Stop the Revolving Door : Rethinking the Role of the Paraeducator

Dr. Kathleen Adolt-Silva

Dr. Kathleen Adolt-Silva

More than 3 decades experience:

• Special education administrator
• Special education English and Math teacher
• Paraeducator training Adjunct Professor
• Early childhood education and caregiver certification- US ARMY Europe 
• Deafness and hearing impairment / American Sign Language
• Specific learning disabilities research focus
• Executive functioning skills  research focus
• Center of Excellence Director – Paraeducators
• Founding staff and board of 2 Performing Arts Schools

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Dr. Willetta Silva

PARAEDUCATORS

What do paraeducators do?

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Paraeducator Definition

• A paraeducator is an employee who works under the direction of a certificated staff member to support and assist in providing instructional programs and services to children with disabilities or eligible young children.

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• “asked to provide educational support to students with a broad range of needs across multiple contexts with varied instructional formats”( Fischer et al. 2022)

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How many students ages 5-21 qualify for special education supports and services?

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• About 15% of the nation’s student population

7.3 Million

Paraeducator Reality

• Assisting students with completing a math worksheet
• Helping with toileting
• Modeling on a communication device
• Providing reinforcement as a student follows a behavior intervention plan
• Providing a student with choices to meet sensory needs.
• Rearranging a classroom to accommodate student needs
• Reteaching vocabulary one-on-one

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Paraeducator Reality

• Properly positioning students with physical needs
• Modifying and administering tests
• Following a lesson plan from the teacher to instruct small groups
• Collecting data on student progress
• Sitting at lunch with a student with social interaction difficulties
• Accompanying students on field trips
• Helping ELL students stay on track during class

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Paraeducator Reality

• Working with an anxious student to learn breathing and calming techniques
• Making sure that a fidget, wiggle seat cushion, or other tactile device is available for a student with sensory deficits
• Reminding a student about behavior rules and appropriate actions
• Attending classes with a student and helping them to take notes and remain focused on the activity
• Encouraging a student to use their break card when they are becoming frustrated.
• Finding out why an ELL student isn’t eating the school lunch

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Inclusion�

• the practice of educating children with disabilities in the general education classroom to the greatest extent possible based on the benefit to the student and their needs.
• Often requires the use of support staff to be successful
• captures in one word an all-embracing societal ideology.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-ND

Numbers

• According to the U.S. Department of Education, during the 2018-2019 school year, there were almost 521,000 special education paraeducators in the country.
• Between 2006 and 2013, the number of paraprofessionals working with students with disabilities increased nationally by more than 20,000. At the same time, the number of special educators decreased by 70,000—over one-sixth of the workforce
• The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are greater than a million paraeducators working in K-12 schools nationwide, with a meaningful subset focused on supporting special education delivery

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

Paraeducator shortage?

• while the media tends to focus on the teacher shortage the position with the most postings is that of paraeducator- about twice as many as teachers
• “Special educators are working hand-in-hand with principals to triage who are the most significant kids, looking at all the IEPs kids have. That’s what folks are trying to do — triage, working hand-in-hand with families and making sure kids get the care they need. (O’Grady, Concord Monitor, 8/2022)

Do they like their jobs?

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• survey sample of 3,481 paraprofessionals, classroom assistants, and school teaching assistants.

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• What percent of paraeducators say they like their jobs

78%

POST PANDEMIC?

• More than a quarter of paraeducators say they’re likely to leave their job within the next year and go into a field outside of K-12,

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• 71% of those paraeducators who indicated that they’re likely to leave said pay was a major reason.

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• While the media tends to focus on the teacher shortage the position with the most postings…is that of paraeducator, about twice as many as teachers (Goldhaber & Gratz, 2022)

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8 top reasons why they leave

• they don’t feel respected by educators at their school
• Low pay – must work several jobs
• No future or advancement
• Pressure to become a teacher – prefer hands on and individual
• No paraeducator specific training
• No performance improvement opportunities or support to grow
• Little mentoring or coaching support
• Learn as you go is very difficult -

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5 top reasons why they stay?

• The children with whom they work
• Hands-on work
• Flexibility of workdays and hours
• Making a meaningful difference in the life of a child
• Racially diverse and comfortable culture - mirrors the makeup of the greater school community

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Across the nation-�A struggle to hire and a struggle to keep�paraeducators

• According to OSEA in Oregon “approximately 3,300 employees” left their classified roles in the three school years before 2021-2022, out of 22,000 positions.

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• “In the 2021-22 school year, the number of employees who left employment jumped to over 5,300,” OSEA

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• Even among districts, there’s competition for the same employees. Some districts are offering retention bonuses.

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A struggle to hire and a struggle to keep

• A Frontline Education survey in April 2021 cited 35 percent of districts found paraeducators among the hardest vacancies to fill.
• Lack of support staff leaves students in special education physically at risk and academically unserved — even though they are among the student groups in greatest need after more than two school years of pandemic disruptions.(Miller , OPB, 8/2023)

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paraeducator

What do we need to do?

