ED PARA,EX ED,NC,NON-TITLE I
About The Position
Under direct supervision, provides staff support in an educational or child care environment by 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, along with related work as directed. The role may involve assisting students with mobility and transfers, motor activities, daily living skills, classroom learning, and behavior support. It also includes observing and documenting student behavior, helping prepare instructional materials and plans, maintaining student records, and supervising students in classrooms and other school areas. The position requires the physical ability to meet students’ needs, including lifting and assisting with transfers, and may involve exposure to challenging behavior or adverse conditions. New hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire. The district will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities who request them to perform the essential functions of the job.
Requirements
- High school diploma or GED.
- At least two years of experience working with school-age children in an educational environment, providing broad familiarity with and understanding of the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of children with exceptional needs; or an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
- Demonstrated stress-management skills.
- Ability to meet the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to special needs.
- New hires must successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.
- Ability to operate, maneuver, or control special-needs equipment and devices, and standard office equipment.
- Ability to carry out detailed written or oral instructions and perform routine work according to prescribed practices, with some latitude for independent judgment.
- Ability to perform the physical tasks described, including lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy objects and materials up to 100 pounds and occasionally 100 pounds or more.
Nice To Haves
- Additional HRS training is preferred.
- A passing score on the Para Assessment, an associate’s degree, or 60 completed semester credits may qualify candidates for a higher hourly rate in a certified position; evidence must be provided.
- Depending on classroom grade assignment, ability to perform basic arithmetic, calculate decimals and percentages, use fractions, or interpret graphs.
Responsibilities
- Provide instructional, vocational, and developmental assistance to students with special needs as prescribed by the supervising teacher.
- Assist students arriving on buses and escort them to and from learning areas; physically transfer students from wheelchairs to desks or floor mats when needed.
- Assist students with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, as appropriate to their development.
- Assist students with fine motor activities, including playing with toys, cutting materials, and coloring, as appropriate to their development.
- Assist students with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, lavatory needs, grooming, and personal hygiene.
- Monitor, observe, and chart student behavior; document behavioral changes, outbursts, and other student-specific actions.
- Use crisis-intervention principles and procedures with students displaying aggressive behavior or social difficulties; physically restrain students 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 instructional or vocational materials.
- Maintain accurate and complete records of student activities and behavior, including entering student information and data into a computer terminal; complete applicable forms, schedules, and instructional reports as directed.
- Assist teachers in supervising learning activities and provide classroom assistance and learning support to students.
- Perform assigned monitoring duties in areas such as hallways, lunchrooms, restrooms, and buses; support appropriate student conduct and escort students to designated activities and locations.
- Assist teachers and students in assigned labs; translate lesson plans and other information when needed to support student understanding and comprehension.
- 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.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
High school or GED
