Summary
Description
Date of Availability: August 2024
Position: Paraprofessional – Special Education
Reports to: Assistant Director of Special Education & Special Education Teacher
Qualifications and Experience
- Two-year degree or higher, or 60 credits toward a degree, or obtain a passing score on the MN approved. Paraeducator test, which measures math and reading skills
- Minimum 3 years’ experience as a paraprofessional in a K-12 school setting or related child centered position
- Willingness to participate in regularly scheduled professional development (before and after school and before school starts in the fall)
- Minimum lifting requirement 35#
Overview: Provide paraprofessional services to students with disabilities who cannot function independently for all or part of the school day.
Essential Knowledge, Skills, Abilities
- Flexibility and patience are essential components to the position
- Ability to take direction.
- Ability to work well in a team.
- Willingness to work with students with a wide range of behavioral, academic, cognitive, physical, sensory, or health challenges.
- Demonstrate problem-solving skills
- Demonstrate an understanding that assignments to work with specific students or types of students are not guaranteed. Any paraprofessional can be assigned to any student who may have behavioral, academic, cognitive, sensory, physical or health-based disabilities.
Paraprofessional Duties and Responsibilities
1. Understand the basic legal foundations of special education.
- Work under the direction of a licensed special education teacher to support students who have Educational Plans (IEPs).
- Demonstrates an understanding of the implementation of IEP goals, services and accommodations.
- Ability to locate and interpret accommodations on students’ IEPs.
2. Demonstrate understanding of individual and unique characteristics of students with disabilities and assist them with their special needs.
- Assist students with IEPs with personal care services and activities of daily living including toileting and eating
- Perform transfers safely for students with physical disabilities
- Work with students on functional living skills
- Assist with student arrival and departure (bus and car line).
- Monitor and implement accommodations for students with IEPs during unstructured times throughout the day, including playground and lunchroom
- Communicate observations of changes in student’s physical, behavioral or academic functioning
- Participate in professional development training offered by district special education and building special education teams
3. Understand and provide assistance with assessment, data collection, and implementation of individual plans.
- Assist special education teachers in monitoring student progress.
- Assist special education teachers with implementation and monitoring behavior intervention plans/behavior contracts
- Follow specific student behavior plans such as behavior intervention plans (BIPs), contracts, point systems as directed by licensed staff.
- Communicate with IEP managers if there are concerns about the implementation of accommodations/modifications in the classroom setting
4. Assist special education teachers in providing instructional content to students receiving special education.
- Facilitate small groups, as directed, by the special education teacher.
- Provide students with clear instructions.
- Monitor and document student progress toward goals, as directed by the special education teacher.
- Provide assistance to the special education teacher in curriculum and lesson preparation.
- Provide support for students’ completing general education class work under the direction of teacher.
- Assist students with beginning of day/end of day routines.
- Assist students with organizational skills.
- Communicate on an on-going basis with special education teachers who direct your work.
- Collaborate with educational professionals who also support and work with students with IEPs
- Use visual strategies to support student understanding of academic and social learning (i.e. 5 point scale, graphic organizers, social stories, comic strip conversations, etc.).
- Assist with differentiating curriculum and materials as directed by licensed staff.
Other Duties and Expectation
- Demonstrate understanding of the distinctions between roles and responsibilities of professionals, paraprofessionals, and support personnel
- Follow district policies and procedures• Willingness to learn about children with special needs
- Follow rules and expectations of confidentiality for all students
- Function as a team player.
- Demonstrate regular attendance.
- Flexibility and ability to work with a variety of staff and students.
- Demonstrate positive, professional relationships with students, teachers, and peers.
- Take direction and feedback
- Demonstrate on-the-job professionalism.
- Attend regularly scheduled team meetings
- Attend scheduled professional development activities
Perform other duties as assigned or requested.
Apply online under employment tab at www.cologneacademy.org
Or email lpeterson@cologneacademy.org
Position open until filled. Start August 2024
