Early Childhood Special Education Para

West Ada School District • MERIDIAN, ID

6d • Onsite

About The Position

Assists special education teachers in the Resource Room, Extended Resource Room, Positive Behavior Intervention Program, Early Childhood Special Education Program, or Tuition Kindergarten program, performing related work as required. The paraprofessional supports implementation of students’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and works with students with a range of mild to severe physical, emotional, and learning disabilities. Work may involve individual or group instruction in a separate classroom or facilitating inclusion in a regular classroom. The position is directly supervised by the assigned Special Education Teacher, with overall supervision by the building Principal. Duties are primarily performed in a classroom and may involve exposure to body fluids and some risk of personal injury from student behaviors.

The role is scheduled for six hours per day. Salary is $16.24, and the calendar is 178 days for elementary and middle school or 179 days for high school. Regular attendance is an essential function. Employment is at will, and terms are determined by calendar year.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED equivalent.
• For paraprofessionals in secondary buildings, must be at least 21 years old.
• Must have two years of college credits, a college degree, a ParaPro Praxis Assessment score of 457 or higher, or an Idaho Paraprofessional Testing Alternative score of 75% or higher. If these requirements are not met at hire, the Idaho assessment must be passed within 90 days of the start date.
• Ability to follow written and oral instructions and District policies and procedures.
• Ability to adapt classroom instruction, materials, and presentations to students’ learning levels and provide basic instructional, tutoring, evaluation, lesson-planning, curriculum, materials-preparation, and classroom-management support.
• Ability to maintain composure and focus in high-stress situations, multitask, manage interruptions, and complete tasks in a timely manner.
• Ability to prepare and maintain records, files, reports, logs, statistics, and other documentation.
• Ability to operate classroom instructional equipment, standard office equipment, and a personal computer with job-related software; perform basic keyboarding, copying, and filing.
• Ability to manage time and schedules, meet deadlines, and set priorities.
• Ability to establish effective working relationships with students, teachers, staff, and other District personnel; communicate effectively orally and in writing; and maintain student, school, and parent confidentiality.
• Ability to demonstrate integrity, ingenuity, and inventiveness.
• Sufficient speech, hearing, vision, manual dexterity, mobility, agility, strength, and reflexes to perform the described duties, with or without reasonable accommodation; this includes lifting at least 25 pounds and physically interacting with and controlling students, including applying prescribed restraint techniques.
• Regular attendance.

Nice To Haves

• College or other advanced education or training.
• Classroom or other instructional experience.
• Experience with children with special needs.
• Any equivalent combination of experience and training that provides the knowledge and abilities to perform the work.

Responsibilities

• Assist special education teachers in the special education program and in implementing students’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
• Prepare, modify, and adapt lesson plans, classroom materials, and presentations.
• Assist with diagnostic, skills, and level testing.
• Help students with classroom and homework assignments, tutoring, and supplemental instruction.
• Assist students with socialization, personal hygiene, medications, physical therapy, nutrition, and related personal tasks as needed.
• Work with students individually or in groups, in separate classrooms or by facilitating inclusion in regular classrooms.
• Help regular classroom teachers adapt presentations and materials for assigned students.
• Assist with classroom activities, classroom management, lesson plans, grading, clerical work, record keeping, reports, files, and other documentation as directed.
• Perform substitute teacher duties in the teacher’s absence.
• Perform clerical duties such as copying, entering records and data into a computer, faxing, and preparing text and documents.
• Help maintain a clean, neat, and orderly classroom; prepare bulletin boards and displays; and maintain classroom supplies.
• Assist with student supervision on field trips and extracurricular activities.
• Perform school grounds, bus, noon, and other monitoring and safety duties as assigned.
• Participate in appropriate training, workshops, and in-service programs.
• Perform duties in accordance with District policies, procedures, and safety practices, and carry out other related duties as required.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED