Severe Needs Para Educator - High Plains Elementary School

Cherry Creek Schools•Englewood, CO

About The Position

Assist students with severe special education needs under the direction of licensed special education staff. Support individuals and small groups with curriculum, skill development, behavior strategies, and assignment completion. Prepare instructional materials, monitor student progress, and maintain achievement records. Provide technical physical care and help ensure a clean, safe, and hygienic environment. In remote learning settings, assist students with technology access, curriculum reinforcement, executive functioning strategies, skill generalization, and coursework completion. Assignments may include Autism, BD, Early Childhood Education, Homebound (FAPE), ILC, SED, and Transition Programming. The role has no direct supervisory responsibilities. Work location may change to meet organizational requirements. The position involves working indoors and outdoors, typically in a moderate noise level, and may include physical care duties for students, including toileting, grooming, feeding, positioning, and other assigned care. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Requirements

High School Equivalency (HSE) diploma.
Criminal background check and fingerprinting are required.
No professional work experience is required.
For Title I assignments, meet at least one of these criteria: complete at least two years of study at an institution of higher education; obtain an associate’s or higher degree; or meet a rigorous quality standard and demonstrate, through a formal state or local academic assessment, knowledge and ability to assist with instruction in reading/language arts, writing, and mathematics or readiness skills in those subjects.
For staff working in Autism, Behaviorally Disordered, or ILC assignments, complete mandatory biennial Crisis Prevention Intervention training provided by the District.
Complete District-provided medication administration training as needed.
Basic knowledge of typical office equipment, including telephones, copiers, fax machines, and email.
Basic knowledge of Microsoft Office.
Intermediate verbal and written communication skills.
Intermediate interpersonal relations skills.
Intermediate organizational skills.
Ability to work alone and with others.
Ability to appropriately modify curriculum and implement behavior modification techniques.
Ability to diffuse and manage volatile and stressful situations.
Ability to maintain confidentiality in all aspects of the job.
Ability to work one-on-one and in small groups with students.
For DHH Program assignments, ability to understand the impacts of hearing loss on learning and social interaction.
For Homebound program assignments, ability to set appropriate boundaries and build appropriate relationships while working in students’ homes with families and healthcare providers, and to communicate appropriately with families.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in the public sector, specifically public education.
Experience working directly with people from diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds.
Racially conscious and culturally competent, with the skill, will, capacity, and knowledge to commit to a culture of continuous improvement.
Associate’s degree.
Experience working with children with special needs in a paid program or licensed special education teaching experience.
Experience working with students with autism, behavior challenges, medically fragile conditions, hearing or vision loss, or intellectual disabilities.
CPR and First Aid certification.

Responsibilities

Assist students with classroom activities and adapt curriculum to individual needs; support individuals and small groups with curriculum delivery and skill generalization.
Implement student accommodations, supports, modifications, procedures, and programming outlined in Individual Education Plans (IEPs).
Maintain records of student progress and behavior with licensed staff, provide feedback, prepare special reports, and report observations to the IEP team.
Assist licensed special education staff with preparing materials, administering tests, attendance, paperwork, documentation, and classroom events such as fire drills.
Monitor students and reinforce behavior appropriate to individual needs; assist with verbal de-escalation and non-violent crisis interventions to reduce risks of self-harm and harm to others.
Support social interaction and communication between students with special needs and general education peers.
Provide assigned technical physical care, which may include toileting, grooming, cleaning ventilation devices, feeding, G-tube care, positioning, and improving range of motion.
When trained and delegated by a registered school nurse, follow student medication delivery orders accurately.
In online or remote settings, support individuals or small groups during synchronous or asynchronous classroom activities, including curriculum accommodations and modifications; support skill practice and generalization.
Prepare assignments for students to complete at home and support them in completing assigned work.
Troubleshoot student technology issues and maintain progress and behavior records in coordination with licensed staff.
In the DHH Program, develop students’ language, vocabulary, reading, and writing using sign language when working as a signing para-educator.
Perform other duties as assigned or requested.