The Iowa Department of Education is currently soliciting public input on a revised draft rubric for evaluating evidence-based professional development services provided by Area Education Agencies (AEAs) to public and accredited nonpublic schools. The public can offer their feedback through the professional development rubric survey until June 20.

As stipulated by HF 2612, the Department has the responsibility of developing a list of evidence-based professional development services that an AEA could offer to a public or accredited nonpublic school. The legislation also requires that the Department distribute this list to school districts, accredited nonpublic schools, and AEAs. The Department has been working with AEA leadership to plan for the implementation of this process in the 2025-26 school year.

In order to fulfil the requirements of HF 2612, the Department will be creating a list of these professional development services, which will be guided by expert analysis and rooted in a public rubric. The development of this list and the public rubric is considered a priority in the Department’s regular meetings with AEA leadership.

To ensure that the process and the public rubric are well-informed, the Department held three listening sessions in May 2024. The sessions welcomed AEA chiefs, AEA special education and education services leaders, the Curriculum Network, which includes school district curriculum directors and other instructional leaders, as well as all superintendents. Feedback obtained from these sessions contributed to the updates made to the draft public rubric.