Paraeducator, Student Support Specialist

About the Employer

Job Title and Purpose

• Job Title: Paraeducator (Student Specific)
• Reports to: Principal or Designated Supervisor
• Location: Worcester Public Schools, Worcester, Massachusetts

Position Purpose

This position is accountable for providing assistance to the classroom teacher and/or other certified personnel, to support the instruction of all students (with emotional regulation and behaviors challenges, mild to moderate to severe special needs and general education) and to facilitate educational access for students with disabilities using sound judgment and confirming with the rules and regulations of the Worcester Public Schools.
• This position will require that you have patience, perseverance, creativity, and a true desire to prepare all students for successful lives.

Essential Job Functions

• Assist Classroom Teacher:
• Responsible for assisting the classroom teacher by reviewing, correcting, and reinforcing lessons with individual and small groups of students in all content areas and other activities as defined in the student's IEP or 504 plan.
• If your one-to-one is out, you are to work with other students in the classroom.
• Prepare Instructional Materials:
• Responsible for assisting in preparation and inventory of instructional materials and the setting-up, operating, and maintenance of various classroom's learning aids and equipment.
• Supervision of Meals and Assemblies:
• Responsible for the supervision of breakfast and/or lunch periods, and assemblies and cleaning up of work areas.
• Clerical Work:
• Responsible for assisting the classroom teacher in clerical work which may include, but it is not limited to, recording daily attendance, cataloging, and filing instructional materials.
• Weekly and Monthly Planning:
• Responsible for participating and contributing to weekly, monthly, and long-range planning with the classroom teacher for instructional activities such as observing special days and events, field trips, and visits and school-wide activities such as health testing, etc.
• Communication:
• Responsible for assisting the classroom teacher during the work day in maintaining open communication. All verbal and written communication is under the supervision of the teacher and/or administrator.
• Student Confidentiality:
• Responsible for maintaining student confidentiality. Commit to providing an educational and working environment that is free from harassment and discrimination.
• Supervision and Support:
• Responsible for the supervision and support of students in both structured and unstructured activities and across environments throughout the day.
• Positive Atmosphere:
• Responsible for contributing to a warm and open atmosphere so that all students will have the opportunity to grow and develop to their fullest potential.
• Substitute Teacher Support:
• Responsible for serving as the guiding source of information and assisting any substitute teacher assigned in the absence of the teacher.
• Rule Enforcement:
• Responsible for implementing district and school-wide rules, policies, and procedures and individual student behavior plans.
• Professional Development:
• Responsible for participating in related professional development (PD) specific to the administration of assessments and accommodations.
• Specialty Areas:
• Responsible for performing duties associated within specialty areas. This may include those paraeducators who are assigned to special projects, including grant programs that require specialized training and duties.
• Duty Work:
• Responsible for performing duty work (lunch, recess, line, bus) when required to do so by the building principal. It is understood that duty assignments will be distributed on an equitable basis.
• Crisis Intervention Training:
• Responsible for participating in non-violent crisis intervention training within the first year of employment.
• Data Collection:
• Responsible for data collection in accordance with student's learning goals and objectives.
• Behavior Intervention Plans:
• Responsible for implementing behavior intervention plans and behavior management in an effort to reduce problem behavior.
• Student Physical Care:
• May be responsible for supporting student physical and personal care needs such as assisting in lavatory routines, toileting, diapering, feeding, lifting, etc.
• Equal Opportunity Policy:
• Must adhere to our school district's equal educational opportunity to all individuals and non-discrimination policy.
• Other Duties:
• Responsible for performance of other job-related duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• 48 undergraduate college credits,
• or meeting or exceeding the state-determined passing score of 464 on the Paraprofessional (Para) Assessment or the WorkKeys Assessment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Non-violent crisis intervention trained,
• Demonstrated experience supporting students with special needs,
• Ability to speak Albanian, Arabic, Nepali, Portuguese, Spanish, Vietnamese, or an African language, and/or American Sign Language.

Work Year

• This is a school-year position including: 180 pupil days, 3 days of professional development, and 6 additional hours of staff meeting time (assigned by principal or designated supervisor).

Work Day

• 6 hours, plus a 30-minute unpaid lunch.

Salary

• This position is represented by the Educational Association of Worcester Paraeducator Bargaining Unit and the salary is determined by the appropriate step and lane placement on the Paraeducator Salary Schedule. Assignment to a secondary school will add the contractual 18-minute stipend which is 5% of the established salary.

Student Specific Stipend

• There is no contractual student-specific stipend; however, a student-specific paraeducator will receive the contractual separate stipend of $1000, prorated and paid at the end of each school year if their assigned students are enrolled in a subseparate classroom.