Transcript Para Orientation 2016-17

Welcome
USD 475 Geary County Schools
Paraeducators
2016-17 School Year
Rebekah Helget
Executive Director of the
Exceptional Student Services Division
ESS Leadership Team
Rebekah Helget- Director of Exceptional Student Services
Dr. Kathy Beougher- Asst. Director of Exceptional Student Services
Traciann Petite- Coaching and Compliance Facilitator
Dr. Patricia Dozier- Integrated Professional Development Coordinator
Dana Wiegand- Social Worker- Department Head
Laura Thompson- Speech Language Pathologist- Department Head
Wendy Avers- School Psychologist- Department Head
Have you clocked in yet?
Have you signed in?
Do you have your reflection activity ?
Do you have your acronym sheet?
Para Schedule’s
High School: 8:30-3:35
Para’s work: 8:15-3:50 with a 30 min lunch
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Middle Schools: 7:50-2:50
Para’s work: 7:35-3:05 with a 30 min lunch
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Elem Schools: 8:00-3:15
8:15-3:30 Seitz
7:45- 3:00 Fort Riley Elementary
Principal’s split the para staff into 2 schedules
Para’s work:
7:45-3:15 with a 30 min lunch Or
8:00-3:30 with a 30 min lunch Or
8:15-3:45 with a 30 min lunch
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Early Childhood 7:40-3:10 or 7:55-3:25 with a 30 min lunch
PARAPROFESSIONAL WORK DAY
PARAPROFESSIONAL WORK DAYS
To:
From:
Re:
Date:
Building Principals, Coordinators, Teachers, Paraprofessionals and Payroll Dept.
Rebekah Helget, Director of Exceptional Student Services Department
Paraprofessional Work Days
July 1, 2016
Instructional Paraprofessionals first full day of work will be August 15. The first full day for HI
Interpreters and paraprofessionals assigned to the ARC, FLS, and TLC classrooms will be August 15. The
schedule for the day includes working in their assigned school with their supervising Exceptional
Student Services (ESS) teacher. If Principals have any paraprofessionals not needed because of
enrollment, please contact The ESS Director.
August 10 – 8:00-11:00, 12-3:00 Para Orientation. For all paraprofessionals orientation will be at
Junction City Middle School Auditorium (Paraprofessionals who are hired later must attend a
district level paraprofessional orientation.
Kansas Department of Education is asking that Paraprofessionals participate in staff development
with their supervising teachers. Staff development days should be building days if possible,
determined by their building level administrator. The paraprofessional handbook offers
paraprofessionals multiple opportunities for obtaining staff development hours to include but are not
limited to 1 college credit = 20 hours, Provenances module = 1 hour, Infinitec modules = the amount
of time of the module, and a book review evaluation process. Please consult the paraprofessional
handbook for additional options. The paraprofessional handbook can be found under the
paraprofessional resources link on the district’s Exceptional Student Services (ESS) Department’s
share point site.
Once paraprofessionals attain their 10 or 20 hours of staff development, they will not be paid to
work any further staff dev. days unless principals request paraprofessionals to work for specific
reasons. Requests should be made to the Exceptional Student Services (ESS) department office.
PARAPROFESSIONALS DO NOT WORK: Flexible Professional Development days or Parent/Teacher
Conf. Days and K-5 Plan days (unless approved by ESS Director)
Paraprofessionals must:
1) Obtain college hours equivalent to an Associate’s degree – (48 hours) OR
2) Obtain an Associate’s or higher degree.
The alternative to taking college hours is:
Paraprofessionals must pass an assessment in reading, writing and math
within 90 days of employment.
To get set up to complete study modules and/or schedule the assessment
contact Nicole Nutter at 717-4093
USD #475 has purchased the Master Teacher site which is accessible from any
computer and will assist you in:
preparing for the academic assessment (which is mentioned above) AND
creating a “transcript” of courses which can be used for in-service hours
Information about accessing this network is on the attached page.
Completion of one course will equate to one hour of staff development if you
choose to do this. You will be asked to print a “transcript” of the modules you
have completed by April 21, 2017.
Para Test
• The supervisor will answer only questions about assessing and using
the assessment program.
• There should be no talking among the paras during the assessment.
• Calculators/cell phones/notes are not permitted. Scratch paper
should be provided.
• This assessment must be completed/passed by the 90th day of
employment. You may not return to work until the assessment has
been completed.
Obtaining Staff Development Hours
• College Hours – One or more credit hours = 20
hours of in-service
• Read a book (education relevant) – 150 pages = 3
hours
• Watch a video (education relevant) – In-service
time = time of video
• My http://www.myinfinitec.org -Infinitec Website
on line modules
• You must have permission from your administrator
to work more than the required Staff
Development hours.
