Paraprofessionals: Caring, Passionate, Well-Trained -- Supervised

1. Paraprofessionals:Caring, Passionate, Well-Trained --Supervised 2013 Illinois Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders’ Conference Sheila Marie Trzcinka, Ph.D. Consultant smtroch@yahoo.com

2. Current Research: The Context • MidwestUrban School District • Demographics • Racial: 84% Black, 9% White, 5% Hispanic, and 2% other • SES: Median Household Income: $27,195 • K-12 enrollment, 9,519 • One: Day Treatment Program for students with E/BD • The paraprofessionals within the day treatment program

3. The Problem • Paraprofessionals provided no instruction, instead: • Recorded only behavioral data points • Reprimanded students by reinforcing inappropriate behavior • Conducted personal activities during class time (e.g., craft projects, eating, reading). • Restrained and physically attacked students. • Refused to carry out instructional requests from their assigned teachers.

4. Contributions to the Problem • Culture of corruption – jobs are political patronage (untouchables) • "Iron rice bowl“* *A Chinese term used to refer to an occupation with guaranteed job security, as well as steady income and benefits.

5. Initial Administrator Reactions • There is no problem - denial • “Paras have all been adequately trained”* • Resistance to change * Any instructional paraprofessional employed after January 8, 2002, must either have completed two years of college, hold a two-year degree, or pass a state or local assessment.

6. Step 1 • Help administrators/teachers recognize there was a problem. • Help administrators/teachers understand what a paraprofessional should be doing. • Change the picture in his/her head of a responsibilities of paraprofessionals.

7. Questions to Open the Door • What are your expectations for your teachers in this school? • What are your expectations for your paraprofessionals in this school? • What training or qualifications are people required to have to work here in day treatment? • What additional training have they received? • How happy are you with the performances of your teachers and paraprofessionals? • Tell us about your school and classroom rules and behavior. • What behaviors do you expect teachers to punish and how do you expect them to punish the student? • What behaviors do you ask your teachers to reinforce or reward?

8. Initial assessment to start the conversation about the duties and responsibilities of paras. Grskovic & Trzcinka, 2013

9. Resource to Inform Training • CEC Para-educator Professional Development Standards • Foundations • Development and Characteristics of Learners • Individual Learning Differences • Instructional Strategies • Learning Environments and Social Interactions • Language • Instructional Planning • Assessment • Professional and Ethical Practice • Collaboration

10. Step 2 • Conduct Needs Assessment • Provide Professional Development • Role clarification - Understanding role/work of a paraprofessional • Understanding the hierarchy • Classroom management skills • Skills in teaching social skills • Skills in how to teach academics (reading)

11. Paraprofessional Self-Appraisal Form • What do you consider to be the most important abilities that your job requires? • What are some aspects of your job that you like the best/least? • What are some ways in which your supervising teacher can help you do a better job? • In what aspects of your job do you feel you need more training & experience? • What recommendations would you make to help the classroom run more efficiently? (Grskovic & Trzcinka, 2013)

12. Needs Assessment : Reading • In preparation for next week’s session, please briefly describe your experiences with helping students with the following areas of reading. What do you use with students? Worksheets? Read a louds? Games or other techniques? • Phonics • Reading comprehension • Comprehension in subject areas • Word attack skills • Letter recognition • Sound recognition • Providing context skills • How could you be more effective increasing the student achievement in reading? Use the other side also. Thank you.

13. Step 3 • Provide Training • 5 one-hour sessions (after school) • Self-assessment of paraprofessional’s skills • Role clarification • Videos (image in the head) • Skill training

14. Outcomes • Lack of attendance (avoidance) • Conflict with a student teacher (called the union) • Change in Building Principal • Change in Principal expectations • Change in teacher expectations • Change in paraprofessional behavior

15. Implications and Future Development • Developed Paraprofessional Manual • New Beginnings • New Roles: Supervision of Paraprofessionals • New Roles: Paraprofessionals • New Administrator • New Teachers • Acknowledgement: Research conducted by Dr. Janice A. Grskovic and Dr. Sheila Marie Trzcinka to support the professional development efforts of a mid-western urban school corporation through a university/school collaboration.

