In many classrooms with students with severe disabilities, there may be a paraprofessional in the classroom. Read the attached guide After you have reviewed the guide, answer the follow

Paraprofessionals Working with

A Resource for Educators of Students with Disabilities

Revised May 2018

Copyright Notice These materials are copyrighted © by and are the property of Education Service Center, Region 20 and the Texas Education Agency and may not be reproduced, distributed or modified without their written permission except by Texas public school educators under the following conditions:

1. any portion reproduced or distributed will be used exclusively for nonprofit educational purposes in Texas, and

2. no monetary charge is made for the reproduced materials, any documents containing them, or any activity at which they are distributed; however, a reasonable charge to cover only the cost of reproduction and distribution may be charged.

To obtain a license to reprint large quantities or to use the materials in a manner not specified above, contact

[email protected].

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

The Statewide AGC Network, including the Preschool LRE Specialists Amy Adams, Special Education Teacher, Brownwood ISD Deborah Badrak, General Education Teacher, Schertz-Cibolo-Universal City CISD Kimberly Baumgardner, AGC Specialist, ESC-20 Jeanie Bell, AGC Specialist, ESC-5 Carolina Campos, Special Education Supervisor, Mission ISD Shirley Carawan, Special Education Teacher, Taft ISD Sherry Cragen, AGC Specialist, ESC-12 Jenice Dames, Preschool/PPCD Specialist; Preschool LRE State Lead, ESC-20 Azeneth DeLeon, Paraprofessional, Houston ISD Julia Erwin, Parent/CAC Member Kami Finger, Special Education Coordinator, Lubbock ISD Sonja Harper, Paraprofessional, Lubbock ISD Sonja Hollan, PLRE Specialist, ESC-4 Jonel Huggins, Program Specialist, TEA Deborah Jones, AGC Specialist, ESC-2 Lisa Jones, AGC Specialist, ESC-6 Martha Jones, General Education Teacher, Brownwood ISD Barbara Kaatz, Program Specialist, TEA Erin Kelts, Project Manager, PGC State Lead, ESC-20 Lisa Kirby, AGC Specialist, ESC-20

Jacklyn Meyers, Paraprofessional, Leander ISD Kirsten Omelan, AGC Specialist, ESC-4 Jane Penn, Special Education Director, Mason ISD Nancy Perkins, Special Education Teacher, Leander ISD Stacy Smith, Principal, Brownwood ISD Norma Trevino, Paraprofessional, Taft ISD Carolina Valtierra, AGC Specialist, ESC-11 Dawn White, Coordinator, ESC-20 Robin White, Preschool/PPCD Specialist; Preschool LRE State Lead, ESC-20 Amy Wilson, Special Education Coordinator/ Charter School Representative, San Antonio Special Programs Cooperative Leslie Wilson, AGC Specialist, ESC-18 Kelly Woodiel, Inclusion Specialist, ESC-20

Acknowledgements Texas Education Agency, Education Service Center, Region 20, and the Statewide Progress in the General Curriculum Network would like to thank representatives from across the state for providing feedback that assisted in the development of this document. The comments and suggestions received were invaluable and greatly appreciated.

Acknowledgments reflect representatives’ titles at time of publication. 2018 Updates Courtesy of: Cara Wyly, Project Manager, PGC Network, ESC-20 2016-2017 PGC Network Members

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

Table of Contents How to use this Document ……………………………………………………………………………………………………….5

Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….6

Roles and Responsibilities ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

General and Special Education Settings …………………………………………………………………………………..12

General Education ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..13

Sample Instructional Duties ……………………………………………………………………………………… 13

Administrative Duties ………………………………………………………………………………………………..19

Special Education …………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 20

Sample Instructional Duties ………………………………………………………………………………………. 20

Administrative Duties …………………………………………………………………………………………………24

Non-Traditional Settings …………………………………………………………………………………………………………25

Sample Instructional Duties ………………………………………………………………………………………………..25

Administrative Duties …………………………………………………………………………………………………………29

Communication ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..30

Teacher Communication to Paraprofessional ……………………………………………………………………….31

Teacher Communication to Student about Paraprofessional ………………………………………………….32

Teacher Communication to Parents about Paraprofessional ………………………………………………….33

Confidentiality ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….34

Documentation………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………35

Professional Development ………………………………………………………………………………………………………38

Instruction …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….39

Conclusion ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………40

References and Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..42

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

The intent of this document is to provide information to educators who are assigned a paraprofessional as a resource in assisting students with disabilities access and progress in the general curriculum. The intended audience is classroom teachers— both general and special education. The document is meant to assist in defining and distinguishing the roles and responsibilities of the certified teacher from the paraprofessional and in opening lines of communication on a campus or at a local education agency (LEA) so that paraprofessionals are more effectively utilized in assisting students with disabilities access to and progress in the general curriculum. Each LEA/campus will need to determine exactly what and how the roles, responsibilities, communication, and documentation requirements will look locally. This document was created to open up communication about these vital issues.

