ED PARA,INTENSIVE DISAB,C (ESE)

Orange County Public Schools•Orlando, FL

2d•Onsite

About The Position

Under direct supervision, provides assistance in the education, care, and development of students with severe disabilities. Performs instructional, clerical, and behavioral-management duties according to the exceptional needs of assigned students, under the direction of a certified teacher, guidance counselor, or administrator. Performs related work as directed. The position involves supporting students’ learning, behavior, development, medical and social-emotional needs, personal care, and participation in school activities. It also assists teachers with lesson and behavior-intervention planning, instructional materials, progress-monitoring data, reports, and IEP development and review. The listed essential functions are representative rather than exhaustive; management may assign other logical duties.

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; applicants must be highly qualified before employment begins.
At least two years of experience working with exceptional-needs school-age children (Pre-K through grade 12) in an educational environment providing broad familiarity with the physical and emotional behaviors and challenges of children with severe disabilities; additional education may substitute for experience year for year.
Successfully complete ESE Training within 45 days of hire.
Ability to meet the dexterity and physical requirements of the work and effectively attend to school-age children with special needs.
Strong stress-management skills.
Ability to assist with specialized therapeutic or physical care plans and procedures.
Ability to operate, maneuver, or control special-needs equipment and devices.
Ability to evaluate information and apply judgment, discretion, and problem-solving techniques.
Depending on classroom assignment, ability to perform arithmetic, calculate decimals and percentages, use fractions, and interpret graphs.
Ability to perform very heavy physical work, including lifting, carrying, pushing, or pulling heavy objects and materials up to 100 pounds and occasionally heavier items.
Ability to work with exposure to adverse environmental conditions, including violence when working with severely disabled or emotionally disturbed children.

Nice To Haves

Previous vocational training or work experience in a licensed child-care environment.

Responsibilities

Respond to internal and external customers in a timely, accurate, courteous, and empathetic manner, representing OCPS positively.
Provide instructional, behavioral, and developmental assistance to students with severe disabilities as directed by a supervising teacher or other certified professional.
Apply basic positive behavioral-support practices and assist students with problem-solving skills.
Assist with behavior interventions, including monitoring and charting student behaviors.
Use crisis-intervention principles with students who display aggressive behavior and may require physical restraint.
Assist students arriving by bus, escort them to and from learning areas, physically transfer them from wheelchairs, and monitor their medical and social-emotional needs.
Provide support and follow-up for students with severe disabilities assigned to in-school suspension.
Reinforce school and learning-environment rules, encourage appropriate behavior, and identify inappropriate behavior using a positive behavioral-support approach.
Escort and provide one-on-one assistance during meals, restroom visits, and other activities throughout the school day.
Assist with gross motor activities, including grasping, holding objects, posture, crawling, walking, and running, as appropriate to individual development.
Assist with fine motor activities, including use of assistive devices and participation in job-skill and leisure-skill activities.
Assist with daily living skills, including dressing, eating, toileting and diapering, grooming, and personal hygiene.
Assist teachers with lesson plans, behavior-intervention plans, accommodations, learning activities, and preparation of instructional materials.
Assist teachers in collecting and reporting data for progress monitoring, progress reports, and IEP development and review.
Perform assigned monitoring duties, such as hallway, lunchroom, restroom, and bus duty; ensure appropriate conduct and escort students to designated activities.
When assigned to labs, assist teachers and provide instruction or information to students; translate lesson plans or other information when needed to aid understanding.
Keep current with job-appropriate technology used by OCPS and attend district-supported training to maintain required technology skills.
Maintain timely and accurate job-related information.
Perform related duties as directed.