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Conference and Professional Development

Ongoing professional development is critical to the success of Iowa school counselors and ISCA is committed to bringing opportunities to its members. From the annual ISCA conference, to webinars, seminars, and topic-specific conferences, check back often to find out about new and exciting opportunities around the state.  

Upcoming Events

      Iowa ASCD Fall Academy - Creating Trauma Sensitive Schools

      November 13 - 9 am - 4 pm - DMACC Campus (Ankeny)

      Behavior Issues and/or Mental Health Issues at your school? In your classroom?
      Wonder why? Wonder what to do?

      Join Us ! For Highly Interactive learning incorporating videos, music, and discussion to increase the level of impact and application for early childhood-12.

      This one-day training combines 2 three-hour workshops designed to give educators the tools needed to create effective learning environments that support the
      needs of traumatized students and all students.

      Learn More and Register

      IASFAA Community Outreach Series: Verification

      December 3 - 10 - 11 am

      This webinar will talk about the Verification process, why students are selected and how to avoid mistakes.

      Register

      IASFAA Community Outreach Series: Financial Aid Packages

      February 5 - 10-11 am

      With many student/families are just receiving their Financial Aid Packages this time of year, questions are going to arise. This webinar will go over what to look for in Financial Aid Packages and how to figure out what a bottom line cost will be for those students/families.

      Register

      Central Rivers Professional School Counselor Networking

      February 14 - 9 am - 3 pm

      Support professional school counselors in their role of impacting student learning experiences across CRAEA and collaborate with our Central Rivers AEA and Statewide partners to ensure system coherence across the districts within our agency. Who should attend? School counselors PK-12.

      Learn more.


      ASCA Annual Conference - June 27-30, 2020
      One Vision, One Voice - Seattle, Washington

      Save the Date! Join approximately 3,600 school counseling professionals for four days of inspirational keynote sessions, informative breakout sessions, in-depth looks at hot topics in the school counseling profession and networking opportunities galore.

      Iowa school counselors gather at ASCA.

      Counselor Academy

      School counselors from across Iowa take part in Counselor Academy at Heartland AEA.


      Save the Date

      ISCA 2020 Conference

      November 1 -3, 2020

      School counselors network and share experiences during the Level Sharing Session at ISCA.

      Counselor Academy

      The content of the Academy is based on the ASCA (American School Counselors Association) National Model and the Iowa Comprehensive Counseling and Guidance Program Model.

      The Academy provides the foundation for counselors to effectively plan, implement, and evaluate comprehensive school counseling services. Counselors develop comprehensive developmental guidance and counseling programs for their schools based on national and state standards and research based best practices.

      2019 Statewide Counselor Academy Dates

          • October 22
          • December 3
          • February 3
          • April 6

      AEA Counselor Academy Dates

          • Mississippi Bend
            October 11 and April 3
          • Keystone
            September 16
            December 12
            February 13
            April 8

      Ongoing Opportunities

       ISCA/ICAN Webinar Series

      The Iowa School Counselor Association (ISCA) and the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) partner to provide a webinar series on important topics and issues facing school counselors today.

      Check out the current list of scheduled webinars 

      Area Education Agency Professional Development Opportunities

      Contact your AEA for more information about your local options for Counselor Academy and additional professional development opportunities.

       ASCA Professional Development

      ASCA provides a lot of professional development opportunities from the annual conference and webinar series, to ASCA U specialist trainings, coaching, and site- and district trainings. Some opportunities require ASCA membership.

      Visit ASCA to learn more

       ICAN Professional Development Series - Career and College Readiness

      ICAN offers half-day and full day professional development opportunities in areas such as financial aid basics, FAFSA completion, and Career and College Readiness Curriculum. Certifications are available based on training assessments.

      Learn more.

       ISEA Academy

       The ISEA Academy offers courses for Iowa License Renewal and Drake University Graduate credit. Courses are on a monthly cycle. For questions please call or email Rhonda Plimmer or Cindy Swanson at 515-471-8000. Visit https://isea.org/course/ for the current course catalog.

       Courses have included:

        • ACEs: The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences
        • Making Magic with Motivation
        • A Spoonful of Sugar…Restorative Practices in the Classroom
        • Teaching… What’s culture got to do with it?
        • Brain Magic: Moving, Talking & Thinking Your Students to Their Full Potential
        • Creativity: The Force Within You
        • It Takes a Village: Building School, Family & Community Partnerships
        • Helping Students Overcome Depression and Anxiety
        • Ignite the Brain: Boosting Learning through Exercise & Fitness
        • Poverty in Our Backyard
        • Students in Poverty: Building Genius
        • Through Poverty’s Lens
        • Helping Traumatized Children Learn
        • Teaching with the Brain in Mind
        • Trauma Stewardship: Caring for Self While Caring For Others
        • Screen Addiction: Fighting the War
        • Mindfulness for Teachers
        • Developing School Mental Health Systems
        • School Mental Health Literacy
        • Racial & Cultural Trauma
        • Building Strong Student Relationships
        • Whole Child Wellness, 5-2-1-0 strategies for success
        • Use Design Thinking to Increase Creativity in the Classroom 

       Iowa College & Career Readiness Academy


      A suite of Iowa-specific online courses for college access and success professionals. 

      Iowa Youth Survey Reports for 2014

      The Iowa Youth Survey (IYS) district and non-public school reports are available from the 2014 survey.

      Resource Recommendations from ISCA Level Vice-Presidents

      Each level Vice-President takes the time to review their roles and responsibilities, as well as provide their favorite go-to resources for their programs. Brandon Drew (VP-Elementary), Amber Urbain (VP-Middle School/Junior High), Meri Edel (VP Secondary) and Shelby Bryce (VP K-12).

      Click here

      Join an ISCA Board Committee

      There are many opportunities to get involved, including board committees. Committees such as Advocacy, Newsletter, Awards & Recognition, and many more work toward the overall success of ISCA and all Iowa Professional School Counselors. Find a committee that interests you, contact the chair and join today. You'll learn about the different aspects of committee work, gain leadership experience and help elevate the profession around the state.

      Learn more

      Join the ISCA Board

      Being an ISCA board member is the chance to become a leader in your profession, and you simply have to love your job. The ISCA board is made up of individuals from a vast array of backgrounds with a large range of talents. Together, the board works to raise awareness of school counselor issues, advocate for the profession, seek out professional development opportunities, and plans the annual conference.

      Contact  Us
      Office: (515) 282-8192
      Email iowaschoolcounselors@gmail.com
      Address:
      6919 Vista Drive
      West Des Moines, IA 50266
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