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Summer Required Trainings Update
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As summer arrives, one of the last things you want to be thinking about right now are the required trainings for staff. We are working hard to make sure you don't have to. Here are the things to know:
1. Suicide Prevention and ACEs annual training.
Iowa code requires that all staff whom interact with students take these trainings annually, before June 30. Most districts have staff complete the trainings in the fall, but if you have not, you will want to do so. Use the Renew Report we mentioned last month. The report will let you know who has not taken the training this year, and needs to complete it by June 30 to remain compliant.
For those wondering, we will have the 2022 version of ACEs ready around the beginning of June, in case you are looking ahead to next year already.
2. Mandatory Reporter refresher training and the 3-year renewal.
Participants who have completed the new Mandatory Reporter trainings, which is anyone who has completed the trainings since July 1, 2019, will take the 1-hour refresher trainings for both Child Abuse and for Dependent Adult Abuse the next time they renew. As per our agreement with DHS, we will have the 1-hour refresher courses free for staff starting July 1, 2022.
This also brings up the change in expiration. The old combined training had an expiration of 5 years, whereas the new one is 3 years. There is a tendency for staff to only renew when their license is due (i.e. every 5 years), so many who took the training might forget to renew after the new 3-year cycle is over. And if they did not take the training through us, or if they have their notifications turned off, they will not receive a notification reminder to renew.
3. Other Requirements
Fortunately, that is the new updates for trainings. We will be making our annual updates to required trainings and are working on new offerings. You can find out more about required trainings here.
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Computer Science: Instructor-Led Option
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For those interested in our instructor-led Computer Science option, we are launching our registration site and our policy manual over the next couple of weeks. You can access that site here.
A reminder that the course is 100% self-paced, featuring both a semester 1 and semester 2. The cost is $250 per student per semester. With the self-paced format, you can register students any time, and they can begin work on the course immediately (though, the initial launch of the course will be on August 1).
For questions about the Computer Science Instructor-Led Opportunity, contact Evan Abbey.
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(Excerpt from this month's Elementary Blended Resources newsletter from Melissa Wicklund. Click the image below to see the interactive version of the newsletter.)
Subscribe to the newsletter and access previous issues here.
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Foundations of Fractions (1 credit course)
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Yet another self-paced course offering for math! Math educators can now earn Iowa license renewal credit for completing the Graham Fletcher's: Foundations of Fractions online workshop on Grassroots Workshops.
In the workshop, participants will conceptually explore fractions from 1st grade through 6th grade and build their understanding around the major concepts we tackle with our students including:
- Meaning of a Fraction
- Equivalence and Comparison of Fractions
- Addition and Subtraction of Fractions
- Multiplication of Fractions
- Division of Fractions
- Ratio and Proportions
To learn more about the workshop and how to register click here or contact Deborah Cleveland.
(A big thank-you for the lead role April Pforts plays in coordinating these professional learning opportunities for math educators!)
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Authentic Learning Update
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For all those that we had the chance to meet and interact with at the Future Ready Symposium this week, we wanted to say how great it was to hear from you and the stories of how your students are engaging with authentic learning.
• Leading Authentic Learning - Evaluator Approval Course
Our very first self-paced evaluator approval course, Leading Authentic Learning, has been a great success. While our current cohort will come to a close on June 30, we will have other cohorts in the future. And if you are still interested in this section, remember that with a self-paced format, you can start now if you would like and finish at your own pace. Last day for enrollments for this cohort is June 1.
• Agile Scrum
Those interested in Agile | Scrum training can help us with future planning by completing this interest survey. For those unfamiliar, Agile Scrum is a game-changing project management mindset and framework that allows educators to navigate multiple projects and includes tools and processes that help students take control of their own learning.
This framework naturally allows for students to develop 21st Century skills while still adhering to course objectives and learning targets. Participants will receive a playbook with ready-to-go activities and processes to incorporate directly into their classrooms. This session is great for anyone looking to enhance their own project management, project completion, project success, or for K-12 teachers to guide students in a project management framework that works!
Our Agile | Scrum site has self-paced professional learning resources for you.
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