Para-Professional Training

1
Para-Professional Training

• For the
• Special Education classroom

2
District Responsibilities

• Develop skill and knowledge standards that
  recognize the changing roles of paraeducators.
• Set skill standards for paraeducators working in
  different position levels.
• Create seamless career development models that
  include on-the-job coaching, inservice training
  and access to post-secondary education for
  paraeducators interested in becoming teachers.
• Establish supervisory responsibility and
  standards for monitoring paraeducator performance
  (Pickett and Gerlach, 1997 Pickett, 1999).

3
School Responsibilities

• Assign appropriate responsibilities and tasks.
• Provide ongoing, personalized support.
• Offer training opportunities and resources.
• Encourage high standards.

4
Teacher Responsibilities

• Provide feedback to paraeducators on their work
  with students
• Model effective ways to interact with students
  and instructional techniques to use with them
• Support paraeducators with training specific to
  the students with which they are working.

5
Paraeducator Responsibilities

• Delivery of Instruction
• Activity Preparations and Follow-Up
• Student Supervision
• Behavior Management
• Personal Care
• Ethics
• Team Participation
• Paper Work
• Other

6
Delivery of Instruction

• Listen to a student read
• Assist a student with daily self-care
• Take notes for a student
• Modify assignments or other materials.

7
Activity Preparation Follow-Up

• Operate equipment e.g., photocopy machine
• Distribute or collect student materials
• Adapt materials for specific student needs.

8
Student Supervision

• Manage student arrival or departure, e.g., bus
  duty
• Supervise during lunch
• Monitor students during passing periods.

9
Behavior Management

• Observe and record student behavior
• Monitor students during time-out
• Help students to develop organizational or
  self-management skills.

10
Personal Care

• Move a student from location to location
• Address health-related needs, e.g., catheterizing
  a student
• Help a student eat.

11
Ethics

• Maintain confidentiality regarding all student
  matters.
• Preserve student dignity while taking care of
  personal needs.
• Maintain composure when working with students.

12
Team Participation

• Attend team meetings
• Contribute information
• Engage in problem solving.

13
Paper Work

• Type reports or assignments
• Help with paperwork to facilitate IEP meetings
• Make copies.

14
Other

• Attend IEP meetings
• Complete Travel Cards for daily communication
  with parents
• Participate in parent conferences.

15
Credit
Adapted from Friend Cook. (2003). Possible
Domains of Paraeducator Responsibility (p. 201).
In M. Friend L. Cook. (4th Ed.), Interactions
Collaboration for School Professionals (4th ed.).
Boston Allyn and Bacon.