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Melanie Bloom has started her year of service as the Iowa 2025 Teacher of the Year. Melanie is a 16-year veteran agriculture teacher from Sioux Central Community School District in Sioux Rapids. Find more information about Melanie on the Department’s TOY webpage, including a link to request that Melanie speak in your school district or at an event.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Stefanie Wager at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department invites you to participate in a survey and provide feedback about Iowa’s Unified Allocation Plan. Iowa’s first-in-the-nation Unified Allocation Plan proposes to align ESEA programs and resources to Iowa’s state and local education priorities, bolster school improvement efforts informed by accountability and assessment, and support school districts’ focus on best serving students most in need of support. Gathering additional feedback from education stakeholders is an important step in further developing the plan. The statewide survey is open until Friday, August 29.
Please contact Division Administrator Tina Wahlert at tina.wahlert@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department of Education and Iowa County Attorneys Association jointly developed an Attendance, Chronic Absenteeism and Truancy Model Policy. All materials supporting schools’ work to increase attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism are available on the Department’s Chronic Absenteeism webpage, including:
Please contact Administrative Consultant Greg Feldmann at greg.feldmann@iowa.gov with questions.
New technical assistance has been released that addresses Iowa Code 279.68, as amended by House File 2618 (2024 Literacy Changes Lives Act) and House File 784 (2025 Math Counts Act), which promotes effective assessment, instruction and intervention practices to support all students to become proficient in reading and mathematics. This document provides approved screening and progress monitoring tools for both literacy and math.
To align the requirements for literacy and math, a few important changes have been made for the 2025-26 school year:
- Schools can utilize screening or ISASP for all grades K-6 to determine literacy proficiency.
- When using ISASP, schools should use the reading score, not the full ELA composite score (which includes spelling and writing). To find the reading score refer to these directions.
- Progress monitoring for literacy and math is required bi-weekly.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Greg Feldmann at greg.feldmann@iowa.gov with questions.
As a reminder, beginning this school year, the Department will require districts to submit exact attendance information. The Department has been working with student information system vendors to implement this change for the fall 2025 Student Reporting in Iowa (SRI) collection. For many districts, this won’t be a change. However, it will affect districts that currently count students as being present for the full day, even if they miss a portion of it. This new policy will allow the state to collect and report more consistent and accurate attendance and chronic absenteeism data.
Please see the Attendance and Chronic Absenteeism webpage for more information.
Please contact Lead Consultant Rachel Kruse at rachel.kruse@iowa.gov with questions.
This fall, Iowa will launch a new initiative to ensure all high school seniors are aware of the postsecondary opportunities available to them. All high school seniors will be notified that they are guaranteed admission to Iowa’s community colleges and may be admitted into one of Iowa’s Regent universities and/or one of Iowa’s participating private colleges and universities.
Additionally, students in pilot districts will be notified that they are on track to qualify for automatic admission to Iowa’s Regent universities and/or participating private colleges and universities. The Department has invited volunteer districts to be part of this pilot program. Selected pilot districts will be notified in September.
Please contact Iowa College Aid Bureau Chief David Ford at david.ford@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Department has published the Educator and District Staff Training and Professional Development Guide, articulating all professional development and training programs required of school employees under federal or state law, including Iowa Code 284. The guide now includes a section listing training that all (or most) school personnel must complete and another that lists training required for personnel in specific roles. The guide was recently updated based on educator feedback with the approximate times for completion of each module.
All Department courses are hosted on AEA Learning Online. The majority of the courses have been updated for the 2025-26 school year and five new courses have been developed:
- Protecting Student Privacy in Schools
- Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action & Anti-Discrimination for Iowa School Personnel
- Free Speech and Intellectual Freedom
- At-Risk and Dropout Prevention: Developing a Program Plan
- New School Bus Driver Training
Please contact Education Professional Development Consultant Stephanie Nugent at stephanie.nugent@iowa.gov with questions.
Enhance your ability to lead special education programs through the Administrator Professional Learning Framework, a nine-session professional learning series. This series is aligned with Iowa’s Administrator Evaluator Course content and the Administrator of Special Education Professional Leadership Standards set by the Council of Exceptional Children. The course is designed for flexibility and relevance, blending both synchronous and asynchronous learning using a flipped classroom approach and virtual monthly in-person sessions. Participants will gain practical and legal expertise to confidently lead compliant, inclusive, and instructionally strong special education programs and services. The first session begins September 17, and licensure renewal credits are available. Registration details are coming soon. If you are a building administrator, evaluator, central office staff, or are responsible for oversight of special education programming, then this course is for you.
Please contact Regional Special Education Director-Heartland Matt Cretsinger matt.cretsinger@iowa.gov or Regional Special Education Director-Green Hills Ivan Gentry ivan.gentry@iowa.gov with questions.