Role Clarification
Teacher/Professional Roles
– Overall Program Planning (overseeing, IEP
goals and objectives, addressing standards,
lesson planning, prescribing, managing the
instructional environment)
– Instruction (based on unit plans, lesson
plans, IEPs, remedial literacy plans, 504 plans,
other individualized plans)
– Assessment (Collecting, coordinating, and
interpreting information about the student
including current levels of functioning,
determination of disability, reporting student
progress)
– Collaborating (consulting with other
professional personnel, meeting coordinating,
communication)
Paraeducator Roles
 Implement instruction in various environments,
based on lesson plans provided by the teacher
 Reinforce learning with individuals or small
groups
 Assist individual students- personal care, mobility
 Assist with observations/data recording/charting
 Assist with ongoing behavior management
 Participate in building level duties as assigned by
building administrator
 Assist in data collection
 Maintain and operate instructional equipment
 Help develop schedules
 Team participation
– Managing Paraeducators
12
Kansas Regulations Regarding Paraprofessionals
The following statements are from the Kansas Special
Education Regulations. They say that at paraprofessional……
• Cannot be solely responsible for special education instruction or related
services.
• Cannot select or give formal, standardized tests or interpret any results
• Cannot select, program, or prescribe educational activities or materials
without supervision* and guidance of a teacher. Teachers do all initial
planning and introduction of new material.
• Cannot be solely responsible for preparing lesson plans or initiating
original instruction.
• Must have direct supervision* & involvement from a professional to
implement a student’s IEP.
• Cannot be employed in place of a certified special education
professional.
• Cannot be a substitute teacher unless the paraprofessional has the
appropriate certification.
• Cannot be enrolled as an elementary or secondary student.
• Cannot perform nursing procedures or give medications without
appropriate supervision* from an approved health care
professional.
*Supervision- The professional the paraprofessional is assigned to
must meet Kansas’s certification requirements. When the assigned
teacher is not present, a designated principal or teacher may supervise
the paraprofessional. Supervision time for instructional
paraprofessionals shall be determined by the supervising teacher and
paraprofessional and based on the students’ needs.
Confidentiality is extremely important
when working with students
• Keep student information private.
• Don’t speak about students to friends, family, or to or in front of
other students.
• Don’t speak about students to other teachers except on a need-toknow basis.
• If anyone in the school or community asks you for specific
information about a student’s disability, refer them to the
supervising teacher.
• Don’t point our or label children in public.
• Be careful not to distort, exaggerate or confuse information.
• Never use student information as gossip or a joke.
• Focus comments on student strengths and be positive.
Confidentiality Video
http://www.myinfinitec.org/online-classroom#videoTop
http://www.myinfinitec.org/onlineclassroom#videoTop
Rehearsed Responses to Requests for Confidential Information
Possible Request
Possible Responses
“I heard you’re working at the school... Is that
3rd grade teacher as mean as everyone says?”
“I’m an employee at the school now, I can’t
talk about my colleagues that way.” OR
“Employees aren’t allowed to talk about one
another outside of school, sorry.”
“Who’s the funny looking kid that flaps his
hands all the time?”
“Student information is confidential to
everyone but his parents and teachers.” OR
“Sorry, I can’t talk about kids outside of
school.”
“What’s the scoop on Gail… I heard her
husband…?”
“Gail’s my fellow employee as well as my
friend now, I can’t discuss her private life.”
“What’s wrong with Suzanna?”
“Student information is protected by law. I’d
be breaking the law if I spoke about any
student outside of school.”
“I heard Jason is doing better with that new
special ed teacher.”
“Jason’s progress is confidential. It’s not okay
for me to discuss it.”
“Is Tanya in the special reading class?”
“Placement of students is a confidential
matter. We’re not allowed to speak about
Talking with Family members
•
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.
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Our goal is for our students to
be as independent as possible.
The Five P’s
Professional
Positive
Persistent
Planful
Patient
Sprick, Garrison, & Howard. Safe & Civil School Series:
Supporting the Instructional Process. Pacific Northwest Publishing. Eugene, Oregon. 2000.
Paraprofessional Competencies:
General Knowledge and Values
•
Awareness of the legal rights of children and youth with exceptional learning
needs and their parents in educational settings.
•
Understanding of individual learning styles and environmental factors that impact
teaching and learning processes.
•
Understanding of the differences among the roles and responsibilities of
professionals, paraprofessionals, and other support personnel.
•
Basic knowledge of special education processes, procedures, and regulations.
•
Awareness of and respect for social, cultural, linguistic, religious, economic, and
ability differences in students and their families.
•
Understanding of the similarities and differences among the cognitive,
communicative, physical, social, emotional, and behavioral needs of children and
youth with and without exceptional needs.
