Monthly Archives: May 2012

In the spring of 2004, the Iowa Quality Preschool Program Standards (IQPPS) were finalized and introduced to the early childhood community. These standards describe the characteristics of a high quality learning environment for children ages three and four. Preschool staff … Continue reading →

For many high school seniors, choosing a college to attend next fall depends on a lot of factors – the academic program one wishes to pursue, proximity to home, available scholarships – for Zach Mecham, the list includes wheelchair accessibility … Continue reading →

“Timing is everything,” the adage states. For some Iowa schools, the timing is right to break from the traditional high school model and pursue a better system—competency-based (CBE) pathways. While competency-based pathways have been available to Iowa school districts for … Continue reading →

As Akron-Westfield experienced a small but growing population of students considered to be on the autism spectrum, Principal Derek Briggs and his staff educated themselves on strategies that could be used. In particular, they attended Northwest Area Education Agency’s (AEA) … Continue reading →

Jerry Schnabel is the Director of Information Technology with Area Education Agency 267. Last fall, when I said I would write this article, it seemed like a good idea. The topic of how technology can help save time and money … Continue reading →

Over the past year, area teachers have welcomed Northwest Area Education Agency’s (AEA) distribution of literacy kits for students with disabilities because of the amazing progress demonstrated by those who use them. Northwest AEA employees Judy Janson, occupational therapist, and … Continue reading →

It is well known that physical activity is a component to a healthy lifestyle. For a number of years, the State of Iowa has mandated that all students K-12 have access to physical education (PE). Meeting this requirement for special … Continue reading →