This foundational course is designed to support first-year and conditionally licensed special education teachers as they navigate the legal, ethical, and instructional responsibilities of their role. Participants will gain essential knowledge of federal and state special education laws, explore ethical decision-making, and learn how to apply Iowa’s SDI Framework to plan and deliver effective instruction. The course also builds fluency with the ACHIEVE system and procedural elements such as IEP development, Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), behavior supports, and compliance documentation. Emphasizing collaboration with families and school teams, this course equips new teachers with the tools and confidence to provide high-quality, student-centered special education services. Registration details are coming soon.
Please contact Regional Special Education Director-Central Rivers Amy Thoms-Starr amy.starr@iowa.gov or Regional Special Education Director-Prairie Lakes Molly Elston molly.elston@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department is excited to kick off this year’s Policy and Practice webinar series in September with a conversation about using ACHIEVE to support general supervision and providing content on quality Prior Written Notices. The Special Education Policy and Practice webinars occur on the second Wednesday of each month, September through June. Each one will include information on important and emerging special education policies, a discussion about application, and an opportunity to ask specific questions with team members from the Division of Special Education.
Join the webinars on Zoom using the passcode 431127. No registration is required. The link remains the same each session.
Future dates and tentative topics are:
- Oct. 8, 2025: Accessible Educational Materials and Assistive Technology on the IEP
- Nov. 12, 2025: Secondary Transition (with Work-based Learning content) and Four Plus Programming
- Dec. 10, 2025: Unique Placements (Out-of-State and Residential, PMIC)
- Jan. 14, 2026: Behavior and Discipline
- Feb. 11, 2026: Connecting Alternate Assessment (DLM) to Instruction & Licensure
- March 11, 2026: Extended School Year (ESY)
- April 8, 2026: FAPE - Special Requests
- May 13, 2026: Dispute Resolution
- June 10, 2026: End of Year Program Evaluation (ACHIEVE) and Year-to-Year Data Comparison
All 2025-2026 webinar recordings, materials and resources from 2024-2025 are available on the Department’s Policy and Practice Webinar page.
Please contact the SDI Literacy Consultant Mary Beilke mary.beilke@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department hosted a cross-division webinar to review allowable uses of special education funding, including special education support services funds, on Wednesday, August 13. A video recording of the webinar and the presentation are available on the Department’s Special Education Finance webpage.
Please contact School Business Operations Bureau Chief Kassandra Cline kassandra.cline@iowa.gov with questions.
The Iowa Department of Education and Iowa Workforce Development are continuing to support work-based learning through a series of webinars for the 2025-26 school year, showcasing partnerships between schools and employers across Iowa. Register for upcoming sessions:
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- Aug. 14 - How Iowa Fire Departments are Expanding High School EMT Training
- Sept. 16 - Employers and Educators: Building the Foundation of Work-Based Learning
- Oct. 7 - Growing Employer High School Internship Programs
- Nov. 4 - Work-Based Learning: A Key Strategy to Address Iowa’s Healthcare Workforce Shortage
- Feb. 2, 2026 - Preparing Student-Learners for Construction and Advanced Manufacturing Careers
- March 10, 2026 - Incorporating Industry-Recognized Credentials into Work-Based Learning
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Recordings of past sessions can be found at Iowa Workforce Development’s website.
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.
The Bureau of ESEA Programs will continue to offer McKinney-Vento training for each Homeless Liaison in every district for the 2025-2026 school year. This training is required annually for Homeless Liaisons and will be delivered through the McKinneyVento.org platform at no cost to the school district. The training provides staff with professional learning focused on the identification of students experiencing homelessness, the McKinney-Vento Act and its provisions, and best practices for supporting homeless youth.
Please contact the Education of Homeless Children and Youths (EHCY) Consultant Tyler Navin at tyler.navin@iowa.gov with questions.
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A total of $850,000 in competitive grant funding is available to Iowa school districts and accredited nonpublic schools to align computer science programs, including career and technical education programs in information technology and business management and administration, with the attainment of industry-recognized credentials. The new Credentials to Computer Science Careers grant will support high schoolers earning in-demand technology credentials with labor market value.
District and nonpublic school applicants should demonstrate clear, sustainable plans to align one or more existing computer science or CTE pathways with student attainment of an industry-recognized credential aligned to industry needs and labor market demand. Any computer science or IT-related credential will qualify, provided it is a new opportunity not previously made available to their students.
Credentials to Computer Science Careers grant applications will be accepted in IowaGrants.gov through September 30, 2025. More information on the Credentials to Computer Science Careers grant is available on the Department’s Industry-Recognized Credentials webpage.
Please contact Computer Science Consultant Michelle Meier at michelle.meier@iowa.gov with questions.