The Characteristics of Effective Para
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Lifelong learner
Good interpersonal skills
A positive attitude
A desire for self-improvement
Self-confidence
Patience
Empathy
Concern for children
Five attributes of a staff member with
a growth mindset
• They take responsibility for improving their
practice
• They see setbacks and feedback as an
opportunity to learn and grow their skills
• They actively seek learning opportunities and
new challenges
• They have positive and high expectations of
their students
• They us growth mindset language when
teaching and with themselves.
Appreciating Diversity
• Today’s public schools are made up of a diverse group of
people. Students and staff are different from each other in
many ways: age, gender, ethnicity, economic background,
religion, lifestyle, values, abilities, etc.
• School personnel are expected to have an attitude of
acceptance and appreciation of diversity.
• Having a positive attitude toward diversity means not ignoring
differences and not holding negative attitudes about
differences.
• Another way prejudices are perpetuated is through labeling,
which means referring to an individual by some characteristic,
instead of referring to the person first, then to the disability
(i.e., “Person First Language” – for example, “person with a
disability
Assessing Student Performance
“Assessing student performance” means gathering information about a student and
making a determination about him or her. The main types of assessment that paras
may be involved in.
Standardized Tests
Standardized tests are always given in the same way, using the same instructions, and
materials, and the same scoring methods. Formal standardized tests, are done by
someone who is highly trained and experienced with the test. For less formal testing
situations, for example teacher-developed standardized tests they give repeatedly,
paraprofessionals can be primarily responsible for the activity.
Behavioral Checklists
Behavioral checklists categorize and list specific behaviors. The person completing the
checklist simply checks off whether or not the student is able to perform that specific
behavior.
Direct Observation
Another way to gather information about students is to observe them and record
information about your observations in a systematic fashion. The written information
that reflects what you observed is called “data,” and it can be used to assist with
instructional decisions about the student.
Supporting Instruction in Content-Area Classes
• Paraprofessionals can help carry out and support
interventions the teacher designs.
Examples include:
• highlighting textbooks
• being or training a class note taker
• maintaining a class notebook with assignments,
handouts, materials, etc.
• preparing adapted materials for students
• prompting students to make correct responses
• training a peer partner to assist the student
• providing follow-up instruction
Supporting Instruction during Direct Instruction
• Sit with student(s) or work the classroom, as is appropriate for the
situation. This may require you to sit on the floor at times.
• Use visual and concrete examples whenever possible to facilitate
understanding
• Assist in note taking, if appropriate
• Redirect attention
• Restate/rephrase classroom conversations to facilitate
understanding
• Have students restate/rephrase classroom conversations to check
for understanding
• Conversations pertaining to the topic during the teacher’s direct
instruction are fine (6-inch voices), giving additional example and
questioning that activates the student’s background knowledge are
appropriate
• Celebrate students’ growth and knowledge gained…often!
Supporting Instruction during Student Participation
(Whole/Small Group or Individual)
• Restate/rephrase classroom conversations to
facilitate understanding
• Have students restate/rephrase classroom
conversations to check for understanding
• Provide additional examples
• During think-pair-share and small group
discussions among students, assist and
encourage appropriate and effective conversation
• Reinforce strategies
• Celebrate students’ growth and knowledge
gained…often!
Supporting Instruction in Classroom Assessments
(NOT state assessments)
• Guide their thinking toward strategies that will
work by asking questions
• Provide the accommodations listed on the IEP
• 6-inch voices, if the assessment is taken in the
classroom
• Refrain from providing too much help, so
much so that you all but give the student the
answer. If you need clarification, the GE
teacher, the student’s IEP, and the SE teacher
will help.
Accommodations and Modifications
Accommodations do not alter the
curriculum.
They are supports or services provided
to help a student access the
curriculum and validly demonstrate
learning.
What are accommodations?
An accommodation is an adaptation
that results in the student with a
disability accomplishing the same
goals and objectives as the nondisabled students, and does not
fundamentally alter the general
education program.
Modifications alter the curriculum.
Modifications change the content
and performance expectations for
what a student should learn.
What are modifications?
A modification is an adaptation that
results in the student with a
disability accomplishing different
goals and objectives as non-disabled
students and fundamentally alters
the general education program.
The Paraeducator’s Role in Adapting
Curriculum & Instruction
• To follow written plans and oral directions!
• Note: It is NOT the paraeducator’s ethical
responsibility to plan or design modifications
or adaptations – only to carry them out!
Bloodborne Pathogens
http://www.myinfinitec.org/online-classroom#videoTop
video
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On June 4, 2015, statutes were
enacted regarding the use of seclusion
and restraint in schools.
These statutes created an Emergency
Safety Intervention Task Force to study
and review the use of emergency safety
interventions; and to prepare a report
for the governor and the legislature on
its findings and recommendations
concerning the use of those
interventions.