The organization of the document is as follows: • Roles & Responsibilities – provides a

comparison of examples of tasks which are appropriate for individuals in designated roles to complete within specific educational settings;

• Communication – outlines areas in which administration needs to ensure communication takes place in order to ensure all stakeholders understand the role and purpose of the paraprofessional; and

• Documentation – lists some areas in which LEAs need to ensure they have guidelines in place to document appropriate supervision of paraprofessionals as well as appropriate implementation of students’ individualized education programs (IEPs).

Each section is independent and can be read as a stand-alone section or all sections may be used together.

How to Use this Document

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

Frequently Used Terms/ Acronyms

LEA – Local Education Agency

IEP – Individualized Education Program

PLAAFP – Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

ARD – Admission, Review, and Dis- missal

Introduction This document was created as a resource for educators, in order to assist in their understanding of how to best utilize a paraprofessional in the classroom. Both general and special education settings are addressed (including non-traditional settings such as in-home or community-based settings). The intent of this guide is for it to be used as a resource, not as a strict set of “rules” that must be followed. However, some non-negotiable pieces that are required by federal and/or state regulations/rules are included and are noted throughout the document.

The intent of this guide is for it to be used as a resource, not as a strict set of “rules” that must be followed.

This resource focuses on the role of paraprofessionals in instructional activities. However, a significant number of paraprofessionals have non-instructional responsibilities, including assisting students with disabilities with physical needs, such as diapering, positioning, feeding, etc. While this resource does not specifically address these tasks or job responsibilities, it is imperative that paraprofessionals receive proper training on how to safely and hygienically conduct these activities in a way that meets the individual student’s needs. These especially important tasks must not be devalued or overlooked; however, how these tasks need to be carried out must be determined locally, based on a specific student’s needs and, thus, cannot be adequately addressed within a general document.

While no one resource can answer every question an educator may have, this document is designed to serve as a starting point to spark conversations on a campus or within an LEA. Many decisions will have to be made and clearly communicated at the local level. These decisions must be made with the understanding that any supports provided to students who receive special education services will always need to be individualized, and may vary from student to student, setting to setting, and even within a class period, according to the type of instruction being delivered (whole group direct instruction, small group, re-teach, etc.)

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

Texas Administrative Code (TAC), 19 TAC §230.61

Title 19 Education

Part 7 State Board for Educator Certification

Chapter 230 Professional Educator Preparation and Certification

Subchapter E Educational Aide Certificate

Rule §230.61 Role Descriptions

School districts shall use the following guidelines to assign educational aides.

(1) Educational Aide I: performs routine tasks under the direction and supervision of a certified teacher or teaching team; releases the teacher from routine tasks and participates in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating; helps the teacher with clerical operations; helps the teacher supervise students in routine movement from one recreational activity to another; helps supervise the playground, bus, and lunchroom; helps the teacher prepare and use instructional media; duplicates instructional materials for teachers; performs classroom clerical operations under the supervision of a certified teacher; or performs equivalent activities determined by the local school district.

(2) Educational Aide II: performs tasks under the general supervision of a certified teacher or teaching team; releases the teacher from routine tasks and participates in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating; helps the teacher prepare and use instructional materials; conducts drills and exercises as directed by the teacher; helps administer and score objective measurement instruments; helps the teacher work with individual students and groups; duplicates materials; records grades and attendance; prepares instructional aids, including displays and mockups; assists with play area activities; helps operate and use educational media; assists with testing routines; works with individual students in drills and exercises; conducts group drills and exercises; assists students with programmed or precise units of instruction; or performs equivalent activities determined by the local school district.

(3) Educational Aide III: performs and assumes responsibility for tasks under the general guidance of a certified teacher or teaching team; releases the teacher from routine tasks and participates in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating; helps the teacher implement methodology and use instructional media to yield an educational environment for all students; assists the teacher with instructional activities; works with individuals or groups of students in a variety of educational experiences; relieves the teacher of selected exercises and instructional drills with students; or performs equivalent activities determined by the local school district.

