LRE Aide

Lesser Restrictive Environment Aide

A Lesser Restrictive Environment Aide (LRE Aide) is assigned to a particular building under the direction of a building team composed of regular and special education professional staff and the building administrator. The team is responsible for identifying specific job tasks to be performed by each LRE Aide in relation to assigned special education students. Supervision is provided cooperatively by the general education and special education teachers. The primary function of the LRE Aide is to assist students with disabilities in the regular education environment in the absence of the special education teacher. (LRE Aides must work their full employment assisting special education students and cannot be assigned to general education duties and be split funded.)

Essential duties and responsibilities include the following:

• Provides assistance to any eligible student with a disability when the individual educational planning team (IEPT) determines that additional assistance is necessary to support the student in a lesser restrictive general education classroom or community-based setting.
• Implements accommodations and modifications related to classroom activities based on needs identified in the student's IEP.
• Promotes social acceptance and interaction with general education peers.
• Promotes student independence in learning activities, completing classroom assignments and interacting with peers.
• Assists general and special education teachers in implementing daily lessons.
• Assists in implementing behavior intervention strategies.
• Maintains a log of specific support, as described in the student's IEP, which is provided while not under the direct supervision of a special education teacher.

Requirements:

• Complete at least two years of study at an accredited institution of higher education (equal to 60 semester hours); or
• Obtain an associate's degree (or higher) from an accredited institution; or meet a rigorous standard of quality and demonstrate, through passage of an approved formal state academic assessment in the following areas:
• Knowledge of, and the ability to assist in, instructing reading, writing, and mathematics; or Knowledge of, and the ability to assist in, instructing reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness, as appropriate.

The State Board of Education approved the following formal assessments by which an LRE Aide may choose to demonstrate this knowledge:

• Basic Skills Examination MTTC - A passing score of at least 480 on the evidence-based reading and writing section of the SAT and 530 on the mathematics section in lieu of the Basic Skills Test or Professional
• Readiness Exam
• ETS Parapro Assessment - A passing score of 460 is required

While no longer available, the following assessments would also provide qualification:

• WorkKeys-Required Scores: Reading for Information 4; and Applied Mathematics 4; and Writing 3 (Business Writing was NOT approved)

Desired qualifications:

• Evidence of successful experience in student and parent relations as evidenced through prior experience in personal or professional settings.
• Demonstrated proficiency in an instructional support capacity, as acquired through prior experience in tutoring, teaching or similar work experience.
• Willingness to learn
• Flexible
• Knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing reading, writing, and mathematics as appropriate