ED PARA,EX ED,C

Orange County Public Schools•Orlando, FL

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Under direct supervision, provides paraprofessional staff support in an educational or child care environment, assisting teachers and students. Works with certified teachers, occupational therapists, and other certified specialists to support the education, care, and development of students with mental, physical, emotional, and other special needs. Provides instructional, vocational, and developmental assistance to trainable and educable exceptional students under the direction of a certified teacher or other school official. Duties are performed according to the exceptional needs of assigned students, and related work is performed as directed.

Requirements

Associate’s degree or higher, or at least 60 semester hours from an accredited institution of higher education; an official transcript is required to validate education.
Passing the paraprofessional certification exam may substitute for the education requirement to meet highly qualified status.
Must be highly qualified before starting employment with Orange County Public Schools.
At least two years of experience working with school-age children in an educational environment that provides broad familiarity with the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of children with exceptional needs.
Demonstrated stress management skills.
Ability to fulfill the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to the needs of school-age children.

Nice To Haves

Previous vocational training or work experience in a licensed childcare environment is preferred.

Responsibilities

Respond to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, courteous, and empathetic manner, representing OCPS positively.
Provide instructional, vocational, and developmental assistance to students with special needs as prescribed by the supervising teacher.
Assist students arriving by bus and escort them to and from learning areas; physically transfer students from wheelchairs to desks or floor mats as needed.
Assist students with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, according to individual development.
Assist students with fine motor activities, including playing with toys, cutting materials, and coloring, according to individual development.
Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, lavatory needs, grooming, and personal hygiene.
Monitor, observe, and chart student behavior in exploratory classes, documenting behavioral changes, outbursts, and other student-specific actions.
Apply crisis intervention principles and procedures with students who exhibit aggressive behavior or other social difficulties; provide physical restraint when necessary in violent circumstances.
Reinforce school and learning-environment rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and help students understand inappropriate behavior.
Assist with lesson plans, behavior modification plans, teacher pre-planning, learning activities, and the preparation of instructional and vocational materials.
Maintain accurate and complete records of student activities and behavior; enter student information and data into a computer terminal and complete applicable forms, schedules, and instructional reports as directed.
Assist teachers in supervising classroom learning activities and provide students with learning support.
Perform assigned monitoring duties in areas such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and buses; ensure appropriate conduct and escort students to designated activity areas.
Assist teachers and students in assigned labs and, as applicable, translate lesson plans and other information to support student understanding.
Keep current with job-related technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training to maintain required technology skills.
Maintain timely and accurate information as part of job responsibilities.
Perform related duties as directed.