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Paraprofessional Daily Duties
1940 1990
The top 7 in-
school •Talking out of Turn •Drug Abuse
problems
identified by •Chewing Gum •Alcohol Abuse
US teachers in •Pregnancy
1940 vs. •Making Noise
problems
•Running the Halls •Suicide
identified in a
1990 survey •Cutting in Line •Rape
•Littering •Assault
More Changes
The role of the paraprofessional is becoming even more important
as our nation’s schools are impacted by the changes in society.
Schools are faced with the following:
* culturally and linguistically diverse student population
* violence
* alcohol and other drug use
* teen pregnancy
* school reform and restructuring
* funding cuts and reallocations
* federal and state legislation
* range of skills, abilities, interest, and aptitudes of students
* poverty
* availability of qualified providers
* collaboration between service providers
* transition from preschool to school, school to independent living
More Changes
Consider the following:
The population in the United States is changing with the influx
of immigrants from Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, Vietnam, and others.
Students come to school from other cultures and speaking
another language. The school determines whether to provide
bilingual education or provide English as a second language.
This presidential administration recognizes the need to secure
schools from violence. Students are reported to bring weapons
to school, are members of gangs engaged in criminal and violent
activities, and assault other students and even teachers. Metal
detectors can be found in some schools as well as full time police
officers.
Even more changes
Alcohol and other drug use and abuse among students is
another problem area. Students not only are using drugs, but
are also involved in selling them.
The rate of teen pregnancy and subsequent school drop-out
statistics are on a rise. Some schools are encouraging students
to stay in school by providing special programs and even day
care for their children.
Even more changes
School reform and restructuring efforts are generally placing
more authority on the school principal and staff. The schools
are also becoming the focal point for community health and
welfare services. Full service schools incorporating health
services for the community have emerged. The preschool service
delivery settings now include classrooms, day-cares, homes,
Head-Start centers, and private agencies. There have been
budget cuts at the federal, state, and local levels. It is more
difficult to provide services when costs have sky rocketed and
less money is available. Some innovative programs are
constantly facing budget cuts. The objective is to reallocate
money in such a way as to make programs more costs effective.
Even more changes
New federal and state legislation may put an added
administrative and financial burden on schools and preschool
programs. Some legislation like the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) provides funding; however, the entire
cost of educating students with disabilities is not assumed by the
federal government.
Budget cuts and the growing demand of services have made it
necessary for agencies to work together to combine services. By
working together, agencies are able to prevent duplication and
maximize service delivery.
Even more changes
The range of skill levels, abilities, interest, and aptitudes of
students present a challenge in providing an appropriate
education for all children--birth to 21 years. Teachers need to
individualize instruction to meet the varying needs of students.
The change in family dynamics of our society has yielded an
increase in the number of families who live below the poverty
level. Many children come to school without having their basic
needs met. Concerns that the school districts are facing include
assisting families with housing, food, and medical services.
Even more changes
Another issue impacting education is the shortage of qualified
providers in specialized areas. Due to advanced medical
technology, more children with severe disabilities are surviving.
Therefore, school districts must locate an increased number of
qualified personnel to deliver specialized services.
Schools are now responsible for providing a seemless
educational system for delivery of special educational and
related services between early intervention (birth to 3 years),
preschool (ages 3 to 5 years), K-12 programs (5-21 years), and
school-to-work programs (16-21 years).
Transition services have provided an increased awareness and a
mechanism for meeting the needs of children of all ages.
Civil Laws
* communication
* cooperation
* collaboration
* confrontation of problems
* compromise
* consensus
These may be referred to as the
* coordination
“Ten C’s of Teamwork.”
* consistency
* caring
* commitment
What does each of the “Ten C’s
of Teamwork Mean?
Communication: Everyone knows that communication is
essential is all human organizations. The statement, “I think
we have a communication problem here,” is frequently heard
when problems emerge among people working together.
Teamwork includes communication because all members of
the team must be willing to share their information, their
ideas, and their points of view with all other members of the
team. Communication requires skills in both sharing and
receiving. Teams work hard to insure that all members have
the information they need to do their jobs.
Cooperation: The word cooperate means “to operate
together”. When team members are cooperative, they look
for ways of supporting and complementing the
contributions of others.
II. ASK:
Who is involved
How are they involved
What behaviors/attitudes of the different individuals
need to be changed
III. LIST:
Areas of mutual agreement concerning problems
Areas of disagreement
The barriers of finding a solution
IV. DEVELOP:
A desired goal(s) or outcome
A solution(s) by brainstorming various ideas
A list of resources, information or assistance that will help
you achieve the goal
V. IMPLEMENT:
The solution for a specific time period and evaluate the
effectiveness of the solution
If necessary select and implement another alternative
Basic Principles of
Human Development
4. Inclusion
Hopefully we have provided useful information
on the successful working between you and
your paraprofessional team.
Supervisor’s Checklist
1. Confidentiality Policies
2. District Policies for Employees and Special
Education
3. Regular Attendance & Work Hours
Expectations
B. Directions By Teachers & Supervisors
1. Reviewing long and short term goals for each
student and the individualized program
designed to achieve them.
2. Describing and demonstrating the type of
behavior management and disciplinary systems
to be used with each student.
3. Reviewing plans for dealing with emergencies of
an emotional or physical nature.
B. Directions By Teachers & Supervisors
4. Demonstrating skills or activities to the
paraeducator prior to introducing new lessons
or content areas for the class or an individual
student. Ask the paraeducator to practice the
skill while you observe and make suggestions.
5. Demonstrating various reinforcers, prompts,
cues and other instructional procedures that
will be used in the classroom.
B. Directions By Teachers & Supervisors
6. Encouraging the paraeducator to ask questions.
If the paraeducator indicates a need for more
information in any area, follow through by
obtaining printed information on the subject, or
asking resource personnel and other support
staff to demonstrate techniques for the
paraeducator.
C. Chain of Command
1. The paraprofessional must know who is
responsible for immediate supervisory
decisions, who to call when absent, and who to
report problems. The role of the principal and
special education supervisor must be clear.
2. When a problem arises between the teacher and
the paraprofessional, the
paraprofessional exists the next person up the
"chain of command" should be known.