The Iowa General Assembly provided a 46% increase to the appropriation for the Teach Iowa Scholar Program in the 2025-26 academic year, bringing the appropriation to $948,715. The application for the program opens on September 1. The program provides loan repayment or income bonus awards to qualified Iowa teachers who agree to teach in Iowa schools in designated shortage areas for 5 years. The maximum annual award is $4,000, or $20,000 over the 5-year period.
Please contact Iowa College Aid’s scholarship and grants team at grants.iowacollegeaid@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department has been working with the SAS EVAAS team to get the platform updated with the spring 2025 results from the Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress. This release will include updated growth metrics, growth reports, diagnostic and projection reports. Updated reports are scheduled to be released to districts and schools by the end of August. This update does include teacher growth reports and will be available for districts to disseminate if they choose to do so.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Jason Crowley at jason.crowley@iowa.gov with questions.
In partnership with the Department, Regional Planning Partnerships (RPP) will offer District Career and Academic Planning (DCAP) workshops throughout the 2025–26 school year to assist districts in strengthening the implementation of career and academic planning. With HF 316 clarifying expectations for career-focused learning beginning in grade 5, the DCAP template has been updated to include middle school components. Districts are encouraged to include a middle school representative as part of their team to support alignment across grades 5-12. Please refer to the linked schedule for regional workshop dates.
Please contact Career and Academic Planning Consultant Erica-Woods-Schmitz at Erica.Woods-Schmitz@Iowa.gov with questions.
Saving with an IAble® account can help build a more secure future. An IAble
account is a low-cost, tax-free way for eligible people with disabilities and their families to
save and invest money to pay for expenses related to living with a disability. Learn more
about the highlights in the linked IAble IEP or the IAble IEP Transition handouts, or visit IAble.gov. Please share these resources with families and students today!
Please contact IAble at 888-609-8910 or visit IAble.gov with questions.
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Mental Health Spotlight is on anxiety disorders. Under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a student with an anxiety disorder can be a student with a disability if the anxiety disorder substantially limits one or more of the student’s major life activities. For more information about Section 504 protections for anxiety disorders, see OCR’s Section 504 Protections for Students with Anxiety Disorders Fact Sheet, originally published in September 2024.
OCR works to prevent and address disability discrimination by enforcing two laws that prohibit discrimination based on disability: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. OCR also issues public guidance on various issues relating to these and other civil rights laws, which can be viewed in the OCR Reading Room.
For more information about OCR's Disability Discrimination webpage.
Please contact Civil Rights Coordinator SueAnn Johnson at sueann.johnson@iowa.gov with questions.
The Course to College program is open to all Iowa high schools each year, providing support and resources for schools to assist all students in preparing and accessing their chosen postsecondary pathway. Partner schools are encouraged to set a FAFSA completion goal. This year, the Bureau will honor schools that have met those goals for the 24-25 school year. The 71 schools will receive awards of recognition in August:
- FAFSA-Focused School of Excellence:
- 28 high schools attained 70% or greater FAFSA completion.
- FAFSA-Focused School of Achievement:
- 43 high schools met or exceeded their set FAFSA completion goal.
Please contact Community Engagement Consultant Liz Yaddof at elizabeth.yaddof@iowa.gov with questions.
The Bureau of Iowa College Aid has awarded nearly $258,000 to five communities throughout the state to fund Local College and Career Access Networks for the 2025-26 academic year. Referred to as LCANs, these local networks work to meet need-based community goals, increasing postsecondary education credential attainment. Congratulations to the two newest Iowa LCAN grant recipients–Columbus Junction LCAN spearheaded by the Columbus Community School District and First to Finish in Des Moines serving students in Des Moines Public Schools.
Please contact Community Engagement Consultant Megan Sibbel at megan.sibbel@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Department is collecting contact information for designated Civil Rights Coordinators for this upcoming school year. Federal law requires districts that receive federal funds to designate an employee (or employees) to be responsible for coordinating the district’s efforts to comply with federal civil rights laws, including Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, and Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Various titles may be used, depending on the size and needs of the district, including civil rights coordinator, equity coordinator, Title IX coordinator, Title VI coordinator, Section 504 coordinator, ADA coordinator, disability rights coordinator, etc. Districts should provide updated contact information for the designated individuals in the Assurances 2025-26 data collection located in the “Assurances" folder of the Consolidated Accountability and Support Application (CASA) no later than September 15, 2025.
Please contact Civil Rights Coordinator SueAnn Johnson at sueann.johnson@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department publishes a number of content-specific newsletters that you may be interested in receiving. You can sign up for any of the newsletters from our Newsletter Sign-Up webpage.
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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.
(Revised 7-1-25)
It is the policy of the Iowa Department of Education not to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sexual orientation, 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, Cesar E. Chavez Memorial Building, 1244 Speer Boulevard, Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204-3582, telephone number: 303-844-5695, TDD number: 800-877-8339, email: OCR.Denver@ed.gov
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