On July 1, 2016, House Substitute for
Senate Bill No. 193, amending the
emergency safety intervention statutes,
went into effect.
•
Emergency
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•
Immediate danger
Safety
- Immediate danger of student harming self or others
•
Intervention
- Restraint or seclusion should only be used for
limited periods of time and should cease
immediately when the immediate danger of harm to
self or others has dissipated
Seclusion is not a place, it is a process.
Seclusion is identified by meeting three criteria:
The student is…
1.
2.
3.
Placed in an enclosed area by school personnel
Purposefully isolated from adults and peers
Prevented from leaving, or reasonably believes that
she/he will be prevented from leaving
Restraint can be chemical, mechanical, or physical.
•
Chemical restraint: the use of medication to control a student’s violent
physical behavior or restrict a student’s freedom of movement. It is
prohibited.
•
Mechanical Restraint: any devise or object used to limit a student’s
movement. It is prohibited unless ordered by a person appropriately
licensed to issue the order for the device, for a specific student.
•
Physical Restraint: bodily force used to substantially limit a student’s
movement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ucfgdFrlho&feature=share&list=PL5C606414
CDD88B5C
KSDE does not promote the use of ESI with any student.
KDSE FOCUSES ON PREVENTION
“Every effort should be made to prevent the need for the use
of restraint and for the use of seclusion.” (U.S. Department of
Education, Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document, Washington, D.C., 2012)
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KSDE Focuses on prevention
Any use of ESI must be reported
ESI reporting is required for any student
Because there are real dangers
with using these kinds
of interventions
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Restraint or seclusion should never be used as
punishment or discipline (e.g., placing in seclusion for
out-of-seat behavior), as a means of coercion or
retaliation, or as a convenience. (Principle 6, U.S. Department of
Education, Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document, Washington, D.C.,
2012)
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NO EVIDENCE OF EFFECTIVENESS
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Let’s consider that first word – emergency.
When is an incident a true emergency situation?
* Immediate danger to self,
* Immediate danger to others,
* Possibility of violent action that is destructive of
property
?????WHAT IS REASONABLE?????
*Grandma Test
*YouTube Test
*OCR Test
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KSDE does not promote the use of emergency safety intervention with
any student
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KSDE recommends a focus on prevention because there are REAL
DANGERS when using emergency safety intervention

Emergency safety intervention is not part of a tiered intervention system
or student behavior plan – it is ONLY to be used in an EMERGENCY

Emergency safety intervention is a reactive strategy and does not
decrease the likelihood of the behavior from occurring
•
Using ESI is reactive
•
It is only used when a student places themselves or
others at risk of immediate harm.
If you’re planning for it, it means you can
see it coming. If you can see it coming,
every effort should be made for prevention.
Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) training
DO
Don’t
Remain Calm
Over react
Be aware of the environment
Issue Ultimatums
Isolate the situation
Freeze
Enforce Limits
Be threatening
Respect personal Space
Enter into a power struggle
Listen
Involve an audience
Be supportive
Take it personally
To determine availability or register for
classes by contacting Nicole Nutter at
(785)717-4093. Class size is limited.
The ABC’s of Behavior
Reasons for Misbehavior
• Students don’t know teacher expectations.
• Students are unaware of when/how often they’re behaving
inappropriately.
• They don’t know what appropriate behavior is.
• Student may need attention.
• Students may feel powerless, so they create their own
power
How To Manage Behavior When It Occurs
Ignore behaviors
Criteria for ignoring behaviors: Ask yourself
• Can you teach?
• Can the student learn?
• Can his/her classmates learn?
• Is the behavior not likely to escalate?
Use nonverbal communication
• Proximity (standing near a student)
• Eye contact
• Gestures (i.e., fingers to lips, nods
• Move your attention away from student
Use verbal communication
• Tell the entire class/group what you expect.
• Give private, quiet redirective to student
• talk to the student privately or create an “illusion of privacy”
• quietly tell student what you expect
• say, “thank you”
Ethical Considerations in Behavior Management
• Behavior management should be viewed as an opportunity for teaching
and not an opportunity for punishment.
• Avoid embarrassing students and offer suggestions in private in the form
of constructive criticism.
• Never engage in a power struggle. Strive for win/win.
• Don’t touch students who are upset, and don’t hesitate to get help from
another teacher if you need it.
Do not place your hands on a student unless they are going to harm
themselves or others.
• Keep your supervising teacher informed.
Section 504 and Title II
Training Opportunities
• CPI
• ARC/FLS elementary and middle school paras
August 15th, 1:00-3:30 room 111 PLC
• Five P training with Dr. Dozier
• Building meetings with case managers
• Infinitec
Relationships Handout
Return to Dr. Dozier by August 31st
Hand in your video worksheet
Questions?