Instructional Assistants

Wayne County Public Schools

Qualifications

• Must meet the requirements for Highly Qualified Status by having one of the following qualifications:
  • Hold at least an Associate's Degree, or
  • Have 48 hours of transferable college coursework, or
  • Have completed the Pathways to Teacher Assistant I (48 hours) and the Teacher Assistant Training II (48 hours) for 96 contact hours.
• Serve as a Bus Driver/Sub Bus Driver for a school bus as required by the principal.
• Shall have all qualifications prescribed by the State Board of Education and must maintain appropriate bus driver certification at all times.

Responsibilities

• Follow all rules, policies and procedures, along with state and federal regulations pertaining to school issues.
• Work with individual students or small groups of students to reinforce learning of material or skills initially introduced by the teacher.
• Monitor work assigned by the teacher.
• Praise and reinforce achievement of students.
• Make copies of materials as needed.
• Serve as proctor during testing.
• Assist the teacher in devising special strategies for reinforcing material or skills based on an understanding of individual students, their needs, interests, and abilities.
• Strive to maintain and improve professional competence. Participate in development and support of the broad school vision.
• Monitor student behavior and help maintain discipline in the classroom; record time out and in-class suspensions; assist with crisis prevention; assist with de-escalation techniques with students as needed.
• Constantly monitor the safety and well-being of students; monitor student attitudes and encourage self-esteem.
• Assist with the supervision of students during emergency drills, assemblies, play periods, and field trips; monitor students during lunch, recess, specials, hygiene routines and snack time.
• Alert the teacher to any problem or special information about an individual student.
• Perform various clerical duties as needed, maintain records of student progress; develop and file incident reports; grade student papers; check daily attendance; make copies; develop classroom displays and instructional material; maintain and operate audiovisual equipment; maintain class files.
• Assist with such large group activities as drill work, reading aloud, and storytelling.
• Maintain the same high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students as is expected of teachers.
• Serve as the chief source of information and help to any substitute teacher assigned in absence of the regular teacher.
• Perform related duties and responsibilities as requested by the teacher and/or principal.

Pay

Starting Salary: Grade 56 ($26,078.00 - $33,616.40)

Schedule

Ten month employment

Skills

• Ability to maintain confidentiality of student information.
• Ability to follow detailed written and oral instructions.
• Working knowledge of effective methods of dealing with children.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships as necessitated by work assignments.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• General knowledge of activities performed by the lead teacher.
• General knowledge of daily routines of the classroom.
• General knowledge of student handbook rules.
• General knowledge of procedures to follow in the event of an emergency.
• Ability to impart information to the child's level of comprehension.
• Ability to record and store data accurately.

Physical Requirements

• Must be physically able to operate a variety of equipment including computers, copiers, etc.
• Must be physically able to operate a motor vehicle.
• Must be able to lift, carry, push, and pull or otherwise move objects including the human body. Able to exert up to 20 pounds of force occasionally.
• Light Work usually requires walking or standing to a significant degree.