Bilingual Paraprofessional

Watervliet Public Schools; Watervliet Township (MI); On-site; USD 34,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Sylvania seeks a bilingual educational assistant to support language development for students, primarily in Spanish and English. The role involves translating written materials, interpreting during meetings, and coordinating with teachers and families to reinforce academic progress.

You will work on-site with classroom teams, assist in assessments, and help prepare instructional materials while maintaining records and communicating with parents regularly.

Qualifications

• Bilingual in Spanish and English with strong translation ability.
• Proficient translation of written materials.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple tasks in an educational setting.
• Knowledge of child development and instructional processes.

Responsibilities

• Provide home language tutorial assistance in core content areas.
• Function as liaison between classroom teacher and student(s).
• Assist communication between school and parents.
• Translate written materials and interpret meetings as needed.
• Monitor and record student progress.
• Attend conferences and family nights as required.

Skills

bilingual in Spanish

language accuracy

translation skills

task organization

child development knowledge

reading process knowledge

math instruction ability

communication skills

creative problem solving

following directions

title programs policies knowledge

computer skills

patience and flexibility

Education

Two years of college or higher

Associate degree or higher

State assessments knowledge (MTTC, SAT, etc.)

Tools

Word processing

Email

Student data management system

Internet

Job description

Primary Responsibility to: Building Principal

Responsibilities (Job functions)

• Provide home language tutorial assistance in core content subject areas.
• Function as a liaison between classroom teacher and student(s).
• Assist in communication between school and parents.
• Collect resource materials in English & Spanish for vocabulary learning and regular lesson reinforcement under the teacher's direction.
• Convert a variety of written materials from one language to another with speed and accuracy for the purpose of providing documents from/to second language for use in the classroom and/or for communication with the student and his/her family members.
• Interpret and translate simultaneously or consecutively during various meetings (e.g. during parent/teacher conferences, IEPs, disciplinary meetings, etc) for the purpose of providing translation to participants as needed.
• Communicate regularly with non-English speaking parents on the academic and/or behavioral successes and struggles of their students (in coordination with classroom teachers and principals).
• Provide instruction individually or in small groups by implementing lessons or instructional activities designed in collaboration with the classroom teacher to meet the students' academic needs.
• Work with the classroom teachers to develop a schedule for delivery of instructional services.
• Perform limited clerical functions directly related to the instructional assignment for the purpose of instructing students (i.e. preparing materials, maintaining instructional records for student files, communicating with teachers, etc.)
• Monitor and record student progress.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences and Family Nights as needed.
• Participate in the planning time with the classroom teachers and others working with the student.
• Communicate regularly with the parents or guardians of the student under the direction of the classroom teacher.
• Assist parents in understanding school assignments and procedures and encourage their involvement in school activities.
• Administer tests to assess student achievement.
• Attend staff meetings and serve on staff committees.
• Attend conferences, in-service and workshops to enhance teaching skills and knowledge.
• Assist other personnel as may be required for the purpose of supporting them in the completion of their work activities.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills, Knowledge and Abilities Required:

• mastery of required second language (Spanish) to that of native speaker
• correct language usage and pronunciation, grammar, spelling, punctuation and vocabulary
• accurate translation of written documents
• Skills to organize and manage multiple tasks.
• Knowledge of principles of child development and instructional processes.
• Knowledge of the reading process and how to teach it.
• Good math skills and the ability to teach math.
• Effective oral and written communication skills.
• Ability to develop creative solutions.
• Ability to follow directions.
• Knowledge of state and federal policies and procedures regarding Title Programs.
• Computer skills including word processing, email, student data management system, internet.
• Patience and flexibility.

Educational/Certification Requirements:

Option 1: Complete at least two years of study at an accredited institution of higher education (equal to 60 semester hours); or

Option 2: Obtain an associate degree (or higher) from an accredited institution; or

Option 3: 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.

Current State Board of Education Approved Assessments

• College Board’s SAT – Must score at least a 480 on evidence-based reading and writing and a 530 on math
• ETS Parapro Assessment – A passing score of 460 is required

Prior Approved Assessments

• Michigan Test for Teacher Certification (MTTC) Basic Skills Test
• MTTC Professional Readiness Examination
• WorkKeys® - Minimum Scores:
• Reading for Information – 4
• Applied Math – 4
• Writing – 3
• ACT (taken between 1/1/1989 - 10/1/2017) - Minimum Scores:
• Reading – 22
• Combined English and Writing – 22
• Math – 22
• Michigan Merit Examination (MME) (taken between 1/1/2007 and 1/31/2015) - Minimum Scores:
• Reading – 1108
• Writing – 1129
• Mathematics - 1116

Additional Skills Preferred:

• Experience with progress monitoring
• Experience with Excel

Evaluation:

Performance of this job will be evaluated annually in accordance with provisions of the Board’s policy on evaluation of classified personnel.