Special Education Paraprofessional - Special Services

Montgomery-Public-Schools; Decatur (AL); On-site; USD 24,000 - 34,000; Full time

Job summary

Decatur City Schools in Alabama seeks a classroom assistant to support teaching staff with individualized instruction. You will help implement lesson plans, monitor student progress, and provide one-on-one or small-group support under a certified teacher.

In addition to instructional support you will set up audio-visual equipment, organize displays, supervise students during transitions, and assist with behavior management and hygiene needs.

Qualifications

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.
• Ability to write simple correspondence.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations.

Responsibilities

• Directs class activities under supervision of a certified teacher.
• Works with small groups to reinforce material initially introduced by teacher.
• Assists teacher in managing students upon arrival to class, during class and departure from class.
• Assists teacher in performance of routine responsibilities.
• Assists students in need of special attention.
• Assists students with non-instructional classroom activities, such as feeding, toileting, clothing routines, and personal hygiene needs.
• Helps supervise students during lunch periods, assemblies and field trips.
• Participates in planning and in-service activities as appropriate.
• Sets up audio-visual equipment for classroom use.
• Checks notebooks, corrects papers, and supervises testing and make-up work.
• Supervises small groups who leave the classroom to do library work.
• Assists in preparing class displays and bulletin boards.
• Maintains high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students.
• Participates in professional development activities.
• Maintains hygiene in the classroom and ensures instructional materials and equipment are maintained in accordance with accepted practice.
• Other duties may be assigned as related to specific areas of disability.

Education

Minimum of two years post-secondary earned credit (48 hours) or associates degree or passing scores on Workkeys Level 3 assessment

Job description

SUMMARY:

• Performs any combination of the following tasks in the classroom to assist teaching staff with the individualization of instruction.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Directs class activities under supervision of a certified teacher.
• Works with small groups to reinforce material initially introduced by teacher.
• Assists teacher in managing students upon arrival to class, during class and departure from class.
• Assists teacher in performance of routine responsibilities.
• Assists students in need of special attention.
• Assists students with non-instructional classroom activities, such as feeding, toileting, clothing routines, and personal hygiene needs.
• Helps supervise students during lunch periods, assemblies and field trips.
• Participates in planning and in-service activities as appropriate.
• Sets up audio-visual equipment for classroom use.
• Checks notebooks, corrects papers, and supervises testing and make-up work.
• Supervises small groups who leave the classroom to do library work.
• Assists in preparing class displays and bulletin boards.
• Maintains high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students.
• Participates in professional development activities.
• Maintains hygiene in the classroom and ensures instructional materials and equipment are maintained in accordance with accepted practice.
• Other duties may be assigned as related to specific areas of disability.

NON-ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATION REQUIREMENTS

Requirements may vary with exceptionalities.

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of two years post-secondary earned credit (48 hours) or associates degree or passing scores on WorkKeys Level 3 assessment.

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

• Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos.

• Ability to write simple correspondence.

• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using who numbers, common fractions, and decimals.

REASONING ABILITY:

• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions.

• Ability to deal with problems involving a few concrete variables in standardized situations.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and talk or hear.

• The employee frequently is required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.

• The employee is occasionally required to sit.

• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds.

• Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

• The noise level in the wok environment is usually moderate.

SALARY:

• Salary schedules are found on the main Decatur City Schools website, available here. (Please right-click and select Open in New Tab to view our salary schedules.)

• Listed below are items that may be necessary to complete your employment process in order to compute your annual salary. It is your responsibility to provide us with this requested information in order to receive your accurate salary.

• We need verification of previous public school teaching experience. Use the following information when requesting verification of experience from your past employment at other boards of education:

  • Within the state of Alabama, experience must be verified on Supplement EXP

  • Outside the state of Alabama, we must have a letter (on school district letterhead) or public school district form showing beginning and ending dates stating your years of service and position held while employed

  • Credit is awarded for public school experience only, private, parochial, or similar experience will not be accepted

  • Experience must be full time at least 50%-100% of the academic year

  • Administrative credit will be awarded only for experience in the same position, i.e., principal for principal position as stated in the salary schedule

  • Transfer Sick Leave: If you have sick leave from another state school system or from another state of Alabama agency, you must have a Sick Leave Transfer form sent from your previous employer to our Human Resources department

Equal Opportunity Employer:

The preceding job description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by an employee(s) within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of an employee(s) for this job.

The Decatur City School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, disability, sex, religion, national origin, or age in its programs, activities, or employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The Title IX Coordinator for Decatur City Schools is responsible for handling inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies. The Title IX Coordinator can be reached by calling the Decatur City Board of Education at [phone].