Special Education Assistant

This position is governed by a collective bargaining agreement and eligible for insurance benefits.

To qualify for employment the candidate must have or be eligible for State of Illinois Paraprofessional Approval.

www.isbe.net/certification/pdf/73-95_paraprofessional.pdf  

SPECIAL EDUCATION ASSISTANT

Purpose Statement

The job of Special Education Assistant was established for the purpose/s of providing support to the instructional program within assigned classroom with specific responsibility for assisting in the supervision, care and instruction of special needs and at-risk students in the regular classroom or in a self-contained classroom; assisting in implementing plans or interventions/strategies for instruction; monitoring student behavior during non-classroom time; and providing information to appropriate school personnel.

This job reports to Principal  

Essential Functions

·         Adapts classroom activities, assignments and/or materials, under the direction of the supervising teacher, for the purpose of supporting and reinforcing classroom objectives.

·         Administers tests, homework, make-up work, etc. for the purpose of supporting teachers in the classroom.

·         Assists mainstream, medically fragile, physically disabled students (e.g. bathroom, change clothes, change diapers, feeding students, grooming, etc.) for the purpose of maintaining students' personal hygiene.

·         Communicates with supervising instructional staff, and/or professional support personnel for the purpose of assisting in evaluating progress and/or implementing IEP objectives.

·         Implements behavioral plans for students, under the supervision of administrative staff or assigned certificated staff for the purpose of presenting and/or reinforcing documented objectives.

·         Maintains instructional materials and/or manual and electronic files/records for the purpose of ensuring availability of items; providing written reference; and/or meeting mandated requirements.

·         Monitors students during assigned periods within a variety of school environments (e.g. rest rooms, playgrounds, hallways, bus loading zones, cafeteria, parking lots, etc.) for the purpose of maintaining a safe and positive learning environment.

·         Provides under the supervision of assigned administrator or certified staff, instruction to students in a variety of individual and group activities (e.g. academic subjects, social skills, daily living skills, etc.) for the purpose of reinforcing instructional objectives; implementing IEP plans; and ensuring students success in school.

·         Reports observations and incidents relating to specific students (e.g. academic progress, accidents, fights, inappropriate social behavior, violations of rules, safety conditions, etc.) for the purpose of communicating information to appropriate certified and/or administrative personnel.

·         Responds to emergency situations (e.g. injured student, fights, safety drills, etc.) for the purpose of resolving immediate safety concerns and/or directing to appropriate personnel for resolution.

Other Functions

·         Attends meetings and in-service presentations for the purpose of acquiring and/or conveying information relative to job functions.

·         Performs other related duties as assigned for the purpose of ensuring the efficient and effective functioning of the work unit.