIEVE Family Portal.
The success of this launch relies upon the accuracy of family contact information in ACHIEVE. Most districts have completed this process; however, there are still approximately 37,000 family contacts who still need to be validated by December 15, 2024. Please check with your district family validation contact.
Please contact Educational Program Consultant Shannon Grundmeier at shannon.grundmeier@iowa.gov with questions.
The U.S. Department of Education opened the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) last week, and Iowa students can now complete it and the Iowa Financial Aid Application. These are the first steps for Iowa students to access state and federal financial aid programs, including federal Pell Grants and Stafford Loans and state Last Dollar Scholarships and Iowa Tuition Grants, among a number of other programs. Iowa College Aid will continue to send weekly completion reports to administrators at all Iowa public high schools and participating non-public high schools beginning in early December 2024 through June 2025.
Please contact Section Chief of Financial Aid and Postsecondary Authorization Todd Brown at todd.brown@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Department has launched an engaging, new special education webinar series available to any administrator with special education responsibilities. The Special Education Policy and Practice webinars will highlight important and emerging special education policies and how to apply them. Webinar participants will also have opportunities to ask specific questions with team members from the Division of Special Education.
The next webinar session is scheduled for December 11 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. and will feature discussion on a shortened school day. The full schedule for the Special Education Policy and Practice webinar series is listed below:
- December 11, 2024
- January 15, 2025
- February 12, 2025
- April 9, 2025
- May 14, 2025
All participants can join the webinars via Zoom using the passcode 431127. Anyone who missed the first session, Considerations for Exiting – One Data Point is Not Enough, on October 30, can access a recording on the Department’s Special Education and Guidance webpage.
Please contact Division Administrators Barb Guy barbara.guy@iowa.gov and Angelisa Fynaardt angelisa.fynaardt@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department and Iowa Workforce Development are continuing to support work-based learning through a series of webinars showcasing the partnerships between schools and employers across Iowa. Special guests will include strategic partners like the Iowa Work-Based Learning Coordinators Association, Iowa Business Council and the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council. Register for upcoming sessions and see recordings of past sessions here, including:
- January 21, 2025 - A Deeper Dive into Starting and Expanding Work-Based Learning
- February 11, 2025 - Using Labor Market Information to Drive Work-Based Learning Decisions
- March 4, 2025 - Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) Work-Based Learning for Students with Disabilities
- April 8, 2025 - Linking Perkins, CTSOs and Other Programs for Sustained Work-Based Learning
Please contact Administrative Consultant for Career and Technical Education Heather Meissen at heather.meissen@iowa.gov or Iowa Workforce Development Business Engagement Liaison Kathy Leggett at kathy.leggett@iwd.iowa.gov with questions.
Registration opened in November 2024 and runs through December 29, 2024 for courses through the Iowa College and Career Readiness Academy. These Iowa-specific online courses are designed for school counselors, teachers, administrators and other college access professionals. Individuals can register as participants at no cost, or they can select an option to earn license renewal or graduate credit.
Please contact Community Engagement Consultant Megan Sibbel at megan.sibbel@iowa.gov with questions.
Informed by superintendent feedback, the Department will implement a new ESEA Title Programs risk assessment process and monitoring protocols this year. The Department maintains regular oversight of grant recipients to assess compliance with state and federal requirements, determine program effectiveness and improvement, and identify information needed for strategic planning. The Department’s monitoring activities ensure that awards are used for authorized purposes and that performance goals are achieved.
The process will occur on a five-year cycle and include a data review of 12 total criteria spanning expenditures, compliance, staffing, size, and performance. Prior year data will be collected from the Consolidated Accountability and Support Application (CASA) or other applicable reports to complete the risk analysis. Upon the conclusion of the risk assessment process, each school district will receive a final report, which includes a summary of the review, recommendations, findings, and required actions (if applicable). There will be a recorded webinar offered in the upcoming weeks to provide an overview of the process and assistance with interpreting the reports.
Please contact Federal Programs Bureau Chief Jillian Dotson at jillian.dotson@iowa.gov with questions.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) authorizations provide a pathway for individuals who have not completed a teacher preparation program, but who have work experience outside of education to teach CTE courses. The CTE cluster endorsement was informed by superintendent feedback and created by recent legislation. It allows individuals with experience across multiple, similar CTE areas to be granted a cluster endorsement to teach all common courses within the cluster areas. For a CTE cluster endorsement, individuals must meet the requirements of at least one CTE authorization content area, and at least 2,000 hours of recent and relevant experience or 9 semester hours each in two additional areas within the cluster endorsement. Combinations of experience and education may be approved by the Department. Cluster areas include Agriculture, Industrial Technology, Business, Family and Consumer Sciences, Health Sciences and Information Solutions. Please find more information about CTE authorizations through the CTE Authorizations and Work-Based Learning factsheet.
Please contact Bureau of Educational Examiners Consultant David Wempen at david.wempen@iowa.gov with questions.
