Special Education - Instructional Assistant I - III

Pleasant Valley School District•Camarillo, CA

14h

About The Position

Under the direction of a Principal or assigned administrator, the Special Education Instructional Assistant provides instructional support to individual students or small groups in a special education or typical classroom or setting and performs assigned clerical duties. Specialized training may be required and provided. Assignments vary by level according to their complexity, student needs, student dependence on adult support, and the training and skills required. Lead positions may provide rotating training and mentoring support to lower classifications at various sites. This recruitment establishes an eligibility list for current openings, the 2026/2027 school year, and the substitute pool. The list will be valid for six months. The job family includes levels I through VI, with assignments ranging from mild/moderate needs in a typical classroom or one-to-one setting to the most severe or medically fragile programs. Candidates meeting minimum qualifications will be invited to complete an examination during the week of November 2, 2026.

Requirements

Any combination of experience, training, and/or education equivalent to demonstrate the listed knowledge and abilities.
High school diploma or equivalent, as required for paraprofessionals under ESSA.
Demonstrate proficiency in reading, writing, math, and classroom instruction by meeting one of the stated ESSA pathways: an associate degree or higher; 48 units from an institution of higher education; or demonstrated knowledge and ability through a local assessment.

Nice To Haves

Experience with children in a special education or clinical setting is highly desirable.

Responsibilities

Maintain District customer-service standards and professional behavior, including in challenging situations, and monitor District email daily.
Participate in assigned staff development and in-service training.
Prepare classroom work areas and materials; operate audio-visual and educational training equipment; distribute and collect supplies.
Help staff assess programs and materials for student needs, organize instructional resources, and order instructional materials when necessary.
Assist certificated teachers with presenting learning materials, classroom lessons, instructional exercises, and projects; modify and prepare projects to meet individual or classroom needs and clean up afterward.
Support individual students or small groups with academic skills and reinforce instruction in subjects such as reading, spelling, math, and social studies.
Communicate with teachers, specialists, and parents about educational goals and objectives, and contribute ideas for working with students within the teacher's framework.
Adapt curriculum for individual students under teacher direction.
Perform clerical work, including preparing instructional materials, scoring papers, recording grades, taking roll, and maintaining confidential student records and files.
Assist students with personal care and functional skills, including toileting, diapering, dressing, bathing, grooming, feeding, and food preparation.
Observe and guide student behavior using approved procedures, report student progress and behavior, and provide information to evaluate progress.
Help maintain order and supervise students in classrooms, on school grounds, on field trips, in cafeterias, and when mainstreamed into another class; maintain classroom activities when the teacher is temporarily absent and accompany students between locations.
Lift, move, and position students, including non-ambulatory students; assist with adapted toilets, buses, standers, wheelchairs, braces, adaptive devices, and adapted physical education equipment.
Provide students with appropriate examples, emotional support, a friendly attitude, and guidance, and follow health and safety rules.
Attend District training to provide non-licensed support for specialized student health plans, such as G-tube feeding, seizure monitoring, or asthma management.
Learn and use visual and other structures and supports to care for students with autism or other needs.
Perform out-of-class work as assigned under Merit Rules and Regulations.