Sent in by: Sharon Oberne, First Grade Teacher, Willoughby Elementary School

For the past ten years, I was a literacy specialist working with small groups. Due to budget cuts, I was placed back in the classroom as a first grade inclusion teacher. It was Ryan Black, a special educational assistant, who provided a helping hand.

It was a difficult transition back into the classroom, especially when it came to using technology. It was Ryan who coached me on how to use the Smart Board and various computer applications. She also provided insight into understanding more about the students receiving special educational services.

My classroom consists of twenty-three students. Most of these students are receiving some form of special educational services. Ryan provides much-needed assistance during mathematics and communication skills' blocks. I can honestly say that without Ryan's help, the students would not meet their IEP goals.

Recently, an unexpected audit was conducted in my classroom from Norfolk Public Schools' Central Administration. In fact, all primary classrooms were targeted on the same day. Unfortunately, Ryan was at a meeting and not in my classroom when these two professionals came. I was skeptical in how I would be able to conduct groups during math time, since these individuals were not in any hurry to leave. I really thought they would have left after carefully examining the students' writing and reading portfolios. I decided to hand over my lesson plans, since they had not asked for them, while letting them know that this was an inclusion class. These professionals were speechless!

As I conducted the three math groups, sending my higher group to math stations, I soon discovered that ALL the students were very efficient in showcasing their skills. I was totally blown away and very excited over everyone's progress, especially the students Ryan worked with. So much so, that one of the auditors had to see exactly what the students were working on. The expression on her face was priceless and to me it was worth more than a million dollars. Of course, I cannot take full credit for this, because Ryan Black is a golden asset in the classroom.

Besides providing assistance in my classroom, Ryan also helps in several other inclusion classrooms, which includes kindergarten, third grade and fifth grade. I do not know how she does it all! In her spare time, she is involved with special projects for the school, such as PTA programs, children's events, and as an editorial advisor for young authors seeking publication.

Ryan Black has received the "Star Mentoring" Award several times for her dedication as being a mentor for disadvantaged youth. In addition, Ryan has been nominated for the prestigious Norfolk Public Schools' Inspirational Award as a Paraprofessional.

Ryan is passionate in her role as a teacher assistant. Her commitment as a paraprofessional is exceptional and is truly an example for others to follow.

Article by Steve Brandick

Paraprofessionals make great teachers! That was just an assumption back in 1994 when the Los Angeles Unified School District Paraeducator Career Ladder was established. It is now fact. The program began as a union and management collaborative intended to improve the economic situation of low-income employees while developing a pool of minority teacher candidates to help ease a severe shortage. It has grown into a comprehensive career pathway which includes high school teacher academies and a specially designed teacher credentialing program. In the process about 3,500 paraeducators have become teachers and thousands of high school students have been introduced to the profession. There are now principals, assistant principals, instructional coaches, teacher advisers, department and grade level chairs, counselors, psychologists and a large number of effective teachers working in the schools who would not be there without the support of the Career Ladder. These educators are 90% minority, have a five-year retention rate of over 80% and have been shown to be more effective as teachers.

When the program was first initiated, there was much discussion about paraeducators, their potential as teachers and the barriers that kept many of them from furthering their education. Some of those issues were straight forward and we tackled them at the outset. The cost of tuition, which was significantly lower in 1994 than it is now, was addressed through tuition reimbursements and scholarships. The Los Angeles Unified School District dedicated substantial funds in 1994 and then in 1995, the State of California established the Paraprofessional Teacher Training Program which has provided scholarships ever since. Advisement was addressed by establishing the position of On-campus Adviser at the local California State Universities to advise paraeducators who were enrolled at a community college or not yet enrolled anywhere. Many of the candidates had taken a lot of courses at multiple institutions without much focus. The On-campus Adviser helped them sort it all out and design a credential pathway.

