Dr. Pam Armstrong-Vogel, co-chair of the Iowa ASCD Advocacy and Influence Team, shares this summary of legislative changes: 

SF 2284 - Education Reform 

Competency-Based Instruction: This provision allows districts to award credit based on a student's competency and allows the district or accredited nonpublic schools to determine the assessment method for awarding that credit. In addition, this provision creates a task force to examine strategies for integrating competency-based instruction with the core curriculum. The task force must submit its report to the legislature by January 15, 2013. This provision is effective upon the governor's signature.

Questions for your consideration:

• What is the definition of "competency based"?  
• Are there models that our school can study?  
• What constitutes an assessment that demonstrates proficiency?

Resource: Iowa Forum on Competency-Based Education  

Assessment of Student Progress on Core Academic Indicators: This provision requires the Iowa State Board of Education to adopt rules with respect to assessments based on the assessment used by districts that was in place as of July 1, 2011. All 10th graders are now required to take the Iowa assessments.

Question for your consideration: 

• Do we currently assess grade 10 students?

Resource: Iowa Testing Programs     

Teacher and Administrator Matters: This provision includes several provisions related to teachers and administrators, including the following: 

• Professional Development: Requires that a minimum of 36 hours of professional development time during the school calendar that is held outside of the minimum school day (5.5 hours) be designated for teacher collaboration or the peer review process. These hours must occur outside of negotiated preparation time or designated professional development time. This requirement must be incorporated within the existing professional development funding. IASB recognizes this may be an issue for many districts and will be working with the DE to determine how best to proceed in the fall.  

Questions for your consideration:

• How much time do we currently have for teachers to collaborate?  
• Is this collaboration time outside of PD time?  
• How will we create this time?

Resource:  Make Time for Collaboration   

Teacher Review: Changes the existing teacher review process to include peer reviews in years one and two and the comprehensive review in year three. Information from the peer review process cannot be used to put a teacher into an intensive assistance program for the determination of compensation, promotion, layoff or termination of a teacher.

Questions for your consideration:  

• What is a peer review process?  
• How will this change what we currently do for teacher evaluation?   

Resource:  Peer Review

Guidance yet to come from the Iowa Department of Education

Administrator Review: Changes the existing administrator review process to require an annual review of administrators. IASB will be working with the DE and SAI to assist districts in getting ready for these annual evaluations.

Question for your consideration:  

• Is this a change from our current practice?

Resource:  Administrator Review 

Be sure to check The Source on June 1 for additional information regarding studies to be completed.    

Representatives from U.S. Senator Tom Harkin's office visited Woodbury Elementary (Marshalltown Community School District) May 10, observing classrooms and learning more about the Dual Language Program.

Laura Sands and Omar Padilla from Sen. Harkin's office in Des Moines met with Principal Sarah Johnson; Dr. Susan Pecinovsky, associate superintendent for student achievement; and Rachel Inks, coordinator of English Language Learner and Dual Language Program services. 

The representatives chose to visit Marshalltown's Woodbury after hearing a presentation about the program at the Diversity Conference held April 13 at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa. The group observed classes taught in English and Spanish, visiting kindergarten (taught by Anel Garza), second grade (taught by Luisa Romero) and fourth grade (taught by Jamie Williams).

Iowa ASCD members interested in learning more about the dual language program may contact Dr. Susan Pecinovsky. 

In our December 16 issue of The Source, Iowa ASCD President-Elect Jason Ellingson shared the state of Iowa's forum on competency-based education. He saw the possibility of transforming the educational structure in Iowa to allow students more ownership of their learning as well as recognizing the vast educational opportunities available to Iowa's students.

Since that forum, Ellingson has engaged in many conversations locally, statewide, and even nationally and continues to believe strongly that competency-based education (CBE) can allow for greater growth in student learning. He has shared that belief with his teachers, his School Improvement Advisory Committee, and even the school board. The board supported this belief and approved applying for the CBE waiver in January.

Since the application for the waiver, Ellingson has continued to work with his principals to explore how CBE will change Collins-Maxwell's school system. In his efforts to plan for this change, the administrative team sought the advice of other school districts. "Collectively, we recognized that trying to understand and implement CBE individually was not an effective plan for each district."  

As president-elect of Iowa ASCD, Ellingson asked the Iowa ASCD board to provide support for CBE implementation statewide. The Iowa ASCD board was very supportive of the work, believing that it aligned closely with our mission. President-Elect Ellingson and Executive Director Lou Howell began to formulate a plan of action to support district implementation of this transformative work.