A statewide employment reference form is now available. Iowa Code 256.9 (67) (e) requires school boards, accredited nonpublic schools and charter schools to maintain reference information for their employees and respond to any request for such information from potential employers. The form is available on the Department’s Education Licensure webpage under the Licensure Tips for Administrators quick link.
Please contact Bureau of Educational Examiners Lead Consultant Joanne Tubbs at joanne.tubbs@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department has published Frequently Asked Questions related to 2024 legislation pertaining to educator preparation programs. A summary of changes includes:
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House File 2545: Requires content aligned with the Science of Reading to be included in teacher preparation programs.
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Senate File 2411: Addresses flexibility for student teaching, allowing preparation programs to count qualifying prior work experiences toward student teaching.
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House File 255: Allows Teacher Intern License candidates to serve as the teacher of record when starting an intern program and adds a new Temporary Initial Teaching License allowing other alternative pathways to be offered in Iowa.
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House File 2618: Implements the Foundations of Reading (FoR) elementary literacy testing requirement for related endorsements in Teacher Preparation Programs.
Please contact Administrative Consultant for Educator Quality Maryam Rod Szabo at maryam.rodszabo@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Department is accepting applications for the STEM BEST® (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) Program through December 11, 2024. The STEM BEST® funding opportunity offers schools award amounts up to $40,000 to help educators connect with local industry professionals. The program provides the opportunity for students to work side-by-side with professionals, develop in-demand 21st century skills and better prepare students for exciting STEM careers local to their communities.
Funds can be used to support the launch of a new program or expand an existing one. Awards may be used for a variety of related items including facility upgrades, the purchase of industry-grade equipment, acquiring additional space, travel needs for exploration and costs associated with planning with partners and integrating curriculum into existing courses.
Iowa public and nonpublic schools serving students in grades K-12 are eligible for this competitive grant opportunity. To apply or learn more, visit the Department’s STEM BEST® webpage.
Please contact STEM BEST® Program Coordinator Tanya Hunt at tanya.hunt@iowa.gov or info@iowaSTEM.org with questions.
Nominations are now being accepted for the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) to recognize outstanding achievements in science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) and/or computer science teaching. Administrators, fellow teachers, parents, students or members of the general public are invited to nominate exceptional Iowa STEM educators who are currently teaching grades 7-12 for this award year. Teachers may also apply directly to the PAEMST award program.
Nominations for outstanding secondary teachers will be accepted through January 8, 2025.
Please contact Bureau of Learner Strategies and Supports Consultants Chris Like at chris.like@iowa.gov or April Pforts at april.pforts@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department is facilitating a K–12 art contest to reimagine the artwork of Iowa's education license plate. Help us celebrate students, families, and educators strengthening early literacy, improving student proficiency, pursuing multiple pathways to postsecondary success, and building a strong teacher pipeline. Full details of the contest can be found on the Department’s website. Now, the Department is seeking art and graphic design teachers to assist in the adjudication process for artwork submissions.
Please contact Bureau of Learner Strategies and Supports Consultant Kris Ver Steeg at kris.versteegt@iowa.gov with questions or to indicate interest in being a contest adjudicator.
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The Public School Districts’ Opioid Recovery Trust (“the Trust”) is accepting grant applications through December 15, 2024. The Trust anticipates distributing roughly $25 million in targeted funding to help districts recover from the opioid epidemic through “classroom services, school-based behavioral and mental health supports, instructional innovations, or other district and school-based supports that directly affect students harmed by the opioid epidemic.”
Districts are encouraged to apply for one or more of the three types of grants–district improvement; model programs and best practices; and innovation–each with a maximum value of $500,000.
Visit the Public School District’ Opioid Recovery Trust website to learn more.
The annual window to upload program courses for the Secondary Career and Technical Reporting Application (SCTERA) opens January 2, 2025. The window will close January 29, 2025. Districts must submit their completed 2024-25 Winter Student Reporting in Iowa (SRI) file during this window. SRIs cannot be certified until SCTERA is completed.
Districts should refer to the Department’s CTE Technical Assistance and Career-Connected Learning pages for information on how to accurately report their work-based learning courses in their Winter SRI file upload.
For additional support, the Bureau of Community Colleges and Postsecondary Readiness will hold a training webinar December 18, 2024, from 10:00 am - 11:00 am to support districts in completing their report. Register to attend. For dedicated SCTERA assistance, please utilize the SCTERA scheduling tool.
Please contact Education Program Consultant for Community College and Postsecondary Readiness Jeffrey Fletcher at jeffrey.fletcher@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. Per HF2652, these requirements were to be met by the first day of school for the 2024-2025 school year.
If you have not already done so, please meet this requirement by submitting your emergency operation plans to the Iowa Department of Public Safety at schoolsafety@dps.state.ia.us as soon as possible. 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.
The 91st Iowa General Assembly will convene for the 2025 legislative session on January 13, 2025. Each General Assembly consists of two sessions, with the first session scheduled to convene for 110 days through May 2, 2025 and the second session beginning in 2026. A session schedule may be viewed on the Legislature’s website.
Please contact Legislative and Policy Liaison Eric St. Clair at eric.stclair@iowa.gov 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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