Other issues were more complex and have taken years to address. A key to the Career Ladder success was the fact that participants worked as aides in classroom settings similar to the ones they would encounter as teachers. However, established credentialing programs required the same preparation for all candidates no matter what their background. This was because the agencies that accredited and approved those programs had very specific requirements that did not allow for tailoring preparation for specific populations. That meant that the program of study for a paraeducator with ten years of experience working with and observing veteran teachers would be the same as that received by a person who had never been in a classroom in any role other than that of a student.

We struggled with this for years, but never gave up. From 1997-2003, the Career Ladder Office collaborated with California State University, Los Angeles on the Apprentice Teacher Program. Run as a pilot program, it was allowed to make significant alterations in the traditional credentialing program. One of those alterations was the shortening of student teaching from two quarters to ten weeks. This seemed like a good idea at the time, but we actually learned that paraeducators needed and wanted a longer, more targeted student teaching experience, not a shorter one.

In 2007, the Career Ladder Office won a federal Transition to Teaching grant which allowed us to build on the experience of the pilot. This time around, we focused on special education and mathematics candidates. Instead of shortening student teaching, we lengthened it to an entire year. We also created a master/apprentice relationship between the teacher candidate and the supervising teacher and designed a curriculum that used a set of structured activities to guide participants from the role of assistant to that of a teacher. As a result, we have succeeded in establishing a new model for teacher preparation. The teachers who graduated from this program have been supremely prepared for the challenges of running their own classroom on the first day on their new job. That curriculum and program design will be available free of charge by June 2012. A link will be placed at www.pathways2professions.org.

At the moment, there is less interest in the teaching profession than there was five years ago. The economic situation and scarcity of jobs have had a strong impact. The number of paraeducators participating in the Career Ladder Program has gone from 5,000 to only 300 in the past few years. All of the current candidates are pursuing careers in the most severe shortage areas of math, science and special education. The teacher academies lost their district funding at the start of 2011-2012, but the great majority had already been institutionalized within their school program and are continuing to thrive. The apprentice model has been established. For all of the challenges, the Career Ladder Program is still in place, conceptually very strong with results to prove it and ready to expand when the inevitable baby boom teacher shortage hits in a few years.

 

	30th National Conference for Paraprofessionals SCHEDULE

 Wednesday – February 29, 2012

4:00-7:30 PM - Registration

4:30-7:30 PM – Leadership Session

 

Thursday – March 1, 2012                                                                                                  Revised 2-9

7:00 AM-5:00 PM	Registration
7:15-8:15 AM	Continental Breakfast
7:00 AM-6:30 PM	Exhibits
8:00-9:45 AM	Introduction Welcome:  Dr. James J. Ponce, Ed.D Keynote Speaker: Dawn White La Condesa/El Mirador

    

9:45-10:00 AM	Break
10:00-11:30 AM	Session 1: A Toolbox Full of Essentials Needed for A Successful Mentor Program Kristen Heiser & Valerie Stone Corte Real C	Session 2: Interveners for Students Who are Deaf and Blind: The Nuts and Bolts of the NEW Intervener Credentialing Program Linda Alsop El Mirador East
	Session 3: Teacher and Paraprofessional Partnerships in Co-Organizing Daily Activities at the Special Education Student Program Level Regina Marie Moreno Corte Real F	Session 4: Using Learning Styles to Support Struggling Learners:  A Hands-On Session Ludmilla Battista     Corte Real D/E
	Session 5: Pareducator Portfolios: Planning for Success Suzanne Koprowski & Carol Long (Repeat Session #22) El Mirador West	Session 6: Nobody Told Me About This! Bonnie Lotzer Corte Real A/B
11:30 AM-1:00 PM	Lunch – (On Your Own)
1:00-2:30 PM	Session 7: Work-Life Balance for Educators:  Achievable or the Impossible Dream? Willie & Veronica Hepworth El Mirador West	Session 8: The Paraprofessional’s Role in Supporting Students who Receive Special Education Services Dawn White Corte Real A/B
	Session 9: Credentialing for Paraeducators:  Moving the Mountain! Anna Lou Pickett & Barbara Locker Corte Real C	Session 10: Para and Teacher:  And The Two Shall Become One Leonard Edmonds Corte Real F
	Session 11: Lessons Learned-California’s Early Intervention Assistance Certificate Program Community College Personnel Preparation Project Cheryl A. Allen El Mirador East	Session 12: Helping Kids Read Fluently (Part 1) Nancy French (Part 2 – Session #20) Corte Real D/E
2:30-3:00 PM	Break
3:00-4:30 PM	Session 13: Assisting with Early Literacy Instruction Betty Ashbaker & Ana Pomar Corte Real C	Session 14: Considerations for Online Training to Paraeducators Sarah N. Douglas Corte Real F
	Session 15: Paraprofessionals:  Advocating for the Profession Lauren Sament and Julie Bowman La Condesa East	Session 16: In-Step and In-Synch:  6 Social Skills for Effective Paraeducator/Teacher Partnerships Mary Hull El Mirador West
	Session 17: Paraeducator-Teacher Teams;  Working Together in Harmony Ritu Chopra & Gerlandine DiPalma El Mirador East	Session 18: Learning to Manage Change Jan Stivers La Condesa West
	Session 19: Managing the Melt-down Paul Bates Corte Real A/B	Session 20: Helping Kids Read Fluently (Part 2) Nancy French Pre-requisite:  Session #12 – Part 1 Corte Real D/E
5:00-6:30 PM	Reception