16. Functions of Supervision • Orientation • Planning • Scheduling • Delegating • On-the-job Training • Monitoring task performance • Managing the workplace • French, 2008

17. Orientation Process for Supervising Paraprofessionals • 1. Define paraprofessional roles • a. Specifically define classroom responsibilities • b. Follow/create job description • 2. Train paraprofessional to fulfill roles • a. Describe classroom procedures for para to fulfill • b. Initially, monitor closely para performance

18. (Continued) • 3. Evaluate paraprofessional performance • a. Develop method to assess performance • b. Create a schedule of when and how assessments occur • c. Share assessment form and schedule • 4. Communicate, collaborate, redefine, reconstruct paraprofessional role within guidelines of CEC and district job description • a. Establish periodic meetings to review role responsibilities • b. Meet informally to briefly ‘touch-base’ on red flags

19. Characteristics: Roles for Supervisors (Teachers) & Paras - TEAM • Role confusion • Social versus professional relationship confusion • Skills and knowledge of team members are not known • Elusive long-range goals • Confusion about how teams will operate • Gerlach, 2010

20. Planning/Scheduling with the Paraprofessional • Coordinate Your schedule and Theirs • Establish CLEAR goals for classroom professionalism with students AND adults • Provide time for Daily or Periodic planning • Utilize Strengths and Interests of paraprofessional to delegate supportive instructional, behavioral, clerical tasks • Schedule time for observation and feedback to the paraprofessional

21. DELEGATING: Classroom Responsibility, Teachers & Paras • As the educational staff in the classroom, both the teacher and paraeducator work together to facilitate the academic and social growth of our students. The teacher develops; the paraprofessional supports. The following agreement outlines the recognized activities we agree to pursue within the classroom. • As the classroom teacher, I will: • • Take responsibility for delivering whole class instruction to students • • Develop educational and behavioral plans for individual students • • Develop a classroom management program • • Prepare the paraeducator to perform all classroom tasks asked of him • • Evaluate paraeducator performance objectively • • Meet with parents, teachers, and related service providers • • Notify paraeducator of changes to the academic or behavioral program in the classroom • • Listen to and consider the insights the paraeducator has for students • As the classroom paraeducator, I will: • • Support students in need of academic assistance during instructional periods • • Implement educational and behavioral plans, designed by teacher, for individual students • • Assist with implementing the classroom management program • • Ask for guidance from teacher in using appropriate consequences for students • • Prepare materials provided by teacher to be used for student instruction • • Collect data on student academic and behavioral performance as instructed by the teacher • • Collect student work at the end of instructional periods • • Provide information to teacher to assist with instructional and behavioral interventions. • Together, the teacher & paraeducator accept responsibility for the classroom and will implement, to the best of their ability, the duties outlined above. • Signed: • Teacher/Date • Paraeducator/Date • Adapted from: Maggin, 2009

22. On-the-Job Training: How to Support Classroom Instruction Provide Clear Directions • Providing clear directions and helping students comply is essential to maintaining a productive learning • environment. Establish eye contact with the student • Look at the student and state the student’s name when making a request. • Example: “John, put your book away and line up at the door.” Make requests specific • In a calm, clear voice, provide a precise description of what you expect from the student. • Example: “Sam, quietly read the first paragraph on page 14.” Make one request at a time • Do not ask the student to do several things at once. The student may be overwhelmed and • may not be able to remember everything. After the student has complied with one request, • you may make an additional request. Allow time for compliance • State what you want the student to do and give the student three to five seconds to comply. • If the student does not comply, restate the request. Praise the student for complying • Provide verbal reinforcement when the student complies with your request. This will encourage • further compliance in the future.

23. Use Prompts Physical Assistance • Full prompt – Hand-over-hand assistance • Hold the student’s hand while the student holds a pencil • Partial prompt – Supportive guidance • Support the student’s wrist while the student writes Verbal • Direct – Clear statement “Put your book in your desk.” • Indirect – Ask a question “What should you do next?” Model • Show student, student imitates • Write the student’s name on a paper, • Student then writes or traces his/her name Gesture • Movement/motion • Put your finger to your mouth to remind the student to be quiet • Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

24. Assisting with Reading Instruction:Questions to Ask • What will I be doing? • How will I know what to do? • When will I be told? • Can I make adaptations or modifications? • What data should I collect? How often? • What is the format for data collection? • How will the data be used?

