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EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATION DEPARTMENT Professional Development

The prefix “para” means “alongside” in Greek, & indeed, para-educators / paraprofessionals, work alongside teachers and students to effectively empower & support:  The Curriculum  Instruction  Daily Scheduled Activities

It is imperative that Para - Educators are viewed as a support for ALL students. Para - Educators are IMPORTANT members of the educational team. As the COMPLEXITY of classrooms changes, the role of the Paraprofessional changes.

A paraprofessional is an educational worker who is not licensed to teach, but has specific certification & performs countless duties, both individually with students, as well as organizationally within the classroom community. Students may be assigned to a one-on-one paraprofessional as part of his or her IEP Paraprofessionals provide instructional support in the computer lab, library, or media center, conduct parental involvement activities, or act as a translator Paraprofessionals may also be called para-educators, teaching assistants, instructional supporters, & Curriculum assistants

 Leading small group instruction, designed by the teacher  Gathering resources  Providing support & assistance for personal care and other physical needs  Assisting students & supporting teachers  Facilitating interactions amongst students  Executing other; often unseen, but very important tasks within the classroom community

MATCHING ACTIVITY: Partner UP, match the role of the TEACHER and PARA-EDUCATOR, in the various aspects of an educational program: CLASSROOM ORGANIZATION ASSESSMENT SETTING OBJECTIVES INSTRUCTIONAL SUPPORT PLANNING TEACHING BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT WORKING WITH PARENTS BUILDING A CLASSROOM PARTNERSHIP

“When you know your WHY, your WHAT becomes more PURPOSEFUL”

WHAT’S YOUR WHY? Activity Thinking about the statement, given in the video by Michael Jr. “When you know your why, your what becomes more purposeful”. Activity Task: On the index card provided, each person in the group will answer the questions below: 1. What’s your WHY? 2. How does what you do, impact students? Using chart paper, each group collectively will come up with a group response to the two questions & share out.

The No Child Left Behind Act expanded the qualifications required to become a para-educator, as well as the duties to be carried out. Para - educators / professionals should be working in support of the certified teacher, & not doing the teaching by themselves. Having a certified, enthusiastic, well-prepared para -educator can make an enormous difference in the effectiveness of a student with an IEP, as well as in the classroom community. Para -educators often work in special education classrooms. They provide supports relating to behavioral deficits, and implement a variety of strategies to support ALL students.

TEACHER’S ROLE  Plans weekly schedule, lessons, room arrangements, learning centers, and activities for individuals & the entire class  Administers & scores formal and informal tests  Determines appropriate objectives for groups & individual students  Observes behavior, plans and implements behavior management strategies for entire class and for individual children  Meets with parents and initiates conferences concerning child’s progress  Arranges schedule for conferences, shares goals, and philosophy with para – educators /professionals PARA – EDUCATOR’S ROLE  Implements daily plan as specified by the teacher  Administers informal tests  Provide support to ALL students  Carry out activities to meet instructional objectives  Reinforces and supervises practice of skills with individuals & small groups  Share idea and concerns during conferences, & carry out duties as directed by the certified teacher

 Be a team player  Work in partnership on insights & solutions, that are beneficial / when it comes to another set of eyes in the classroom  Be apart of curriculum & instruction planning (Be a voice)  Honor the teacher’s classroom organization style, mirror it unless it violates your values  Continuously communicate, collaborate, & participate