The State of Iowa
has created a new version of the IEP form for the 2002 - 2003 school
year. The form is now standardized and cannot be modified by
individual districts or AEAs as was possible in the past. The
State has also made the decision to standardize the format of the
Electronic IEP. State support for the FoxPro version of the form
will no longer be offered. Instead, a runtime FileMaker version
of the form will be used by all districts and AEAs. This means
that the FoxPro version of the IEP used by schools in AEA 5 will be
replaced by the FileMaker version. The State has promised that
the new version of the IEP will be user friendly and most importantly,
tech friendly. The application no longer requires installation
or a specific setup to work properly. Instead, it is simply
dragged from the installation CD to the desktop and is ready to go
with no tech staff intervention. The rollout and installation
will be handled by the trainers who work directly with your staff
creating IEPs.
The AEA is taking a different approach to the installation, training and support of the new version of the IEP. All of the above tasks will be handled by a person or persons from the AEA that work in your District. The State feels the software to be "user friendly" to the point that technical assistance will not be necessary for the installation or support of the software. If the program files corrupt, the user can simply restore them from a backup or overwrite the corrupted files by dragging them from the CD and replacing them.
The AEA will be training its on-site staff to be responsible for the support of the IEP. Teachers will be contacting their Building Rep, not the Tech Coordinator for all issues pertaining to the use of the IEP. We would ask that the Tech Coordinator ensure that the teachers have a server folder to use as a place for backing up files and that they have access to a printer for printing the IEP. Beyond that, the program should not require any intervention or support from you. The AEA trainer will be instructing teachers on how to utilize an export routine to back up data in case of file corruption. If the teacher fails to create backups and the data files corrupt, the application will be restored by dragging it from the CD and overwriting the corrupted files.
System requirements will not be a factor in this rollout. If a teacher's computer is currently running the FoxPro version of the IEP, it will run the FileMaker version. Software will be available on CD and via the Internet but will not be available on floppy disk. (FoxPro will no longer be used but we ask that it remain in place for at least 1 year in case the teacher needs to access past data. Teachers will be prompted to make paper copies of this IEP data in case the FoxPro files are corrupted.)
Trainers have contacted your schools to set training times. If they require assistance for any reason (this might be to access a data projector, find out how a teacher accesses their server folder, etc.) they have been asked to contact the Tech Coordinator There will be no technical training since we expect the trainers and users to assist each other with specifics regarding the software. If you wish to sit in on a training session or to find out when sessions are being held in your area, please contact Jan Kloss at 515-574-5404 and arrangements will be made. Please realize that most of the training will be based on how to use the IEP in a classroom setting. However, certain technical issues (backup, file import, etc.) will be covered during the training.
The State has not completed the final version of the software. However, it should be available in time for training. At this time plans are to leave a CD copy with each building (in the classroom) and with each on-site AEA contact. Software will also be available on the Web but the URL is unknown at this time. The future holds the possibility of an online (Web enabled) IEP system but we have been told that this will not be available for at least another year or two. In the mean time, the State feels that the FileMaker version of the IEP will prove to be an effective and easy to use version of the form.
The AEA is taking a different approach to the installation, training and support of the new version of the IEP. All of the above tasks will be handled by a person or persons from the AEA that work in your District. The State feels the software to be "user friendly" to the point that technical assistance will not be necessary for the installation or support of the software. If the program files corrupt, the user can simply restore them from a backup or overwrite the corrupted files by dragging them from the CD and replacing them.
The AEA will be training its on-site staff to be responsible for the support of the IEP. Teachers will be contacting their Building Rep, not the Tech Coordinator for all issues pertaining to the use of the IEP. We would ask that the Tech Coordinator ensure that the teachers have a server folder to use as a place for backing up files and that they have access to a printer for printing the IEP. Beyond that, the program should not require any intervention or support from you. The AEA trainer will be instructing teachers on how to utilize an export routine to back up data in case of file corruption. If the teacher fails to create backups and the data files corrupt, the application will be restored by dragging it from the CD and overwriting the corrupted files.
System requirements will not be a factor in this rollout. If a teacher's computer is currently running the FoxPro version of the IEP, it will run the FileMaker version. Software will be available on CD and via the Internet but will not be available on floppy disk. (FoxPro will no longer be used but we ask that it remain in place for at least 1 year in case the teacher needs to access past data. Teachers will be prompted to make paper copies of this IEP data in case the FoxPro files are corrupted.)
Trainers have contacted your schools to set training times. If they require assistance for any reason (this might be to access a data projector, find out how a teacher accesses their server folder, etc.) they have been asked to contact the Tech Coordinator There will be no technical training since we expect the trainers and users to assist each other with specifics regarding the software. If you wish to sit in on a training session or to find out when sessions are being held in your area, please contact Jan Kloss at 515-574-5404 and arrangements will be made. Please realize that most of the training will be based on how to use the IEP in a classroom setting. However, certain technical issues (backup, file import, etc.) will be covered during the training.
The State has not completed the final version of the software. However, it should be available in time for training. At this time plans are to leave a CD copy with each building (in the classroom) and with each on-site AEA contact. Software will also be available on the Web but the URL is unknown at this time. The future holds the possibility of an online (Web enabled) IEP system but we have been told that this will not be available for at least another year or two. In the mean time, the State feels that the FileMaker version of the IEP will prove to be an effective and easy to use version of the form.
Thank you.
--
Mike Schmidt
Network Administrator
Arrowhead Area Education Agency
1407 Tower Drive
Fort Dodge, IA 50501
phone (515)574-5584 fax (515)574-5336
