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Director McKenzie Snow recently announced Iowa’s third-ever 2027 Regional Teachers of the Year and then celebrated the 2027 Iowa Teacher of the Year and Grant Wood Regional Teacher of the Year, Jessica Howard, during a surprise ceremony in Lone Tree.
Jessica has served as a middle school and high school business and computer science teacher at Lone Tree Community School District for the past 10 years. She also serves as a concurrent enrollment course instructor in partnership with Kirkwood Community College, adviser for the school district’s chapters for National Honor Society and Business Professionals of America and coach of Lone Tree’s state champion esports team. She spent the first decade of her career in industry, choosing to switch professions with the support of the Regents Alternative Pathway to Iowa Licensure (RAPIL) program.
Iowa’s nine 2027 Regional Teachers of the Year celebrate excellence in teaching in every corner of our state. Please join us in congratulating Jessica and:
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Central Rivers Regional Teacher of the Year Ashley Cardamone, a secondary art teacher in the Cedar Falls Community School District.
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Great Prairie Regional Teacher of the Year Tracy Madsen, head director of music in the Central Lee Community School District.
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Green Hills Regional Teacher of the Year Lynne Glackin, a third grade teacher in the Woodbine Community School District.
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Heartland Regional Teacher of the Year Jana Dewhurst, an early childhood educator in the Johnston Community School District.
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Keystone Regional Teacher of the Year Tera Bunn, a PK-4 instructional coach and interventionist in the Oelwein Community School District.
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Mississippi Bend Regional Teacher of the Year Mitchel Dierickx, a first grade teacher in the Davenport Community School District.
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Northwest Regional Teacher of the Year Roselyn Shillerstrom, a secondary English language arts teacher in the West Lyon Community School District.
- And Prairie Lakes Regional Teacher of the Year Abby Goodlaxson, a physical education and health teacher in the Okoboji Community School District.
“Like their dedicated colleagues across Iowa, these teachers work in partnership with families to provide every child with what they need to meet high expectations and realize their incredible potential,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “Alongside their school communities, we congratulate and thank each of Iowa’s 2027 Regional Teachers of the Year for choosing this honored profession, putting students at the center of all they do.”
Learn more about Iowa’s 2027 Teacher of the Year and access video highlights of each of Iowa’s amazing Regional Teachers of the Year on the Department’s YouTube channel.
The Department has revised the Letter to the Field with new and revised resources for implementation of legislation enacted during the 2026 Legislative Session.
Round 2 Significant Implementation Resources were updated on Sept. 15 and include:
Instructional Quality
Student Discipline Regarding Violent or Nonviolent Disruptions
Open Enrollment
School Funding
Statewide Voluntary Preschool Program
Civics Seal of Excellence
Physical Education and Nutrition Instruction
Round 3 Resources were updated on Oct. 1 and include:
Instructional Quality
Constitutionally Protected Prayer and Religious Expression
School Choice Omnibus
Student Discipline Regarding Violent or Nonviolent Disruptions, Professional Development
Please contact Legislative Liaison Eric St Clair at eric.stclair@iowa.gov with questions.
Following the Department’s Sept. 3 headline story announcing public comment and community engagement sessions on Iowa’s new state assessment, please remember that the Department's public feedback survey opportunity for the proposed new achievement levels for Iowa's new summative assessment is ending soon.
We invite any interested Iowan to provide input by completing the online public feedback survey before it closes on Oct. 9. Please share this information with your educators, families and community stakeholders to ensure strong representation from all school communities.
As previously shared, the new summative assessment is built specifically to measure student progress aligned to the rigorous Iowa Academic Standards in ELA and mathematics adopted by the State Board of Education in 2024, including through new content, new questions and the new achievement levels, which are different from the previous assessment administered from 2019 to 2025. Iowa students took this new assessment for the first time in spring 2026.
Please contact Teacher Quality and Innovation Division Administrator Jay Pennington at jay.pennington@iowa.gov with questions.
Through its first-in-the-nation state partnership, the Department was excited to announce that 44 outstanding Iowa elementary students have been selected for the 2026 cohort of National Math Stars. These remarkable students join approximately 600 other students from across the country who were chosen from a national pool of nearly 9,000 applicants. Iowa’s 44 National Math Stars are from 18 public school districts and four accredited nonpublic schools.
