4222 4222Personnel -- Non-Certified
Teacher Aides/Paraprofessionals/Title I Paraprofessionals
All support staff positions in the school system shall be established initially by the Board.
All paraprofessionals who provide instructional support for students in Title I Schoolwide Programs and Targeted Assistance Programs shall meet the qualifications set forth in federal law and regulations.
Support staff employees, unless otherwise designated by contract, shall be considered "at will" employees who serve at the pleasure of the Board and shall have only those employment rights expressly established by Board policy. Support staff members shall be employed for such time as the district is in need of or desirous of the services of such employees.
Teacher Aides
The Board shall employ teacher aides to work under the general supervision of the Superintendent and to assist teachers in such duties as:
1. Managing and maintaining records, materials, and equipment.
2. Attending to the physical needs of children.
3. Performing other limited services to support teaching duties when such duties are determined and directed by a teacher or administrator.
4. Lunchroom duties.
Qualification
In compliance with applicable legal requirements, the Board shall require all teacher aides/paraprofessionals with instructional duties that are hired in a Title I school program to have a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent and to have:
1. Completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education;
2. Obtained an Associate's or higher degree; or
3. Met a rigorous standard of quality through a formal state or local academic assessment.
4. The district will not hire Title I paraprofessionals who do not meet these standards.
Exception to these requirements may be made with regard to paraprofessionals who act as translators or who coordinate parent involvement activities.
The Professional Development and Evaluation Committee shall develop, evaluate, and annually update a comprehensive local professional development plan for paraeducators of the district.
The annual program of professional development shall be made available at no cost to the paraeducator. The program must be at least eighteen (18) hours in length, with a preponderance of time spent in a small group or individual instructional setting. The professional development program must (1) be a comprehensive, sustained and intensive approach to improving paraeducator effectiveness in increasing student knowledge achievement; (2) focus on refining and improving various effective instruction methods that are shared between and among paraeducators; (3) foster collective responsibility for improved student performance; and (4) include training in culturally responsive pedagogy and practice. The program must also be comprised of professional learning that (1) is aligned with rigorous state student academic achievement standards; (2) is conducted among paraeducators at the school and facilitated by principals, coaches, mentors, distinguished educators, or other appropriate teachers; (3) occurs frequently on an individual basis or among groups of paraeducators in a job-embedded process of continuous improvement; and (4) includes a repository of best practices for instruction methods developed by paraeducators within each school that is continuously available to such paraeducators for comment and updating. The principles and practices of social-emotional learning and restorative practices must be integrated throughout the components of the program.
The Board shall offer professional development activities to paraeducators as part of a paraeducator's professional development plan. These professional development activities may be made available directly by the Board of Education, through a RESC or cooperative arrangement with another board, or through arrangements with any CSDE-approved professional development provider. The activities must be consistent with any goals identified by the paraeducator and Board.
Paraprofessionals are employed so that the certified staff may direct their energies to the students' education. The Principal and the supervising teacher are jointly responsible for making final decisions related to the duties and responsibilities to be assigned to a paraprofessional.
In each case, the Board shall approve a statement of job requirements as presented by the Superintendent. This shall be in the form of a job description setting forth the qualifications for the job, a detailed list of performance responsibilities and any required physical capabilities.
Only the Board may eliminate a position that it has created.
Title I Paraprofessionals
A Title I paraprofessional is an individual who provides instructional support for students in a Title I Schoolwide or Targeted Assistance Program, supported with Title I, Part A funds.
Title I paraprofessionals may perform the following instructional support duties:
• One-on-one tutoring for eligible students if the tutoring is scheduled at a time when the student would not ordinarily be receiving instruction from the regular teacher
• Assist in classroom management
• Conduct parent involvement activities
• Assist in computer instruction
• Provide instructional support in a library or media center
• Act as a translator
• Provide instructional support services under the direct supervision of qualified teachers
Title I paraprofessionals may assume limited non-instructional duties, even if they benefit non-Title I students, in the same proportion to their total work time as non-Title I paraprofessionals.
Title I paraprofessionals do not include individuals who have only non-instructional duties such as providing technical support for computers, providing personal care services or performing clerical duties.
Qualifications
Title I paraprofessionals must have earned a secondary school diploma or demonstrated through a formal local academic assessment the knowledge of and ability to assist in instructing, as appropriate:
a. Reading/language arts, writing and mathematics; or
b. Reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness
Requirement Specific to Paraprofessionals Providing Special Education or Related Services
Parents of children receiving special education services are required to be notified of their right to have the paraprofessional assigned to their child to attend and participate in all portions of the PPT at which an educational program for the child is developed, reviewed, or revised. If the parent, guardian, pupil, or surrogate parent makes such a request, the Board shall provide the following:
1. Adequate notice of the PPT meeting to the paraprofessional, allowing the paraprofessional adequate time to prepare.
2. Training, upon request of the paraprofessional, on the role of the paraprofessional at the meeting.
Following the PPT meeting, the paraprofessional who is providing special education or related services to the student shall be permitted to view the child's educational program in order to provide services to the student in accordance with the educational program.
Any paraprofessional providing special education or related services to a student is required to review the student's IEP with a supervisor as needed.
Notice to Parents
An annual written notice shall be provided to parents of students enrolled in a Title I Schoolwide or Targeted Assistance Program telling them they may request information about any paraprofessionals who provide instructional support for their child. The notice may be combined with a notice regarding Title I teacher qualifications.
NOTE: The requirements outlined in this policy apply to all paraprofessionals who work in a school that qualifies as a Title I Schoolwide Program, whether or not their salaries are paid with Title I funds. For Targeted Assistance Programs, only those paraprofessionals who provide instructional support to students in the Title I Program are subject to the requirements.
Legal Reference: 42 U.S.C. 653(a) Personal Responsibilities and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act
15 U.S.C. et. seq., Fair Credit Reporting Act
Section 1111(g)(2)(M), ESEA
20 C.F.R. 200.59 Federal Regulations
Public Act 23-159, Section 12
Policy adopted: