Paraeducator - Non-Mainstream Special Education - Structured Program

Schedule

6.5 hours per day at 178 days per year. First year: 7 hours per day for 4 days, plus 2 days each subsequent year until certification is completed.

Pay

PSE Salary Schedule Level 5 – $25.40 per hour.

About the role

This position assists certificated staff with instructional and non-instructional activities for non-mainstreamed special-education students, generally in a self-contained classroom. Responsibilities include instructing students individually or in small groups, assisting with basic life skills, and supervising student behavior. Activities may involve personal care, toilet teaching, feeding, and communication development in addition to academic or pre-academic instruction.

Responsibilities

• Instruct moderately to severely handicapped students individually or in small groups to promote understanding of materials presented.
• Provide encouragement, reinforcement, and achievement of educational objectives and goals defined by certificated staff.
• Assist in the administration of objective tests or other measurements.
• Communicate with certificated staff concerning individual student progress; adjust methods to meet diverse student needs; consult on remediation or enrichment activities.
• Assist in maintaining records, logs, charts, assignments, and other records for assessment of student progress.
• Attend to student physical and safety needs; monitor for medical risks such as seizures and harmful behaviors.
• Correct behaviors and maintain discipline according to established policies and procedures.
• Assist students with toileting, which may include catheterization and diapering; attend to personal hygiene needs.
• Assist students in washing hands and face, brushing teeth and hair, and taking showers.
• Help students master interpersonal and personal skills; assist with feeding and teach social aspects of eating.
• Support students in developing basic living skills and pre-vocational activities.
• Work with students to develop communication skills; facilitate integration with age-group peers.
• Establish and maintain effective communication with students, staff, parents, and the community regarding student progress and safety.
• Provide physical assistance to students, such as lifting or positioning.
• Use adaptive equipment to communicate with students; follow and document procedures established by physical therapists.
• Monitor need for first aid and refer for treatment as appropriate.
• Maintain cleanliness and hygiene of classroom, implements, and equipment.
• Wash dishes; clean and disinfect tables, counters, clothes, towels, washcloths, and bibs.
• Alert qualified district staff to student problems.
• Locate, prepare, and/or modify materials for student use, enrichment activities, and special projects under the direction of certificated staff.
• Prepare, duplicate, collate, and distribute materials; operate office equipment.
• Maintain physical appearance of classroom and assigned areas; maintain, assemble, and store therapeutic and other equipment; manage supplies.
• May serve on district committees and/or departmental work teams.
• Model appropriate and cooperative behavior, including protecting confidential information, consistent with district ethical guidelines.
• Perform related duties consistent with the scope and intent of the position.

Requirements

• Must be 18 years of age or older.
• Must hold a high school diploma or its equivalent.
• Must meet one of the following:
  • Successfully passed the ETS ParaPro test or Pearson Paraprofessional assessment.
  • Holds an AA degree or higher.
  • Earned seventy-two (72) quarter credits or forty-eight (48) semester credits at an accredited institution of higher education.
  • Completed a registered apprenticeship program offered by the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries.
  • Successfully completed The Master Teacher Inc. Paraeducator Online Training Program.
• Must complete Right Response Training and receive qualifications within 3–5 months of hire; renewal required annually.
• Must complete the online Autism Spectrum Disorder course within 3 months of hire.
• Must successfully complete the Fundamental Course of Studies (FCS) and General Paraeducator Certificate of the state-mandated Paraeducator Certificate Program per state requirements (dependent on state funding).
• For Title One and Title One School-wide Special Education positions: associate degree, proof of completion of the Washington State Paraeducator Assessment, or two years of higher education per the Federal "No Child Left Behind" Act.
• Fingerprinting and background check required; no convictions involving physical molestation, abuse, injury, or neglect of a minor.
• Must complete training in and adhere to the district infection control plan.
• May be required to obtain first aid and CPR certification.
• Hepatitis-B immunization is offered.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated skill in reading, writing, and communicating.
• Knowledge of basic subject areas, such as reading and math.
• Ability to deal with students in a warm and confident manner.
• Ability to remain flexible with changes in assignments.
• Ability to organize activities.
• Ability to follow and give instructions.
• Ability to be fair and consistent when working with students.
• Ability to learn and implement effective behavior management techniques.
• Ability to learn and implement effective instructional techniques.
• Knowledge of a variety of behavior and learning disorders.
• Knowledge of student safety rules and procedures.
• Ability to remain flexible and calm when schedules change or students become agitated.
• Ability to learn the use of computers and various software packages for student instruction and record keeping.
• Ability to learn the operation of general office machines.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students and staff.
• Ability to diffuse situations and resolve conflicts.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality.

Preferred experience: working with school-age children and special-needs students; non-violent crisis intervention; development and use of PECS, visual schedule systems, and visual supports; use of Social Stories; universal precautions; toilet teaching for special needs; understanding of child development and the needs of students on the Autism spectrum; and sensory processing.

Benefits

For details on salaries/wages, insurance, retirement plans, paid time off or vacation, paid holidays, and other compensation, visit the district’s benefits page.

Reporting relationships

Reports to the school principal or assigned administrator; receives guidance from certificated staff.

Mental demands

• May experience frequent interruptions.
• Required to deal with a wide range of student behaviors and academic abilities.
• Required to deal with a wide range of physical or emotional disabilities.
• May occasionally deal with distraught or difficult students.

Physical demands

• Potentially exposed to ordinary infectious diseases carried by students.
• Exposed to student noise levels.
• Required to lift and position students and their special equipment, such as wheelchairs.
• Required to work in non-routine positions for extended periods.
• May be required to attend to students' personal hygiene.
• May be exposed to biting behavior.
• May need to take precautions to avoid exposure to student bodily fluids.
• Playground supervision requires working outdoors in inclement weather.