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Obtain, Train, & Retain

Rethink the Role of the Paraeducator

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• In what career type do these positions focus?
• Paramedic
• Paralegal
• Names and titles are tied into our self-esteem
• Using the correct titles and terms shows respect

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Paraeducator

�1. Use “paraeducator” as a descriptive term

��Use “paraeducator” as a descriptive term

2. Most have never been a paraeducator before. Create scenario- based interview questions to Paraeducators ��

• Finding the right person for the role is different than finding a PERSON to fill the role
• Most will not have paraeducator on their resume
• You will not be looking at qualifications as much as you are looking at qualities
• Create a series of questions in scenarios that will help to determine if the applicant has the behavioral characteristics of a successful paraeducator

Most have never been a paraeducator before. Create scenario- based interview questions to Paraeducators ��

10 behavior characteristics of a successful paraeducator

(Wang, Friendship Circle)

• Likes children - unconditionally.
• Calm.
• Organized.
• Team player.
• Creative.
• Knowledgeable.
• Intellectually curious.
• Knows when to back off.
• Knows when to step in

Most have never been a paraeducator before. Create scenario- based interview questions to Paraeducators ��

Add up scores

3. Clearly express position requirements��

• Don’t do the bait and switch or be unclear with position requirements because you are afraid that no one will apply – defeats your purpose of O.T & R.
• Special Ed department must provide important descriptors to HR for recruiting.
• Do not limit to “paraeducator” – can mean so many different things
• Does not have to individualize or violate confidentiality but can be descriptive of needs

Areas of

support

needs

Amount of Support Time

4. Use standards of knowledge and performance competency specific to Paraeducators to set expectations and goals���

• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) along with the National Resource Center for Paraeducators (NRCP),   developed the Specialty Set of Knowledge and Skills for Paraeducators in Special Education
• Some states have developed their own standards for paraeducator knowledge and competency
• Montana
• Washington 
• Pennsylvania
• Idaho
• Connecticut
• Alaska

Example of one Paraeducator-Specific Course standards

CEC�paraeducator standards

5. Assess using observations and comparison to standards on a sliding scale or rubric

• Choose your expectations and standards
• Do not use teacher performance standards
• Create a rubric or sliding scale to indicate paraeduator competency performance
• Make sure that all paraeducators receive a copy of the standards upon hire (not just the job description)
• Rubi star http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
• Rubic Maker https://rubric-maker.com/
• Quick Rubric https://www.quickrubric.com/

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Performance Rubric samples

6. Provide Paraeducator-specific training and onboarding, not just include in teacher trainings��

Provide Paraeducator-specific training, not just include in teacher trainings

7 reasons why - Ritu Chopra, Executive Director of the PARA Center says

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• Federal Legislation requires training for paras
• Even though they are not teachers, they need teacher-type training in best practices
• They work with the students with the most challenging educational needs
• Paraeducators are cost-effective
• Use of untrained paraeducators can raise liability for districts
• College level remains largely inaccessible for the majority of paraeducators
• Paras are often not well supervised

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Provide Paraeducator-specific training, not just include in teacher trainings

Provide Paraeducator-specific training, not just include in teacher trainings

• Instructional Teamwork
• Interpersonal Skills
• Significant Communication Support Needs
• Student Supervision
• Behavior Management
• Significant Supports for Challenging Behaviors
• Significant Health Support Needs
• Orientation to Special Education
• Instructional Technology
• Life Skills
• Language Development and Acquisition
• Instructional Methods for Second Language
• Learners
• Personal Growth & Development

7. Provide opportunities for Paraeducator self-assessment, voice, and buy-in���

��8. Provide how-to’s for interactions between team members and paraeducators�

• Most teachers have not had instruction on supervision of paraeducators or even how to use them effectively in the classroom
• Must present teachers with expectations and support growth as supervisors and collaborators
• Three basic tenets of working with paraeducators
• Solidarity
• Clarity of Roles
• Respect

(Barnes & Cipriani)

Solidarity

An easy step!

After evaluating and observing hundreds of classrooms, Barnes & Cipriani found that simple words such as “we” when used in front of students created the idea of solidarity between teacher and paraeducator which then changed the dynamics in the room..

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Solidarity

Build trust by embodying the following characteristics:�

Thought-provoking �Clarity of Roles exercise

• should a paraeducator or teacher do this?
• “Would it be OK if the student did not have a disability” (Giangreco)

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• A paraeducator provides the student’s primary literacy instruction

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• The student is removed from class activities at the discretion of the Paraeducator rather than the teacher

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• The student spends 80 percent or more of his time with only the paraeducator.

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• The student spends the majority of her social time (Lunch, recess) with only a paraeducator rather than with classmates.

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• The paraeducator makes the majority of the day to day curricular and instructional decisions affecting the student

“Respect means that when you see me, you hear me, you respect me and you value me,” said Angelina Rivera, president of the Rochester (N.Y.) Association of Paraprofessionals

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

Simple ways to show respect in the classroom

Again, Barnes & Cipriani found that there were some things that showed simple respect in the classroom that were not always done

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• “Just a para” – realize that they are the backbone of supports and services. Take away the spine and everything just goes floppy
• Say their name – address a paraeducator as you would another teacher
• Make eye contact

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��9. Grow your own paraeducator experts�

Your presenter

Dr. Kathleen Adolt-Silva

Director of the Managed Paraeducator Program Center of Excellence

Kelly Education

kata019@kellyservices.com

References and Resources

• https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/essa-and-paraeducators
• https://www.congress.gov/114/plaws/publ95/PLAW-114publ95.pdf
• https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/SDE/Paraeducator/guidelines_paraprofessionals.pdf
• Swenson, T. G. (2020). Examining the Role Frequency, Ability, and Training Needs of Paraeducators Supporting Students with Disabilities in Physical Education Settings. Edgewood College. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/openview/11333c6f2b9ac90bd27435e71e0be1da/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=44156

References and Resources

• Lekwa, A. J., & Reddy, L. A. (2021). Current status and future directions in assessment of paraprofessional practices. Psychology in the Schools, 58(4), 648-668. About Our Standards | Council for Exceptional Children
• Zarate, K., Maggin, D., Van Acker, E., Brown, C., & Walton, B. (2021). Short-dosage Video Training and Brief Coaching for Paraprofessionals.
• McCurdy, A. (2020). A Collaborative Professional Development Handbook For Teacher/Paraeducator Teams In the Elementary Setting (Doctoral dissertation, California State University San Marcos).

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