“We are proud to congratulate each of Iowa’s 2026 National Math Stars and our 785 nominees, alongside their families and teachers, for their hard work and exceptional achievements in mathematics,” said Iowa Department of Education Director McKenzie Snow. “Iowa continues to help lead the nation through this first-ever statewide partnership, providing our extraordinary students supports tailored to their strengths and interests through twelfth grade. This transformational work builds upon Iowa’s comprehensive 2025 Math Counts Act and 2026 legislation to empower learners with advanced math pathways beginning in middle school and automatic enrollment in accelerated coursework.”
National Math Stars places accepted students into one of two programs based on family need.
- The Pathfinder program connects students with rigorous coursework, personalized guidance, need-based financial aid and a growing community of other Stars and their families.
- In addition to the benefits offered in Pathfinder, Voyager Stars receive full funding for summer camps, travel to competitions, courses, STEM supplies and more—monetary support that totals more than $100,000 per student over the duration of the program.
Ten Iowa students were named to the Voyager program and 34 were named Pathfinder Stars. Both Voyager and Pathfinder serve students for 10 years or through the end of high school.
Please contact Mathematics Education Consultants April Pforts at april.pforts@iowa.gov or Christi Donald at christi.donald@iowa.gov with questions.
With the start of the school year, the Department has launched a new online resource to provide a visualization of the state’s teacher vacancy data. The Teacher Pipeline Dashboard provides data on all K-12 teacher vacancies across the state and serves as a companion tool to the vacancy data that is released each year.
On the dashboard, users can view teacher vacancy data at the state level and by local school districts. Additionally, information can be filtered by elementary/middle school, high school and special education categories as well as by 30 content areas, such as English language arts, mathematics, STEM, CTE and more.
Users can also compare teacher vacancy rates from year to year, starting with the 2022-23 school year through the 2024-25 school year. For 2024-25, the overall teacher vacancy rate for Iowa was 1.15%, which represented 434 vacancies. In comparison, 3% of all public school teaching positions were vacant nationally as of October 2024, nearly three times the vacancy rate experienced in Iowa.
Data is collected from districts as part of the Fall Basic Education Data Survey (BEDS) each year. Districts will report teacher vacancies for the 2025-26 school year as part of the 2026 fall data collection. The new data will be updated annually in the dashboard.
Please contact Teacher Quality and Innovation Division Administrator Jay Pennington at jay.pennington@iowa.gov with questions.
As a part of our Iowa America 250 continued celebrations, the Department recently launched a new agricultural curriculum to help students better understand the historical and contemporary impact of Iowa agriculture on our nation. The curriculum was developed by 2025 Iowa Teacher of the Year Melanie Bloom during her year of service, building upon her accomplishments as agriculture education teacher and high-quality instructional materials expert.
The new curriculum can be used to bolster inquiry, historical understanding, agricultural literacy and career-connected learning aligned to Iowa Academic Standards and can be implemented by agriculture, science and social studies teachers alike.
Please contact Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources Consultant Alan Spencer at alan.spencer@iowa.gov or Administrative Consultant Stefanie Wager at stefanie.wager@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department was recently awarded nearly $500,000 in competitive AmeriCorps funding through the Volunteer Iowa Commission. Through this Department-led program, up to 80 AmeriCorps members across Iowa serve as student leaders, postsecondary success coaches, and summer transition associates.
Selected high school seniors serve as AmeriCorps student leaders, supporting their peers' postsecondary aspirations, and postsecondary success coaches provide direct support to students exploring postsecondary education and training opportunities. Since 2017, summer transition associates have provided more than 13,500 instances of in-person and virtual assistance to help students with college applications and financial aid.
Please contact Community Engagement Consultant Aaron Smith at aaron.smith@iowa.gov with questions.
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Iowa Code section 261E.2 requires districts to provide students and parents with information regarding participation in Senior Year Plus (SYP) programming, including concurrent enrollment courses. Documents and/or websites that contain district SYP information are now required to be uploaded and reviewed through CASA during the annual desk review process. To continue to support districts in implementing strong programs, the Department has created a checklist informed by frequent questions and findings. The checklist articulates key information that should be provided to students and families and included in compliant Senior Year Plus materials.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Lisa Washington at lisa.washington@iowa.gov with questions.
All Iowa schools can now register for the next cohort of the HQIM Leadership Academy, a two-year learning experience that supports district and school leadership teams in implementing high-quality instructional materials (HQIM) with integrity. Registration is open through Oct. 9.
