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.

For the 2012 National Conference we're heading to San Antonio, Texas! Visit the Conference page to find more details as well as information including the call for papers and registration.

Story submitted by Taya Johnson, Behavior Specialist, Davis Special Education Department
Do you have a story to share?

Ask almost anyone in the Davis School District if they are aware of a team of Paraeducators who appears to have super-human powers for working with behaviorally challenging students and you will be told, “Yes!” The job title for these talented paraeducators is “District Behavior Interventionists” but in reality they are known as “The Behavior Ladies.” The team consists of Marie Wise, Jan Pace, Kathy Prewett, and Kathy Chartier. These ladies are paraeducators who shape, manage, and consistently change the difficult behaviors of the most challenging students.

Marie, Jan, Kathy, and Kathy (“The Kathy’s”) have been together as Behavior Interventionists for almost 5 years. They each bring a unique set of skills and abilities to the team but collectively focus on helping all children succeed in school.

Marie is the most casual of the four but she always comes up with just the right strategy for helping highly agitated students. She makes managing a Jr. High age student in the middle of a tantrum look easy and maintains an impressive “poker face” during any student crisis. Marie has been spit at, bitten, kicked, and hit but comes back to work the next day with a positive attitude and determination to help the student understand that he or she can succeed and be happy at school.

Jan is full of common sense and organization. She reminds our team of what we should be doing and improvements we can make. Jan is our “go to” person on autism spectrum disorders and has an incredible knack for working with students on the spectrum. She works relentlessly with students who have frustrated other school staff and is able to see each student's potential. Jan fiercely loves each child and kindly pushes them to be their best.

Kathy Prewett is our clown and activist. She makes us laugh and allows us to laugh at her as well. However, she is extremely serious about assisting students who struggle at school. She ensures that even the most difficult students see themselves succeed. Kathy implements positive interventions with great detail and makes sure each aspect of a student’s day is full of support, direction, and accomplishment.

Kathy Chartier is our data, research, and detail queen! She documents and researches everything we do. She keeps us informed and rooted in best practices. Kathy uses her knowledge functionally for students and jumps at the chance to help with very difficult classroom and school situations. Kathy never backs down from a challenge and advocates tirelessly for every child.

Individually and as a team these ladies are incredible educators. It is amazing to watch them work! In the Davis District we often wish we had a dime for each time someone has suggested we “clone” them so we could have a person like them in each of our schools. We truly consider Marie, Jan, Kathy, and Kathy our “Dynamic Foursome.”

In this keynote we had the opportunity to listen to Kevin Honeycutt, here are some of the resources he shared:

• Lulu.com (Book publishing tool)
• Google Sketchup (Free tool to represent objects and ideas in 3-D)
  • AR-media™ Plugin for Google™ SketchUp™ (Tool that lets you see Google Sketchup creations in 3-D)
• ArtSnacks Great White Shark Drawing Lession
  • Art Snacks Community
• Classroom 2.0
• Twitter
• The Open World Project
• iPhone Apps
  • Ocarina
  • Harmonica
  • iShred
  • Band
  • GarageBand

Kevin reminded us that it is important to Love to Learn to Learn (L2L2L) and that we can help kids succeed, against the odds:

Check out Kevin's website and check back later for a link to his presentation.

The 2011 Conference is quickly approaching and we are looking forward to seeing many of you in Harrisburg in just 3 weeks!

If you haven't yet reserved your hotel room, the Sheraton let us know today that you can still get the special conference rate, but it is only available by contacting Lisa Chenoweth directly at 717-558-4607 or by e-mail at Lisa.Chenoweth@sheratonhershey.com.

If you still haven't decided on whether or not you would like to attend, check out this list of 5 reasons why you won't want to miss this year's conference:

The opportunity to:

1. Meet and network with paraprofessionals from other states.
2. Attend diverse workshops covering ELL, special and general education, reading, writing, behavior management, nutrition and much more.
3. Learn techniques for improving student behavior and academic performance.
4. Earn up to 15 In-Serivce or ACT 48 Hours and 1 University Credit.
5. Discuss paraprofessional training and career development with local, state, and national leaders.

Register Today!