________________________________________

Source Note: The provisions of this §230.61 adopted to be effective August 12, 2012, 37 TexReg 5753 Retrieved from http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/sbecrules/tac/chapter230/ch230e.html November 20, 2017

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

School districts should pay careful attention to the type of certification a paraprofessional holds when determining their assignment and placing them in a role on a campus. Be sure all duties

assigned to that paraprofessional fall within their scope of certification.

Educational Aide 1 Educational Aide 2 Educational Aide 3

Performs routine tasks under the direction and supervision of a certified teacher or teaching team

Performs tasks under the general supervision of a certified teacher or teaching team

Performs and assumes responsibility for tasks under the general guidance of a certified teacher or teaching team

Releases the teacher from routine tasks and participates in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating

Releases the teacher from routine tasks and participates in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating

Releases the teacher from routine tasks and participates in selecting, planning, organizing, and evaluating

Helps the teacher with clerical operations

Helps the teacher prepare and use instructional materials

Helps the teacher implement methodology and use instructional media to yield an educational environment for all students

Helps the teacher supervise students in routine movement from one recreational activity to another

Conducts drills and exercises as directed by the teacher

Assists the teacher with instructional activities

Helps supervise the playground, bus, and lunchroom

Helps administer and score objective measurement instruments

Works with individuals or groups of students in a variety of educational experiences

Helps the teacher prepare and use instructional media;

Helps the teacher work with individual students and groups

Relieves the teacher of selected exercises and instructional drills with students

Duplicates instructional materials for teachers

Duplicates materials Performs equivalent activities determined by the local school districtPerforms classroom clerical

operations under the supervision of a certified teacher

Records grades and attendance

Performs equivalent activities determined by the local school district

Prepares instructional aids, including displays and mockups

Assists with play area activities

Helps operate and use educational media

Assists with testing routines

Works with individual students in drills and exercises

Conducts group drills and exercises

Assists students with programmed or precise units of instruction

Performs equivalent activities determined by the local school district.

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

Roles & Responsibilities When there is more than one adult present in a classroom, it is essential that roles and responsibilities be clearly delineated and followed. While this document provides general information, one non- negotiable is that the classroom teacher (or co-teaching team) must always have the role of primary teacher(s) for all students in the classroom.

All students should be involved in all parts of the classroom, including instruction and routines of the classroom. When students with disabilities are hosted, rather than fully included, in a classroom setting, it can inadvertently send a message to the rest of the class “that some students are more or less worthy of teacher time than are others” (Broer, S.M.; Doyle, M.B; & Giangreco, M.F. (2007) p. 427).1

The tasks the paraprofessional performs should supplement, not supplant, the classroom teacher(s)’ duties.2 While paraprofessionals can serve in many different capacities in a classroom, Causton-Theoharis, Giangreco, Doyle & Vadasy point out that “[t]he paraprofessionals’ role is not to plan or design classroom instruction, but rather to make important contributions to classroom instruction by effectively implementing important delegated tasks for which they are specially trained” (p. 56).3

Be aware of the role your paraprofessional is intended to play in the classroom. It is important to distinguish the roles and responsibilities of a paraprofessional who is assigned to a classroom for support of multiple or even all students from those of a paraprofessional who is assigned to an individual student within the classroom, as required by that student’s IEP. While a classroom paraprofessional is able to assist with general classroom routines and assist all students within a classroom, a paraprofessional who is required to provide 1:1 support for a specific student, as mandated by the student’s IEP, should not have responsibilities outside of working with that individual student.

Support student independence, autonomy, and peer relationships. However, it is important that the student with a 1:1 aide not be isolated physically or socially from the rest of the classroom, as studies have repeatedly shown that in many instances a 1:1 paraprofessional hindered a student’s participation in a general education classroom, and the paraprofessional, rather than peers, became the student’s primary social contact during their school years.1 Instead of the 1:1 paraprofessional being the student’s primary social contact, the paraprofessional can work to facilitate

1 Broer, S.M., Doyle, M.B., & Giangreco, M.F. (2007). Perspectives of students with intellectual disabilities about their experiences with paraprofessional support. Exceptional Children, 71(4), 415-430. 2 Giangreco, M.F., & Doyle, M.B. (2004). Directing paraprofessional work. In C.H. Kennedy & E.M. Horn (Eds.), Including students with severe disabilities (pp. 185-204). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. 3 Causton-Theoharis, J.N., Giangreco, M.F., Doyle, M.B., & Vadasy, P.F. (2007, Sept/Oct). Paraprofessionals: The “sous-chefs” of literacy instruction. Council for Exceptional Children, 40(1), 56-62.

