foundations of special education october 23, 2007 special education paraeducator afterschool...
TRANSCRIPT
Foundations of Special Education
October 23, 2007
Special Education
Paraeducator Afterschool
Videoconference
Standard # 1Special
Education Paraeducator Credential of Competency
Standard # 1Special
Education Paraeducator Credential of Competency
Technical Difficulties
Call the V Span Trouble Number:
800-628-0833
Local Policy
• Your local district’s or agency’s policies regarding paraeducator job descriptions, duties, and responsibilities provide the final word!
Agenda
• Introduction and learner outcomes• What makes a special education
paraeducator “highly qualified?”• The Credential of Competency and the
purpose of this series• Basic special education terminology
Agenda (cont’d)
• Purposes of programs for students with special needs
• Brief history of special education• Current legal protections for students with
disabilities• Roles and responsibilities of
paraeducators and teachers• Wrap-up
Learner Outcomes
Participants will:• Describe what makes a special
education paraeducator “highly qualified.”
• Examine the Special Education Paraeducator Credential of Competency and how to achieve the 10 standards
• Discuss purposes of programs for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
Learner Outcomes (cont’d)
Participants will:
• Describe basic educational terminology regarding students, programs, roles and instruction.
• Become familiar with laws and regulations for special education students.
• Examine roles and responsibilities paraeducators and teachers in support of students with disabilities.
Highly Qualified Personnel
The SEA must establish and maintain qualifications to ensure that personnel are appropriately and adequately prepared and trained, including that personnel have the content knowledge and skills to serve children with disabilities
Highly Qualified Personnel• The SEA must have qualifications for related
services personnel and paraprofessionals that:– Are consistent with state-approved or
state-recognized certification, licensing, registration or other comparable requirements that apply to the professional discipline
– Ensure that such personnel who deliver services in their discipline or profession meet the above requirements and have not had certification or licensure waived
Highly Qualified Personnel
What does this mean for paraeducators in PA?
Paraeducator Credential of Competency
One way for LEAs to prove highly-qualified status
Special Education Paraeducator Credential
• Credential available through the PA Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education
• 10 Paraeducator Standards for Practice have been established in PA
• Essential skills and knowledge have been identified within each standard
• Credential is VOLUNTARY
Competency Assessment Checklist
• Means of documenting competencies
required for Paraeducator Credential
• Supervisor verifies achievement of items on the checklist
• Once all competencies are achieved, paraeducator may apply for the credential
Paraeducator Folder (Including Credential of Competency Checklist)
To order: Carol Bergman800-441-3215 x [email protected]
Standards for Practice
1 Foundations of Special Education
2 Development & Characteristics of Learners
3 Individual Learning Differences
4 Instructional Strategies
5 Learning Environments and Social Interactions
Standards for
Practice 6 Language
7 Instructional Planning
8 Assessment
9 Professional and Ethical Practice
10 Collaboration
Competency AssessmentChecklist
Each standard has a separate page thatincludes:• Checklist of essential knowledge and skill
competencies applicable to that standard• Employee demographic information• Method used to achieve competency• Level achieved for each competency• Date achieved/supervisor certification
Achieving Competencies
Knowledge and skills may be achieved at one of these levels:
• Entry• Intermediate• Advanced
Achieving Competencies
Competencies may be achieved through one of four methods:
• Class/In-service Training• Interview• Observation/Demonstration• Portfolio
Class/In-service Training
Paraeducator has documented attendance
and met requirements of the class/in-service
training approved by district/IU• Entry—successfully completed the course
and/or training• Intermediate—action plan developed for
application in job situations• Advanced—action plan implemented and
submitted to supervisor for review
Interview When interviewed by the supervisor, aparaeducator responds to questions related to knowledge and skill competencies• Entry—describes basic knowledge and
skills with limited evidence of application• Intermediate—describes application of knowledge
and skill competencies in job situations• Advanced—describes application of knowledge
and skill competencies to job situation and describes how adaptations could be created to meet student needs
Class Observation/Demonstrat
ionWhen observed by the supervisor in theclassroom or a simulated situation,paraeducator employs knowledge and skillcompetencies• Entry—performs job duties using basic knowledge &
skills requiring some coaching to apply in job situations
• Intermediate—sometimes applies knowledge & skill competencies while performing duties in job situations
• Advanced—consistently applies knowledge & skills and adapts to meet student needs across all educational settings
PortfolioParaeducator submits to supervisor a predeterminedcollection of products related to the knowledge andskill competencies• Entry—products meet minimum of predetermined
requirements reflecting basic understanding of knowledge and skill competencies with limited application
• Intermediate— products meet predetermined requirements and include examples of application of knowledge and skill competencies to job situations
• Advanced—products exceed predetermined requirements and include examples of application and adaptation of knowledge and skill competencies to job situations
Note!