Friday – March 2, 2012

7:00 AM-4:30 PM	Registration
7:00-8:00 AM	Continental Breakfast
7:00 AM- 4:30 PM	Exhibits
8:00-9:45 AM	Introductions Welcome: Dr. John M. Folks Keynote Speaker:  Consuelo Castillo Kickbusch La Condesa/El Mirador

 

9:45-10:00 AM	Break
10:00-11:30 AM	Session 21:   Hands-On Math Activities that Buzz! Amy Serda-King (Repeat of Session #51) Corte Real D/E	Session 22:   Paraeducators Portfolios:  Planning for Success Suzanne Koprowski & Carol Long (Repeat of Session #5) Corte Real F
	Session 23:   The Holland Self-Directed Search Thalia Moshoyannis La Condesa West	Session 24:   Ethical and Legal Issues Concerning Paraeducator Employment, Training, Supervision and Evaluation:  What Administrators and Teachers Need to Know Kent Gerlach Corte Real A/B
	Session 25:   Writing Strategies That Work! Kit Giddings El Mirador East	Session 26:   The Elephant in the Room:  What Should I Do During a Crisis? Cindy Meyers Hacienda II
	Session 27:   Para to Teacher:  1994 to Present Steve Brandick La Condesa East	Session 28: Para Intervention Team (P.I.T. Crew) Tina Pizzitola, Holly Fitgerald, Joyce Houston, Marge Rehberg   El Mirador West
	Session 29:   PA’s Special Education Paraprofessional Initiative:  A Comprehensive Approach Jennifer Goldbloom Corte Real C	Session 30: Strategies for Paraeducators to Encourage Student Independence and Facilitate Social Interactions Tiffany Rodriguez La Espada
11:30 AM-1:00 PM	Lunch (On Your Own)
1:00-2:30 PM	Session 31: Teaching Multi-Step Skills to Students with Severe Disabilities Sarah N. Douglas La Condesa West	Session 32:   When You Feel You've Tried Your Best and Quitting is NOT an Option!! Jo Mascorro Corte Real D/E
	Session 33:   Understanding the Conflict Cycle Adrian L. Sorrell Corte Real C	Session 34:   Building Working Relationships as an Effective Member of the Team Ludmilla Battista El Mirador West
	Session 35:   One- on- One Assignment of Paraeducators:  Reality and Issues Ritu Chopra La Condesa East	Session 36:   The Role of the Paraeducator in Transition:  Planning for Life After High School for Students with Disabilities Vickie J. Mitchell Hacienda II
	Session 37:   The 21st Century Para Ashleigh Molloy Corte Real A/B	Session 38:   The Wingman:  Roles and Responsibilities of the Paraeducator Julia Battles & Ada Winford Corte Real F
	Session 39:  It’s BAR Time:  Join Us For a Happy Hour of Behavior and Academic RTI Darlene Redclift & Erin Kelts El  Mirador East	Session 40: Estrellita: Building a Reading Foundation in Spanish for ELL Students Diana Herrera La Espada
2:30-3:00 PM	BREAK
3:00-4:30 PM	Session 41:   Evidence-Based Interventions for Teaching Students with Autism Paul Bates Corte Real F	Session 42: Empower Yourself to Make Congress Listen! Marc Egan Corte Real A/B
	Session 43:   Heart & Head:  Meeting the Social and Emotional Learning Needs of Students Leonard Edmonds Corte Real C	Session 44: Preparing Early Childhood Paraeducators to Work in 21st Century Settings Melanie Nollsch & Susan Simon La Espada
	Session 45:   Improving Communication Between Teachers and Paraeducators Tiffany Rodriguez El Mirador East	Session 46: Why Is He Acting Like That!  Understanding and Reducing Challenging Behaviors Sherrie Routin Corte Real D/E
	Session 47:   True Colors Liz Picone El Mirador West	Session 48: To Be or Not To Be Intrusive in Inclusive Settings Mary Lasater La Condesa East
	Session 49:   Differentiated Instruction: Including All Students in the Learning Process Kit Giddings Hacienda II	Session 50: Fostering Collaboration in Inclusive Settings:  The Special Education Students at a Glance Approach Beth Jones La Condesa West

