ED PARA,EX ED,C

Orange County Public Schools • University, FL

3d • Onsite

About The Position

Under direct supervision, this position provides paraprofessional support in an educational or child care environment, assisting teachers and students. The employee works with certified teachers, occupational therapists, and other certified specialists to support the education, care, and development of students with mental, physical, or emotional disabilities and other special needs. The role 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 other related work as directed.

The position may involve assisting students with transportation within the school, transfers from wheelchairs, motor and daily living activities, behavior monitoring, crisis intervention, classroom learning, and instructional preparation. Employees maintain records and may support student supervision in areas such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, buses, labs, and activity areas. The district provides support and training to help employees maintain technology skills relevant to the job.

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 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.
• Ability to operate, maneuver, and control special-needs equipment and devices and standard office equipment.
• Ability to carry out detailed but straightforward written or oral instructions and use judgment in situations requiring evaluation of information.

Nice To Haves

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

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, documenting behavioral changes, outbursts, and other student-specific actions.
• Apply crisis-intervention principles and procedures for students with aggressive behavior or other social difficulties, including physical restraint when necessary in violent circumstances.
• Reinforce school and classroom rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and help students understand inappropriate behavior.
• Assist with lesson plans, behavior modification plans, teacher pre-planning, 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 applicable forms, schedules, and reports.
• Assist teachers in supervising classroom learning activities and provide students with learning support.
• Perform assigned monitoring duties, such as hallway, lunchroom, restroom, or bus duty; ensure appropriate student conduct and escort students to designated activities.
• Assist teachers and students in assigned labs and, where applicable, translate lesson plans and other information for student understanding.
• Keep current with job-appropriate technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training as needed.
• 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