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

academic and social interaction between the student with a disability and his/her peers. A study of how paraprofessionals spent their time in the classroom found that: • nearly 37% [of the paraprofessionals who participated in the study] were concerned that students

with disabilities they worked with were unnecessarily dependent on paraprofessionals… • over 46% of paraprofessionals reported that some of their students with disabilities communicated,

via their language or behavior, that they found paraprofessional supports unwanted… • more than 36% reported that students with disabilities spent more than half of their social time at

school (e.g. lunch, playground, free-time) with paraprofessionals” (Giangreco & Broer, 2005, p. 15-17).4

It is important to heed the caution that “[t]here is…a fine line between support that facilitates participation and support that restrains child interaction and the development of autonomy. Too much assistance can result in limited use of the children’s skills and potential, and possibly create unnecessary or unhealthy dependencies and helplessness” (Egilson & Traustadottir, 2009, p. 28).5

“It is important to heed the caution that “[t]here is…a fine line between support that facilitates participation and support that restrains child interaction and the development of autonomy.”

Include students in the decisions that affect the supports they need from a paraprofessional. A study of students with physical disabilities who were assigned a paraprofessional to support them in the general education setting found that the students were often excluded from decision making as to what types of supports they needed from a paraprofessional; the students who were interviewed reported that this exclusion sometimes resulted in them receiving supports they felt they did not need and not receiving supports in areas in which they felt they needed them.5

Fade supports appropriately. Additionally, regardless of whether the individual is a classroom paraprofessional or a student-specific paraprofessional, it is always important to look at the fading of supports and ensure that students’ independence is maximized. One study of students with intellectual disabilities who were assigned a paraprofessional during their school years found that, “[W]hen fading of supports was successfully achieved, respondents [students with intellectual disabilities] spoke about the experience with excitement and pride in their voices…”1

4 Giangreco, M.F., Broer, S.M. (2005, Spring). Questionable utilization of paraprofessionals in inclusive schools: Are we addressing symptoms or causes? Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 20(1), 10-26. 5 Egilson, S.T., & Traustadottir, R. (2009). Assistance to pupils with physical disabilities in regular schools: promoting inclusion or creating dependency? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 24(1), 21-36

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

Non-Negotiables

Paraprofessionals  may not (19 TAC §230.61):

 Develop lesson plans

 Introduce new material/content

 Provide the direct teach portion of the lesson

 Select materials for implementation of the lesson

 Assign final grades

 Be responsible for any IEP-related responsibilities without supervision of a certified special educator

 Develop IEP goals/objectives

 Design the classroom management system

 Be responsible for determining or reporting student progress (general class progress or IEP-goal progress)

When a paraprofessional is providing services required by a student’s IEP, he/she must do so under the supervision of a certified special education teacher.

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

General and Special Education Settings The following tables represent a comparison of examples of activities which are appropriate for individuals in designated roles to participate. It is imperative that everyone understands that the roles and responsibilities of the paraprofessional will be very fluid, and will vary across situations. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, nor is it meant to represent what must be a part of a job description. It is meant to spark conversation within an LEA and/or campus as to how to most effectively utilize paraprofessionals within a classroom or non-traditional setting in assisting students with disabilities in accessing and progressing in the general curriculum. It is recommended that each LEA or campus create its own specific list of duties for a paraprofessional; this list should link to the classroom schedule and provide the paraprofessional guidance on what to be doing during particular points in a lesson.

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© Texas Education Agency / Education Service Center, Region 20, 2018

General Education Settings

Sample Instructional Duties

In the general education setting, it is important to delineate the role not just of the certified general education teacher and the paraprofessional, but also to include the role of the special educator, if there is one assigned to the classroom for all or some of the class time. The following tables of sample instructional duties outline possible roles/responsibilities with both instructional and administrative tasks for the general educator, the special educator, the classroom paraprofessional, and the student specific (1:1) paraprofessional. LEAs will need to make final determinations regarding roles and responsibilities using students’ IEPs to guide these decisions.

Paraprofessionals should be provided a schedule that links to the classroom schedule, providing them explicit information regarding what task(s) they should implement during specific points in the lesson. For example, while the teacher provides direct whole-class instruction, the paraprofessional may prepare materials or the teacher may direct the parapr

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