Saturday – March 3, 2012

7:30-9:30 AM	Registration
8:00-8:30 AM	Continental Breakfast
8:00 AM-12:00 Noon	Exhibits
8:30-8:45 AM 8:45-10:15 AM	Introductions Welcome & Keynote Speaker:  Jo Mascorro La Condesa/El Mirador
10:15 – 10:30 AM	BREAK
10:30-12:00 Noon	Session 51:   Hands On Math Activities that Buzz! Kathryn Brown (Repeat of Session #21) Corte Real D/C	Session 52: Literacy Instruction for Students with Significant Disabilities Cindy Meyers Corte Real C
	Session 53:   Data Collection Made Easy: How to Identify, Record, and Monitor Student Progress Kit Giddings La Espada	Session 54:   Classroom Management for Paraeducators What Can I Do? Janice Reese & April Strumpf Corte Real A/B
	Session 55: Achieving True Mastery in the Learning Process Tracy Knickerbocker Corte Real F

The Distinction in Roles of Paraeducators and Teachers

By Doug Van Oort

Education Faculty and Paraeducator Certification Coordinator, Kirkwood Community College

Maria, who has her high school diploma and recently acquired her Iowa Level I paraeducator certification by taking six college credits, is starting her 17^th year as a paraeducator and is highly regarded by all professionals in her school building, including teachers and the principal. They describe her as great with students, easy to work with, effective in dealing with student misbehavior, and organized.

Sandra, the special education teacher assigned to direct Maria’s work, is new and is overwhelmed with all there is to do, such as learning about her students, building relationships with the many teachers she supports, reading and updating IEPs, communicating with parents, and so on….in addition to directing the work of Maria and three other paraeducators.

Buried under all she has to do, Sandra decides to turn responsibility for one student, Devon, over to Maria, knowing that Maria has worked with Devon for years and understands him and his needs better than she does. Sandra tells Maria to start writing lesson plans for Devon and teaching the lessons to Devon in both his general education classrooms as well as in the special education classroom where he is scheduled for part of the school day for highly specialized instruction. Sandra expects Maria to find or create all materials needed in those lessons. In addition, while supporting Devon in his general education classes, Maria hears comments from a couple teachers such as, “He’s your kid,” when she asks them what they want Devon to be learning and doing or when she asks how they expect her to address his misbehavior.