This Department-led academy helps districts strengthen implementation systems, build educator knowledge and use practical tools for collaborative planning, classroom observation and continuous improvement. Participating teams also receive personalized support from Department staff and national partners. Districts may register for a literacy pathway, mathematics pathway or both; space is limited to 40 districts in each pathway. The Academy spans the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years and includes two in-person learning days and three virtual half-day sessions.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Darcie Kress at darcie.kress@iowa.gov for Literacy or Math Consultant Christi Donald at christi.donald@iowa.gov for Mathematics with questions.
Registration is now open for the Iowa STEM Summit, which will be held at the Community Choice Credit Union Convention Center in Des Moines on Nov. 6. This year’s theme, “Where Bold Ideas Take Flight,” will be showcased through a full day of engaging keynote speakers, interactive breakout sessions and networking opportunities for the next generation and leaders who are growing Iowa’s aerospace sector.
New this year, our STEM BEST® Program models will design and produce the centerpieces in the Grand Ballroom, demonstrating career-connected learning opportunities provided to Iowa students through the program. Another new feature will be a student poster walk, organized by the Iowa STEM Youth Ambassador Group to highlight the innovative research and projects of our high school students.
The event is open to the public. Admission is free of charge, and the deadline for registration is Oct. 29.
Please contact Bureau Chief Justin Lewis at justin.lewis@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department has launched a new school mentorship program that pairs new school nurses in their first three years of practice with experienced school nurse mentors. Mentors and mentees connect weekly and meet online once per month, and the program provides mentees the opportunity to earn up to five continuing education (CE) hours. With nearly 1,200 school nurses across the state, this structured mentorship program helps strengthen our school nurse pipeline and workforce.
More information is available on the Department’s School Nurse Toolkit webpage.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Melissa Walker at melissa.walker@iowa.gov with questions.
The next Special Education Policy and Practice webinar is on Oct. 14, 9 -10 a.m., focused on IEP Team Member Roles and Responsibilities. Please visit the Policy and Practice Webinar Series webpage to see the upcoming dates, topics and past session recordings and to access the Zoom link. The recordings and slide decks will be posted once the webinar is concluded.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Nancy Hunt at nancy.hunt@iowa.gov with questions.
The next Accredited Nonpublic Schools and Special Education webinar is on Oct. 6, 9 -10 a.m., focused on Dispute Resolution, including conflict prevention and the mediation, due process and state complaints process.
In both series, all recordings and materials will be posted once the webinar is concluded.
Please contact Nonpublic School Liaison Janelle Danner at janelle.danner@iowa.gov with questions or feedback on additional topics.
The Department has invested in two statewide professional learning cohorts to support emerging special education teachers and special education administrators. New participants will continue to be accepted through Oct. 30.
Legal and Ethical Foundations and Effective Instructional Practices for Emerging Special Education Teachers is a foundational course for emerging special education teachers. Participants build knowledge of legal and ethical responsibilities, Iowa’s SDI Framework, effective instructional practices and special education procedures within ACHIEVE. The course uses a flipped learning model with nine monthly virtual sessions of 60–90 minutes and two 45-minute coaching sessions to support application.
Please contact Regional Special Education Director Molly Elston at molly.elston@iowa.gov with questions.
Special Education Leadership Series for Administrators is a professional learning series for administrators who lead and support special education programs. The series strengthens leadership capacity to support legally compliant, instructionally effective, student-centered systems that provide FAPE through a systems-based approach integrating legal requirements, instructional frameworks and organizational leadership. The course uses a flipped learning model with nine monthly 45-minute virtual sessions and one 30-minute coaching session each month to support application.
Please contact Regional Special Education Director Matt Cretsinger at matt.cretsinger@iowa.gov with questions.
The Teaching for Impact conference is a professional development opportunity focused on continuously improving special education and support for learners with disabilities. It will be held at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines on June 16-18, 2027. Please encourage school administrators, building leadership teams, Early ACCESS providers and service coordinators, K-12 and early childhood educators and providers, teachers of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, teachers of the Blind and Visually Impaired, AEA professionals, vocational rehabilitation partners and higher education faculty who support preservice educators to mark their calendars and plan to attend this premier professional development opportunity.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Nancy Hunt at nancy.hunt@iowa.gov with questions.
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The Department is proud to open the second application cycle of the Iowa Purple Star School Program, championed as a Department bill in 2025. This program recognizes schools that show a strong commitment to supporting students from military families.
To be eligible, schools must name a staff military liaison, keep a webpage with resources for military families, host awareness events and offer staff training on the needs of military students. Applications for this honor are open now on the Department’s website and close Dec. 31. Schools that earn the designation will be recognized at a statewide ceremony in spring 2027.
