Special Education Aide

About the role

Position provides assistance to teachers in the daily instruction and care of eligible students with disabilities. As a paraprofessional, the employee works under the direction of the teacher to monitor and address the instructional, personal, and behavioral needs of students. Although responsible to the teacher(s) to whose classrooms he/she is assigned, the individual's overall performance is evaluated by the principal. Employees are subject to reassignment at any time by the building principal in consultation with the District Office to meet the changing needs of students with disabilities within the District.

Responsibilities

• Assists with the implementation of students' with disabilities Individualized Education Programs under the direction of the classroom teacher(s) and/or service provider(s)
• Assists with individual or small group instruction developed and supervised by the teacher in the assigned class(es) including but not limited to teaching, re-teaching and reviewing lessons, asking questions and prompting students and/or guiding independent work
• Attends to the needs of students with disabilities that may include personal hygiene, lifting, feeding, toileting, monitoring supportive medical equipment (e.g., walkers, wheelchairs, etc.)
• Facilitates the use of assistive technology
• Escorts and supervises students not limited to daily arrival and school departure, transitions between classes, the playground, cafeteria, and off-site learning activities
• Collects, charts, and reports student performance data to teachers
• Performs general clerical tasks for assigned classroom, including maintaining student records (e.g., data books, portfolios, assignment folders)
• Distributes and collects instructional materials and reports
• Assists with behavioral management programs in the classroom and implements behavior intervention plans and/or plans for independence for individual students
• Participates in designated staff development; paraprofessionals who may be required to physically restrain students to ensure their safety and the safety of others will be provided appropriate staff development
• Maintains bulletin boards and classroom supply inventories, as appropriate
• Provides ABA therapy, as appropriate; paraprofessionals who provide this related service are required to participate in ongoing, supplemental staff development
• Serves as an educational team member who collaborates and supports the efforts of school staff and the needs of all students with disabilities
• Performs any other related duties as assigned by the Principal or other appropriate administrator

Minimum Qualifications

Candidate must meet the requirements for a Paraprofessional: You must have one of the following:

• 60 college credit hours from an accredited college
• Associate degree
• Passing score on the Work Keys or ParaPro

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals
• Write routine reports and correspondence
• Communicate effectively before groups of customers or employees of an organization
• Apply common sense in the delivery, understanding and following instructions in written, oral, or diagram form
• Add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals
• Compute rate, ratio, and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs

Physical Requirements

• Regularly required to stand and reach with hands and arms; walk; sit; stoop or kneel; crouch or crawl
• Duties may involve risk resulting from attending to students' behavioral, physical or sanitation/hygiene needs
• Physically capable of frequently lifting or moving up to 40 pounds
• Sufficiently mobile to ensure the safety of students
• Specific vision requirements include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to focus
• Ability to sit and stand for extended periods of time
• Manual dexterity for the purpose of using a telephone and data entry
• Read a computer screen and printed material with or without vision aids
• Hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone
• Speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in person and on the telephone

Work Environment

Duties are normally performed in a school/classroom environment. Duties may be conducted in work-related community settings and/or occasionally performed on study trips away from the school. This position requires 7.5 hours with no unencumbered lunch.