Not all of the skill and knowledge areas can be achieved by attending classes. Some must be demonstrated within your work setting.
Example
The following need to be demonstrated:• S1 Use strategies, equipment, materials,
and technologies, as directed, to accomplish instructional objectives
• S2 Use strategies as directed to facilitate effective integration into various settings
Paraeducator Development Plan Menu(to be used in conjunction with Paraeducator’s Personal Development Plan)
Topics Notes
1.Characteristics of the Disability
2.Instructional Strategies
3.Lifting
4.Feeding (food issues)
5.Toileting
6.Assistive Technology and Adaptive Equipment
7.Orientation and Mobility
8.Transportation
9.Sign Language
10.Behavioral Strategies
11.Data Collection
12.Job Coaching
13.Restraint Techniques
14. Confidentiality
15.Socialization Issues
16.Communication Issues
17.Safety Issues
18.Sensory Impairment
19. Early Intervention
20. How to be a “Shadow” in a Child Care Center
21. Basic Educational Terminology
22. Other
23.
24.
25.
Directions: This menu is a tool for you to use as you progress through the Paraeducator Course. Whenever you come across topics about which you would like more information, place a checkmark next to the topic and indicate in the Notes column any specifics (for example, in #1 indicate which disability). For each topic checked make an entry in the Paraeducator Personal Development Plan.
Paraeducator Development Plan
What topics do I need to know more about for my job?
Where can I get the information/training?
What action steps am I going to take?
When will I complete this?
Standard #1
Foundations of
Special Education
Activity
Then and Now
Activity
What is the purpose of education?
What is the purpose of education forpeople with disabilities?
Special Education Terminology
Look for these Acronyms.Jot down what they stand for on this page:
FAPE-LRE-BSE-PDE-IEP-
Foundations of Special Education
• Brief History of Special Education• Current Legal Protections for Persons
with Disabilities• Roles and Responsibilities of
Paraeducators
Brief History of Special Education
• Prior to 1940’s– People with disabilities were excluded from society– Considered unable to learn
• 1940’s - 1960’s– General shift in society’s attitudes toward people with
disabilities– Parent advocacy groups developed– Civil rights movement\
• 1970’s to the present – Increase in number of court cases– Many new laws passed– Shift towards philosophy of inclusion
Current Legal Protections for
Persons with Disabilities• Individuals With Disabilities Education
Act of 2004 (IDEA ’04)• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of
1973• Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Legal Protections for Persons with Disabilities
IDEA ’04 • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA) – 1990, 1997– Free Appropriate Public Education
(FAPE)– Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
• Gaskin Settlement Agreement– Individual Education Plan (IEP)
• Special Education Process
FAPE in the LRE
FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education)
• Special education and related services• Provided at no expense to parents• To students who qualify for special
education• In an IEP developed by a team
IDEA ’04:
What It
Requires
FAPE in the LRE
LRE (Least Restrictive Environment)• Students eligible for special education will
be educated with students who are not disabled
• The regular education class must be considered first
• Supplementary aids/services help students be successful
IDEA ’04:
What It
Requires
The Gaskin Settlement Agreement
• Class Action lawsuit from 1994 focused on LRE• Goal is to ensure that IEP teams look at
placement in regular classroom with supplementary aids and services before considering a more restrictive placement.
• Activities are designed to increase the capacity of school districts to support students with special needs placed in regular classrooms
Individualized Education Program (IEP)
• Describes FAPE in an IEP
• Sets annual goals– Progress monitoring to ensure adequate
progress
• Identifies specially designed instruction and accommodations to help student be successful
IDEA ’04:
What It
Requires
IEPSpecially Designed Instruction
IDEA ’04:
It Requires
Special Educator
IDEA Legal Protections The Special Education Process
– Evaluation• Referral and assessment• Evaluation Report• Determination of eligibility
– IEP Development• Annual goals and short-term objectives• Specially designed instruction• Ongoing assessment and progress reporting• IEP Review
– Reevaluation • Every three years (two years for MR and EI)
How Students Qualify
• Must have 1 of 13 disabilities
• Must need specially designed instruction (later written in an IEP)
IDEA ‘04
How Students Qualify
1. Autism
2. Deaf-blindness
3. Deafness
4. Emotional disturbance
5. Hearing impairment
6. Mental retardation
7. Multiple disabilities
8. Orthopedic impairment9. Other Health
Impairments 10. Specific learning
disability11. Speech/language
Impairment12. Traumatic Brain Injury13. Visual impairment
Disability Categories
IDEA ‘04
Section 504 and
Chapter 15
• How students qualify• What they require• How they are different from IDEA ’04• Accommodations in the regular class
Description
• Section of the Rehabilitation Act 0f 1973
• Prohibits discrimination based on disability
• Applies to all entities that receive federal dollars
• Chapter 15 = PA regulations
Section 504/
Chapter 15
How Students Qualify
• Disability that substantially limits participation in, or access to, school programs
• Not necessarily one of the 13 IDEA ’04 disabilities
Section 504/
Chapter 15
How Students Qualify
• Needs can be met by reasonable accommodations in regular classrooms
• Specified in 504 Plan/Service Agreement, not an IEP
Section 504/
Chapter 15
How Students Qualify
• Walking• Talking• Seeing• Hearing• Speaking• Breathing• Working
• Performing Manual Tasks
• LEARNING• Sitting • Reaching • Stooping • Procreating
Section 504/
Chapter 15
Have a disability that substantially limits:
What It Requires:AccommodationsSection 504/
Chapter 15
Regular Educator
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
• How students qualify• What it provides
Description
Prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in:• Employment (companies with 15 or more
employees)• State and local government• Public accommodations• Commercial facilities• Transportation• Telecommunications
ADA
How Students Qualify
• Attend a school (even a private school!)