Last year, 17 schools across seven school districts earned this designation. You can watch a profile of last year's event in the State Recognition Ceremony Video.
Please contact purplestar@iowa.gov with questions.
To provide districts additional time to prepare potential applications, the Department is reopening the application to participate in the special education and behavior pilot program established through SF2428 to serve students whose emotional, social or behavioral needs interfere with the student’s ability to be successful in their current educational environment. Please review the Application Instructions as well as the Application Rubric to learn more.
The reopened application is identical to the initial application found in CASA (2025-26 school year), and applications will be accepted through Oct. 30.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Rose Cartee at rose.cartee@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department is excited to continue its Claim Your Future initiative, sending personalized letters to every senior at an Iowa public high school with information about the public university, private college and university, and community college options available to them, many with automatic admissions guaranteeing acceptance. Financial aid information and next steps for the application and admissions processes are also included.
If they have not already, the letter encourages students to take immediate steps to:
- Complete their college or university applications.
- Reach out to their school counselor, Iowa’s statewide virtual college coaches, or a school’s admissions office for additional support.
- Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Complete the Iowa Financial Aid Application (IFAA) to apply for all state scholarships and grants.
Thank you for supporting Iowa’s seniors in using this actionable information as they claim their future!
Please contact Bureau Chief Ryan Zantingh at ryan.zantingh@iowa.gov with questions.
The application for the Teach Iowa Scholar Program, which provides loan repayment or income bonus awards to qualified Iowa teachers who commit to teaching in designated shortage areas for five years, closes Oct. 31. Teach Iowa Scholar Awards are up to $4,000 annually, with a maximum of $20,000 over the five-year period. Learn more on the Department’s Teach Iowa Scholar webpage.
Please contact the scholarships and grants team at grants.iowacollegeaid@iowa.gov with questions.
The Department received a $335,000 FY27 state appropriation to support grants covering tuition and fees for teachers pursuing the Advanced Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement. This funding complements the Department-championed legislation enacted in 2025 through House File 890, which established the Dyslexia Specialist Endorsement Stipend Program and provides eligible Iowa educators with a one-time $2,000 stipend for earning the endorsement.
The University of Iowa and Grand View University currently offer programs leading to the endorsement. More information about the grant is available on the Department’s website. Applications are open through Oct. 31.
Please contact the scholarships and grants team at grants.iowacollegeaid@iowa.gov with questions.
Eligible school districts are invited to apply for two new waiver opportunities for SY 2026–27:
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Title IV, Part A Spending Limitation Waiver: To better direct funds to local needs and state priorities, school districts may request to waive up to 100% of Title IV, Part A spending limitations, including requirements that larger grants allocate set percentages to well-rounded education, safe and healthy schools, and education technology. Without such a waiver, school districts receiving $30,000 or more must spend at least 20% on well-rounded educational opportunities, at least 20% on safe and healthy students, and no more than 15% on the effective use of technology. The application is open Sept. 15–Oct. 15.
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Title I, Part A Excess Carryover Waiver: School districts may request to carry over up to 100% of unused Title I, Part A funds into the next fiscal year to support significant, evidence-based instructional investments that demonstrate a measurable impact on student outcomes (including achievement, growth, work-based learning, industry-recognized credential and college credit attainment). Eligible school districts may apply for 2025–26 carryover through CASA. The application is open Dec. 21–Jan. 15, 2027.
Please contact ESEA Programs Bureau Chief Jillian Dotson at jillian.dotson@iowa.gov with questions.
Two ESEA competitive grant opportunities will open in CASA at the end of October, providing opportunities to pursue funding for the 2027–28 school year.
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Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY): Grants support efforts to eliminate barriers to the identification, enrollment, regular attendance and academic success of students experiencing homelessness. The application is open Oct. 30–Dec. 31.
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Title IV, Part B – Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21CCLC): Grants support out-of-school-time programs that provide academic enrichment and developmental support before and after school and during academic breaks for qualifying students. The application is open Oct. 30–Dec. 31.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Isbelia Arzola at isbelia.arzola@iowa.gov with questions.
The Computer Science Incentive Fund grant opportunities are now open to support schools and educators in expanding access to high-quality computer science instruction. Applications are available through IowaGrants.gov.
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Computer Science Professional Development: Grants support professional development and associated costs necessary to implement the learning opportunities, including coaching, physical computing devices and district planning. Applications close Nov. 2.
