ED PARA,EX ED,C

Orange County Public Schools • Orlando, FL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Under direct supervision, provides paraprofessional support in an educational or child care environment, assisting teachers and students. Works with certified teachers, occupational therapists, and other certified specialists in 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, with related work assigned as directed.

The position involves supporting students’ learning and developmental activities, personal care, behavior, and mobility; assisting teachers with instructional preparation and classroom supervision; maintaining student records; and using special-needs equipment and standard office equipment. The role requires the ability to meet substantial physical demands and to work in environments where adverse conditions, including violence, may occur.

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 educational 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, with broad familiarity and understanding of the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of exceptional-needs children.
• 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.
• Ability to operate, maneuver, or control special-needs equipment and devices and standard office equipment.
• Ability to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions and exercise judgment in situations requiring evaluation of information.

Nice To Haves

• Previous vocational training or work experience in a licensed child care 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, including transferring students from wheelchairs to desks or floor mats.
• Assist students with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, as appropriate to individual development.
• Assist students with fine motor activities, including playing with toys, cutting materials, and coloring, as appropriate to individual development.
• Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, lavatory needs, grooming, and personal hygiene.
• Monitor, observe, and chart student behavior, documenting behavioral changes, outbursts, and other student-specific actions.
• Apply crisis-intervention principles and procedures for students with aggressive behavior or social difficulties, including 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 sessions, learning activities, and preparation of instructional and vocational materials.
• Maintain accurate and complete records of student activities and behavior; enter student information and data using a computer terminal as needed; and complete 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; support appropriate student conduct and escort students to designated activities.
• When assigned to labs, assist teachers and provide instruction or information to students; translate lesson plans and other information when needed to support student understanding.
• Keep current with job-appropriate 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.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree