HS Paraprofessional - SPED

Job Description

Job Description

Job Description: High School Paraprofessional - SPED

Reports To: Principal

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Overview

As a leading education management organization, Meridian Charter Schools is committed to transforming the lives of students in culturally and linguistically diverse communities by providing students access to high-quality educational opportunities that elevate their identities as an asset and foster equitable and inclusive learning environments. Meridian Charter Schools is a school management organization (SMO) in Chicago, IL that operates three campuses of Chicago International Charter School: CICS Ralph Ellison High School, CICS Northtown Academy High School, and CICS Wrightwood Elementary School. We believe through collective effort, we will have collective impact. 

Position Summary:

Informed by the school’s mission, paraprofessionals will ensure that all students acquire the knowledge and skills required for academic progress and achievement, as defined by curricular and instructional objectives and overarching school goals. Paraprofessionals provide instructional assistance and support for diverse learners under the professional guidance and supervision of the diverse learner teachers and case managers. Paraprofessionals work with students individually or in small groups providing instructional, assessment, emotional, and behavioral support appropriate to the student’s individualized education program and demonstrated needs. Paraprofessionals may work with students inside and outside of the regular classroom.

Paraprofessionals are responsible to reflect the mission and guiding principles of the school, to help students uphold the rules and standards of the Student Code of Conduct, to build positive and collaborative relationships with students, staff, parents, and other staff members with transparency and accountability that best ensures student academic and personal achievement.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are generally representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Key Competencies/Duties:

Provide in-class support to promote access to the curriculum and instructional model.

• Provide assistance to teachers to provide services to students with a host of disabilities including, but not limited to learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, emotional-behavioral disorders, mental health concerns, and physical disabilities. 

• Implement services under the direction and guidance of the teacher/case manager to promote academic, functional, social, and emotional progress and achievement.

• Use instructional strategies and techniques to provide instructional assistance and support to individuals and small groups of students inside/outside of the classroom.

• Provide instruction to students in a variety of individual and group activities (e.g. academic subjects, social skills, daily living skills, etc.) for the purpose of reinforcing instructional objectives; implementing IEP plans/accommodations/supports, and ensuring students success in school all under the supervision of assigned teacher.

• Assist with organization of materials and instructional space to support students.

• Use strategies that promote students’ independence for learning.

• Reinforce reading, writing, mathematical ideas and concepts, and other such skills presented by the classroom teacher.

• Assist in the review and evaluation of students’ work, as requested.

• Carry out assessment activities to collect and document objective information about the students’ strengths and needs.

• Assist with maintaining student records including using any technology employed by the school.

• Use relevant technology to support and differentiate instruction.

• Contribute to progress monitoring and collect data, as requested by the special education coordinator or teacher. Assist with record keeping. 

• Under the direction of the special education coordinator, implementing accommodations and modifications and other educational or behavioral strategies used in the classroom.

• Provide feedback to the teacher about accommodations/modifications and other educational or behavioral strategies used in the classroom.

• Observing students and sharing information about student behaviors outside of the classroom.

• Assist the special and/or general teacher in gathering documentation such as assessment data, work samples, observations and reports.

• Facilitate communication with linguistically and culturally diverse parents/guardians.

• Support the student/s in the use of technology in the classroom.

• Collaborate and communicate with appropriate school personnel about the needs of students with disabilities.

• Employ techniques, interventions, modifications and accommodations to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities under the direction of licensed school personnel.

• Provide input to the teacher regarding the student’s response to strategies that have been used in instruction or behavior management.

• Maintain and protect students’ right to confidentiality.

• Assisting with the personal care needs (e.g., toileting) as identified in the student’s IEP.

• Documenting service delivery. 

• Other duties as assigned.

Assist students with assessment in order to support the implementation of the individualized education program, encourage accurate demonstration of academic progress and learning, and to help benchmark progress on course standards and learning targets.

• Provide assessment assistance to students, individually and in small groups. 

• Implement assessment accommodations, as required by the student’s individualized education program.