The plan calls for many components: 1) defining a competency; 2) developing a KASAB to address the change impacts on various stakeholders; 3) providing professional development support for teachers and administrators; 4) creating a model implementation plan with various entry points for districts; 5) developing informational materials for parents and community members; 6) supporting planning for student learning; and 7) considering how technology can support CBE efforts - a plan that will take work by Iowa ASCD and definitely in partnership with the Iowa Department of Educators and other stakeholders across the state. 

Iowa ASCD believes it is poised to work in this area and has the resources to build our capacity for this work. We have a dedicated membership willing to share and learn together. Further, we are working to develop partnerships with the AEAs and the DE. With the recent passage of the educational reform legislation, Iowa ASCD is ready to share what we collectively know and believe as an organization with the state and the nation.  

Iowa ASCD has scheduled work on the plan this summer, so please continue to check The Source and our website for updates. We hope that you will join our community of practice and share what you know and have learned to increase the learning of all of Iowa's students. 

Be sure to check out Iowa ASCD's website with content especially for you and your classroom.  

•  ELL:  You can check out great resources to help you address your students' learning needs.   ESL go is a free English community of ESL students and ESL teachers. The site helps ESL students learning English as a second language through free ESL classes and free English practice message boards. ESL go.com also provides free teaching ESL activities for TESOL, TESL, and TEFL.   
• English/Language Arts:  You are bound to find great resources like Common Core Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy. This site provides the standards in reading, writing, speaking and listening, and language. And you have access to the Teaching Channel's 114 videos especially for teachers in language arts.
• Family and Consumer Science:  Check out Family, Career, and Community Leaders of America.  FCCLA promotes personal growth and leadership development through Family and Consumer Sciences education. Focusing on the multiple roles of family member, wage earner, and community leader, students develop skills for life through character development, creative and critical thinking, interpersonal communications, practical knowledge, and career preparation. 
• Math:  You can access multiple resources from The Illustrative Math Project (This website is always under development, providing a process for submitting, discussing, reviewing, and publishing tasks, displaying the standards in multiple views, and providing easy access to tasks associated with individual standards and tasks associated with higher order structures in the standards.) to  online geoboards to Hunt Institute's videos to help teachers address the core standards of math.
• Music:  Be sure to review K-12 Resources for Music Educators.  Valuable resources for music educators and students of all areas and educational levels are provided. They are carefully researched and commercial free. 

And there is plenty more - Go to Iowa ASCD - Content to find resources for you and your teaching.  Please share with Lou Howell additional sites meaningful to your work.  

The Our Kids state initiative was conceived in response to rapidly changing demographics of Iowa's K-12 student population. This now annual event began as a collaborative effort to learn about best ELL practices and the growing body of ELL-centered research. World-renowned academics, practitioners, and presenters in the field of educating English Language Learners have comprised the impressive program each successive year of the event.

The Our Kids Summer Institute has consistently provided the most effective tools enabling administrators and teachers to embrace new populations and to facilitate the academic achievement of ELLs.  Our Kids fosters widespread collaboration by including teacher preparation programs at Iowa's universities, teachers, school administrators,

Since the first Our Kids Summer Institute took place almost ten years ago, the Iowa Core has been adopted by 47 states. It is now more critical than ever to ensure that ELLs both have access to the Core and receive meaningful instruction/assessment. Over 400 educators are expected at this year's Our Kids to keep that vision moving forward.

It is our great pleasure to invite both administrators and teachers to participate in the tenth annual Our Kids Summer Institute on June 19 and 20th at Valley High School in West Des Moines. Come help us expand and enrich the vision!

Register at www.aea11.k12.ia.us under Professional Development

Activity Number: ES006769571301

Kathy Brenny, Title III Consultant, Prairie Lakes AEA, kbrenny@aea8.k12.ia.us
Stephaney Jones-Vo, ESL Consultant, Heartland AEA, sjonesvo@aea11.k12.ia.us 

As you reflect on this year and plan for next, this is a great time to review the Iowa Future video, "Iowa, Did You Know?" It highlights the drastic changes occurring in Iowa and the world, and shows that schools are struggling to keep up in today's  dynamic new global environment. The video premiered at the School Administrators of Iowa Conference last August.  

This fast-paced video emphasizes the magnitude of the challenges ahead, the need for Iowans to support the changes that schools must make if our learners are to be career, college, and citizenship ready, and the imperative to do this now, rather than later.

Stay current with learning! Follow Iowa ASCD on Twitter!   

http://twitter.com/#!/IowaASCD  

Iowa ASCD is the source for developing instructional leadership. Serving more than 750 educators - teachers, principals, superintendents, directors of curriculum, technology specialists, college professors, AEA staff - Iowa ASCD strives to develop the collaborative capacity to impact the learning of each and every student in Iowa.