CONVAL CERTIFICATION OF PARAPROFESSIONALS

The "certified" designation for aides was designed to recognize those staff members who have either teacher certification and/or special certification such as COTA (certified occupational therapy assistant).  Additionally, it was designed to encourage those who did not have special qualifications to formally acquire education and skills that would be of benefit to the students they help to educate. In view of this intent, please note, that paraprofessional certification, acquired through the state, that required only one year of service will not be recognized for movement into the certified category.

In order to provide our current staff with a means to acquire meaningful certification two pathways have been established.  First, a course will be provided by the College of Life Long Learning, funded through the district staff development committee.  Staff members who do not currently hold a certification, as stipulated above, that successfully complete this course will be designated as "certified".  Second, for those staff members who have taken workshops or related courses, they may apply, through the staff development committee, for certification if they have had no less than 42 contact hours in course work or workshops that can be shown to produce the outcomes as specified below.

For the 2002-2003 school year, staff members who successfully complete either method of certification will be granted the requisite salary increase upon documented completion. 

GENERAL OUTCOMES

1.   Educational Professionalism - understand the organizational structure of the public school system and the expectations for professional attitude and conduct within that system.

2.      Special Education Services - be aware of the function of the special education system, the processes involved in the implementation of special education, and the role of special service providers in the delivery of services to identified students.  Emphasis will be placed on understanding the roles and responsibilities of the paraprofessional within the special education team.

3.      Communications - be aware of the components of effective communication with administrators, teachers and parents, identify communications problems with any constituency relevant to his or her role, apply problem solving strategies to communications problems, and be able to use basic communications tools such as record keeping and reflection journals. 

4.  Child Development - be aware of the way a child grows and develops, how this process related to identifiable handicapping conditions, and the areas of exceptionality recognized by federal law.

5.     Behavior Management - be able to observe and identify student behaviors, recognize the effects of disruptive and nonproductive student behavior on both staff and students, and understand and apply problem solving measures to increase the productivity and effectiveness of both the student and the paraprofessional.

6.     Health and Safety Issues - know the risks of bloodborne pathogens and how to observe standard precautions, demonstrate how to monitor seizures, and know how to recognize and respond to suspected child abuse as described by the State Protocols.

SPECIFIC OUTCOMES

Educational Professionalism

Demonstrate an understanding of the organization and administrative structure of a public school in order to access key individuals for information and assistance.  Demonstrate an understanding of the expectations as defined by law and the ethic of educational professionalism in the following areas:  confidentiality, student rights, consistency and continuity, positive attitude, and objectivity.   Describe his or her role and distinguish between the responsibilities of the teacher and the paraprofessional.

Special Education Services

Demonstrate a knowledge of the basic process of identifying handicapped students, developing and implementing the components of an Individual Education Program, with emphasis on the role of the paraprofessional in that process.

Identify the roles of the various special services providers with whom he or she may come in contact.  The paraprofessional will understand and demonstrate the ways he or she may be called upon to assist, supplement, and reinforce the services provided by the specialist.

Be able to identify and describe problems within the context of his or her role and apply an analytic problem solving approach to those identified.

Keep a selective anecdotal record of student contact following a prescribed format.

Write a reflection journal containing evidence of key course concepts, critical reflective thinking, and analytic problem solving.

Communications

Be able to describe the components of the communication process, both verbal and nonverbal, with specific attention to the following:  recognizing communications styles, assessing barriers to effective communications, and discussing ways to improve communication.

Demonstrate the ability to use instructional strategies, such as presenting, reviewing, reinforcing, questioning and prompting, appropriate for working with a variety of individuals and small groups.

Child Development

Identify the major ways that children develop and understand the connection between child development and the handicapping conditions recognized by federal special education law. 

Describe the areas of exceptionality recognized by federal law and be able to suggest instructional strategies and modifications relevant to each type of exceptionality.

Behavior Management

Demonstrate the application of analytic problem solving approaches to behavior management.

Demonstrate the ability to observe student behavior, record observations and measure the frequency and duration of student behavior.

Be able to understand and implement the components of a behavior plan designed by the special education team and/or the supervisor.

Recognize stress as a cause and product of student behavior problems and demonstrate strategies to manage stress-producing factors as a preventative action.

Health and Safety Issues

Know the risks involved in contact with bloodborne pathogens and the standard precautions against those risks.

Demonstrate the standard procedures used in monitoring seizures.

Know how to recognize and respond to suspected child abuse.