Some might ask, “What’s wrong with Maria’s story? She has demonstrated many positive qualities as a paraeducator over many years, and Sandra is new, unsure of how to meet Devon’s needs, and is overwhelmed.” According to the Department of Education’s Guide for Effective Paraeducator Practices in Iowa (2007), there’s plenty wrong with Maria’s situation. Below are two tables that appear on pages 63-65 of this guide. Pay special attention to the shaded items as they apply to Maria’s situation:

Paraeducators May:	Paraeducators May NOT:
1.      Be left alone in the classroom, in a planned way when the supervising teacher is called away.	1.      Be used as a substitute for certified teachers unless the paraeducator is a certified teacher or certified sub.
2.      Work without direct supervision with individuals or groups of students on concepts introduced by a teacher.	2.      Teach completely new concepts and skills.
3.      Have specific instructional and management responsibility for an individual student or groups of students under direction of the teacher.	3.      Be given the primary responsibility for the education of an individual student.
4.      Be involved in student staffing and meetings, as approved by licensed staff and family members.	4.      Be assigned to attend student meetings in lieu of the supervising teacher.
5.      Support the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education by taking notes, tutoring, giving tests orally, or supporting behavior interventions.	5.      Make accommodation decisions outside of a student’s IEP.
6.      Maintain records relevant to classroom assignments.	6.      Carry out clerical responsibilities that are assigned to other staff members.
7.      Aid the teacher in supervising assemblies.	7.      Take full responsibility for supervising assemblies.
8.      Accompany students on outings to the community, recreation sites, and school related trips or errands.	8.      Take full responsibility for supervising students on outings to the community, recreation sites, and school related trips.

 

Duties of Supervising Teacher	Duties of Paraeducator
Classroom Organization ·        Plans weekly schedule ·        Plans instructional program: goals, lessons, activities for entire class and individual students.	Classroom Organization ·        Assists with planning; copies, types, files, etc. ·        Implements plan as specified by the teacher ·        Plans review activities ·        Maintains records
Assessment ·        Administers tests to entire class ·        Evaluates and grades student performance	Assessment ·        Checks and scores student work ·        Monitors student progress; relates findings to teacher
Sets Objectives ·        Determines appropriate objectives for class and individual students	Sets Objectives ·        Implements lessons to meet student objectives
Instruction ·        Designs and selects instructional materials ·        Teaches lessons for the entire class, small groups and individual students	Instruction ·        Assembles instructional materials as told by the teacher ·        Leads small group and 1-on-1 lessons as directed by teacher
Behavior Management ·        Plans and carries out behavior strategies for the whole class and individual students	Behavior Management ·        Implements behavioral management strategies using same emphasis & techniques as teacher ·        Conducts observations, collects data, maintains records
Working with Family Members ·        Corresponds & meets with family members ·        Initiates, conducts, and facilitates conferences for individual students	Working with Family Members ·        Corresponds and meets with family members under the direction of the teacher
Individualized Educational Planning ·        Develops and implements IEP with IEP team	Individualized Educational Planning ·        Assists in implementing IEP goals & objectives ·        Carries out teacher’s plan
Inservice ·        Attends appropriate inservice and professional development opportunities	Inservice ·        Attends appropriate inservice and professional development opportunities
Other Duties ·        Facilitates the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education	Other Duties ·        Monitors playground, cafeteria, study hall, bus ·        Facilitates the inclusion of students with disabilities into general education ·        Provides health services as assigned ·        Provides practice skills in the community as assigned

The Department of Education clearly states that:

·        It is the teacher’s responsibility, not the paraeducator’s, to teach skills or knowledge the first time. The paraeducator can be assigned by the teacher to review what was taught or to supervise activities in which students practice or apply what the teacher has taught, but the teacher is responsible for teaching content.

·        The teacher, not the paraeducator, is responsible for instruction and management of students’ behavior. Yes, the paraeducator assists the teacher in carrying out lesson plans and behavior plans, but the teacher is responsible for the design of these plans.