• All public facilities must be accessible
ADA
What It Requires
• Provides for access and removes barriers:– Elevators– Ramps– Curb cuts– Wheelchair lifts
ADA
Roles and Responsibilities
History of the Paraeducator
• 1950 Teacher shortages• 1960-1970
– Title 1– Head Start– P.L. 94-142
• 1997 Reauthorization of IDEA
Paraeducator
“Para”- “alongside”
Paraeducator – someone who works alongside an educator
Paraeducator
A school employee who:
–Provides instructional or other direct support services to students
–Works under the supervision of a certified staff member who is responsible for educational programming and student progress
Involvement of Paraeducators
• Impact on the improvement of educational settings
• Benefits for education
Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers
Teacher Responsibilities
– Exercise
• Work with your table group to compile a
list of daily, weekly and periodic tasks performed by TEACHERS in different
programs or settings. • Be prepared to share your list with the
entire group when you are finished
Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers
• Classroom Teachers
– Manage learning environments & programs– Participate in development of standards – Assist with curriculum development– Members of school based management
teams– Establish program priorities to meet
student’s needs
Roles and Responsibilities
of TeachersTeachers have primary responsibility
for students’ education including …
– Diagnosing students’ education and support needs
– Prescribing the programs to meet these needs
– Developing instructional goals and objectives
– Preparing lesson plans for an entire class
– Modifying strategies and curriculum content to meet the instructional objectives established for individual students
Roles and Responsibilities
of Paraeducators • Paraeducator Responsibilities
– Exercise• Work together with your table group to compile
a list of daily, weekly, and periodic tasks performed by PARAEDUCATORS in different programs or settings.
• Be prepared to share your list with the entire group when you are finished.
Roles and Responsibilities of Paraeducators
Paraeducators are responsible for
– Supplementing an appropriately certified teacher for instructional duties
– Performing non-instructional duties as directed by a certified professional
• i.e. paraeducators will be responsible to a certified professional when assigned to monitor cafeteria, study halls, homeroom, etc.
Roles and Responsibilities of Paraeducators
Provide Instructional Support– Implement instructional programs and lesson
plans as directed by teachers– Assist students with individual work– Assist in collecting and maintaining data– Score objective tests and maintain
appropriate records– Contribute information and/or attend IEP/IFSP
or other staff meetings
Roles and Responsibilities of Paraeducators
• Provide behavior management support
• Provide clerical/technical support
• Provide personal/health assistance
• Consult with others on the educational team
Learner Outcomes
Participants will:
• Describe what makes a special education paraeducator “highly qualified.”
• Examine the Special Education Paraeducator Credential of Competency and how to achieve the 10 standards
• Discuss purposes of programs for individuals with exceptional learning needs.
Learner Outcomes
Participants will:
• Describe basic educational terminology regarding students, programs, roles and instruction.
• Become familiar with laws and regulations for special education students.
• Examine roles and responsibilities paraeducators and teachers in support of students with disabilities.
Planning and Evaluation
• Please complete the evaluation form for today’s session.
• Using the Paraeducator Development Plan Menu and Action Plan, incorporate the topics covered tonight into your plan.
• Sign out and pick up Certificate of Attendance
Upcoming Events Afterschool Videoconferences:November 15, 2007— Standard #2
“Development and Characteristics of Learners”
February 12, 2008 – Standard #3“Individual Learning Differences”
March 18, 2008 – Standard #4“ Instructional Strategies”
April 22, 2008 – Standard #5“Learning Environments and Social Interactions”