25. Reading Assistance Reading components emphasized: • Phonemic Awareness • Phonics • Vocabulary building • Comprehension • Fluency Never be afraid to seek clarification!!!

26. Math Assistance • Determine the focus of the lesson • Memorizing facts? • Addition • Subtraction, etc. • Developing math skills? • Money • Time • Budget creation • Transportation Navigation • Analyzing/solving word problems?

27. Testing Accommodations • How specifically does the para assist student? • Explicitly describe the exact accommodation from the IEP!!!! • Explain: • What to do if student needs something different during the testing situation • What to do if the student asks for something different • What to do if the student becomes emotionally upset • What to do if the student cannot respond to the test • What to do if the student becomes noticeably tired

28. Instructional Accommodations • Change in the manner in which a student responds or demonstrates knowledge • Read a passage that a student cannot read independently • Whenever accommodations are made, BE SURE to have the para document what was done

29. Training Para • Training Schedule • Task: Implementing Classroom Management Package • Method: Paraeducator will observe teacher for three sessions, implement with teacher support for three sessions, and implement without teacher support. • Schedule: Sessions will occur during whole-class language arts on a daily basis.

30. Evaluating Para • List of Potentially Important Outcomes Number of paraeducator praise statements, total disruptive behaviors, number of students to complete work on time, aggressive behaviors, number of paraeducator academic questions • Rank Order of Important Outcomes 1. Disruptive behaviors 2. Aggressive behaviors 3. Number of students to complete work on time • Define Outcome Most Important to Measure Disruptive behaviors will be those behaviors demonstrated by students that do not comply with classroom rules. These behaviors include calling-out, unapproved talking to peers, and refusal to do work

31. Evaluating Para (continued) • Data Collection System Para will collect data by moving a marble from the right pocket to the left pocket for each disruptive behavior observed, • • Frequency of Data Collection Sessions Data will be collected on a daily basis, per the training schedule. • • Total Behaviors Observed for this Session: • • Goal for Next Session: • Maggin, 2009

32. Recapping: Building a Successful Classroom Team, Your Role as Supervisor • Acknowledge your role as supervisor, not a friend • Define & continually refine communication between you and your paraprofessional • Learn to delegate the instructional & clerical supporting tasks using clear descriptions • Train the paraprofessional how to use your Lesson Plan book • Establish an effective, caring, professional interpersonal relationship • Clarify continually your expectations

33. Supervising Paraprofessionals: Bibliography Area Special Education Cooperative. (2003). Special education paraprofessional handbook. Grand Forks, MN. Carnahan, C. R., Williamson, P., Clarke, L., & Sorenson, R. (2009). A systematic approach for supporting paraeducators in educational settings: A guide for teachers. Teaching Exceptional Children, 41(5). 34-43. Council for Exceptional Children, (2011), Special Education Professional Ethical Principles and Practice Standards: Special Education Paraeducator Common Core Specialty Set. Arlington, VA: Author. Doyle, M. B. (2008). The paraprofessional’s guide to the inclusive classroom: Working as a Team. Baltimore: Brookes. French, N. A. (2008). A guide to the supervision of paraeducators. Port Chester, NY: National Professional Resources Grskovic, J. A. , & Trzcinka, S. M. (2013). Paraprofessional Handbook (DRAFT).. Gerlach, K. (2010) Let’s team up! A checklist for paraeducators, teachers, and principals. Washington, DC: National Education Association. Grskovic, J. A. , & Trzcinka, S. M. (2013). Dismantling barriers. Teacher Education Division of Council for Exceptional Children. Fort Lauderdale, FL. Maggin, D. M., Wehby, J. H., Moore-Partin, T. C., Robertson, R., & Oliver, R. M. (2009). Supervising paraeducators in classrooms for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Beyond Behavior, Summer, 2-9. Riggs, C. (2004). To teachers: What paraeducators want you to know. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36(5), 8- 12. Trzcinka, S. M. (2013). Paraprofessionals supporting teachers: Reading for students with emotional disabilities. Gary, IN. Riggs, C. (2004). To teachers: What paraeducators want you to know. Teaching Exceptional Children, 36(5), 8-12.

34. Questions ???