Unfortunately, the case of Maria is not uncommon in Iowa and around the country. I have both observed and been told of several similar cases. In addition to being a violation of Iowa DOE guidelines, giving responsibility for a student’s education solely to a paraeducator is also in conflict with the requirement that teachers be highly qualified under the No Child Left Behind Act. In Maria’s case, she is essentially Devon’s teacher, and she has only a high school diploma and is not, therefore, highly qualified in the eyes of this federal law. Assigning this level of responsibility is also simply unfair to paraeducators who earn a fraction of what teachers earn.

So, what should Maria (and other paraeducators who find themselves in this situation) do? While it’s certainly not easy to voice concern to one’s supervisor, Maria really needs to do so. She should, in private, express her concern to Sandra. She could show Sandra the above tables from the Iowa DOE as support. If there is no change after talking with Sandra, she should take the issue to the principal; showing the DOE tables to the principal might be wise, too. Because there is a code of ethics for paraeducators (also included in the DOE’s guide), it would also be wise of Maria to document when she spoke with Sandra and the principal about this situation in case she is ever questioned in court about her role and whether or not she complied with this code of ethics, namely that paraeducators:

·        Engage only in activities for which they are qualified or trained.

·        Recognize that the supervisor has the ultimate responsibility for instruction and management.

·        Help to see that the best interests of individual children and youth are met. (from Iowa DOE Guide for Effective Paraeducator Practices in Iowa)

Sharing the above code of ethics with Sandra and the principal might also be wise.                                                                       

One other situation not addressed in Maria’s case that is often a concern for paraeducators is communicating with students’ parents. The DOE states that paraeducators should only correspond with and meet with family members of their students under the direction of the teacher. While the paraeducator is an important part of the educational team and can provide valuable input regarding student objectives, progress, accommodations, behavior interventions, and so on, the teacher has more specific training in these areas as well as in education law and school district policies and procedures and should be the team member who communicates with parents and family members about these issues. This requirement ensures that:

·        the school employee with the most knowledge in education law, policies, and procedures communicates with parents;

·        the school communicates with parents and family members with one voice, to avoid the potential for conflicting information being shared with parents;

·        the parent does not attempt to pit one staff member against the other;

·        the parent directs concerns or questions to the staff member who has the power to make changes, the teacher; and

·        the staff member who is being paid more due to a greater level of responsibility is actually fulfilling that responsibility.

The paraeducator should develop a script such as the one that follows to use when approached by a parent or family member with a concern or questions about a student’s program or progress:

               “As a paraeducator, I really am not allowed to discuss specifics of a student’s program                with parents (or family). You will need to discuss this with Mr./Ms. Smith (the teacher).”

While paraeducators are invaluable members of the educational team, their role is distinctly different from the role of teachers. This distinction in roles must be maintained to ensure that students’ best interests are being met, to ensure that schools are covered in terms of the liability for students’ education, and to protect paraeducators from being taken advantage of and being put into situations for which they are not adequately trained.

In part 1 of our review of the paraeducator training results we went over how many of you have paraeducator training in your state or district and who provides that training. Here are the rest of the results from the survey:

How many hours of paraeducator training are available per year?

• 36.3% of survey respondents receive only 1-5 hours of training.
• 11.3% receive 6-10 hours of training,
• 8.8% receive 11-15 hours of training,
• 15% receive 15-20 hours of training, and
• 28.8% receive more than 20 hours of training.

When asked about the topics of paraeducator training we received the following responses:

• 52.9% on Orientation,
• 72.1% on Classroom Managment,
• 61.8% on Reading, Writing, Mathematics,
• 77.9% on Roles and Responsibilities, and
• 50% on Teaming.

In the other category responses included first aid, safety, disability specific training (autism specifically) and technology.

Is credit (university/community college) or a certificate of completion provided when training is completed?

On this question 39.4% of you answered Yes and 60.6% answered No.

What credit (university/community college) or a certificate of completion is provided?

This question was open ended and the primary response was a certificate of completion.

Thanks again to everyone who filled out the survey, stay tuned for another one in our next newsletter.