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Computer Science Endorsement: Grants support Iowa educators pursuing K-8, 6-12, or K-12 computer science endorsements, or the CTE-IT endorsement. Districts can apply for reimbursement of associated costs, and applications close April 30, 2027.
Please contact Computer Science Consultant Michelle Meier at michelle.meier@iowa.gov with questions.
The 2027–28 STEM BEST (Businesses Engaging Students and Teachers) applications are now open for both new schools and returning schools in IowaGrants.gov, with applications closing Nov. 3.
Accredited public and nonpublic schools may request up to $50,000 to develop or expand career-connected learning experiences through partnerships with business and industry. Awards provide a 17-month planning and implementation period, from Jan. 2027 through May 2028, and require a 2:1 cost share, a Community Partner Letter of Commitment and administrative approval. Funding is provided on a cost-reimbursement basis. Awards are expected to be announced in Jan. 2027.
Please contact STEM BEST Program Coordinator Tanya Hunt at tanya.hunt@iowa.gov with questions.
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As a reminder, for both the October and January Certified Enrollment count dates, there will be a shorter window to resolve errors and clean data due to new deadlines established in legislation. The Department now has 30 days to finalize the October count and 21 days to finalize the January count. In addition, districts now have a legislated five-day deadline to resolve any errors that are identified. School and district teams are encouraged to take snapshots and begin resolving any errors today, if they haven’t already, to ensure the district meets these new legislated deadlines.
Please contact Performance and Analytics Bureau Chief Adam Enter at adam.enter@iowa.gov with questions.
The 2026–27 Consolidated Application is now open and will close on Oct. 15. Districts are encouraged to review the assurances and application requirements and submit materials early to allow adequate time for completion and review.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Jina Brincks at jina.brincks@iowa.gov with questions.
ACHIEVE Early ACCESS and Special Education reports were reviewed and updated by a task team this summer to improve data accuracy and alignment across reports. A new resource titled ACHIEVE Report Descriptions was added to the Reporting section in the left navigation menu of ACHIEVE on Aug. 20. In addition, new resources were created for district and AEA administrators on how to use the ACHIEVE reports to support general supervision duties. These documents provide a brief summary of each report, describe how they can be used to inform general supervision duties and provide a recommended frequency for data review.
Please contact Administrative Consultant Melissa Schnurr at melissa.schnurr@iowa.gov with questions.
The secondary transition services local school plan is a required service delivery agreement, collaboratively developed, facilitated and implemented by district, AEA and vocational rehabilitation partners. Its purpose is to help teams build an effective and meaningful transition service system tailored to their local needs to support the postsecondary goals and outcomes of learners with disabilities. The deadline to submit your plan is Oct. 15.
Access the local school plan materials and instructions on both the Department’s Secondary Transition and Iowa Vocational Rehabilitation Services webpages.
Please contact Education Program Consultant Kelsey Teeter at kelsey.teeter@iowa.gov with questions.
The Iowa Health and Human Services Measles webpage has been updated and now includes school and childcare facilities resources, along with the updated Child Illness and Disease Exclusion Criteria for Education and Child Care Settings document. Updates to the exclusion resource include the addition of measles and revisions to the symptom-based exclusion section to recognize learners with chronic conditions that affect body temperature regulation. Please review Health and Human Services’ updated resources and your local school board policies.
Please contact Iowa Health and Human Services with questions.
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 of free and reduced-price school meal applications as of Oct. 1 each school year.
The verification process must be completed by Nov. 15. A school district may request an extension of the Nov. 15 deadline by emailing Administrative Consultant Patti Harding at patti.harding@iowa.gov. The State agency may approve an extension up to Dec. 15 of the current school year for specific good causes.
All School Food Authorities (SFAs), including SFAs that are not required to conduct verification, should complete the Verification Collection Report in IowaCNP by Dec. 14. The webinar on how to complete the Verification Collection Report for SFAs (public and nonpublic schools, including RCCIs) is Oct. 19.
Please contact the assigned regional School Nutrition Program Consultant with questions.
The March 31 statutory deadline to submit FY25 audit reports to the Auditor of State and the Iowa Department of Education has passed, as has the deadline to request an extension. There are still 13 LEA audit reports that remain outstanding without a current approved extension. LEAs with outstanding FY25 audit reports should submit them immediately to submitreports@aos.iowa.gov and ed.audit@iowa.gov.
Please contact Chief Financial Officer Sandi Hurtado-Peters at sandra.hurtado-peters1@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.
(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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