Paraprofessionals, Teachers’ Aides, and Paraeducators
Teachers’ aides and paraeducators, as defined in the appropriate job descriptions, are under the supervision of a Executive Director or his or her designee and a teacher to whom the Executive Director/designee may have delegated responsibility for close direction. The nature of the work accomplished by paraeducators will encompass a variety of tasks that may be inclusive of “limited instructional duties.”
Under federal law, a paraprofessional, also known as a “paraeducator,” an “education assistant” or an “instructional assistant,” is defined as an individual who is employed in a preschool, elementary school, or secondary school under the supervision of a certificated or licensed teacher, and includes persons employed in language instruction educational programs, special education programs, and migrant education programs.
Paraeducators are employed by the RISE Charter School mainly to assist the teacher. A paraeducator is an extension of the teacher, who legally has the direct control and supervision of the classroom or playground and is responsible for the control and welfare of the students.
In compliance with applicable legal requirements, the Board shall require all paraeducators with instructional duties that are newly hired in a Title I school-wide program to have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED) and:
1. Demonstrate through a state approved academic assessment knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing or preparing students to be instructed as applicable to the academic areas they are providing support in; or
2. Have completed at least two years of study at an accredited postsecondary educational institution; or
3. Obtained an associate degree or higher level degree;
It is the responsibility of each Executive Director/designee and teacher to provide adequate training for a paraeducator. This training should take into account the unique situations in which a paraeducator works and should be designed to cover the general contingencies that might be expected to pertain to that situation. During the first 30 days of employment, the supervising teacher or administrator shall continue to assess the skills and ability of the paraeducator to assist in reading, writing, and mathematics instruction.
The Executive Director shall develop and implement procedures for an annual evaluation of teachers’ aides and paraeducators. Evaluation results shall be a factor in future employment decisions.
Cross Reference:
1315 Continuous Improvement Plan
Legal References:
20 U.S.C. § 6312 Local Educational Agency Plans
20 U.S.C. § 6314 Schoolwide programs
20 USC §§ 7011 & 7801 Definitions
IDAPA 08.02.02.007.14 Paraprofessional Defined
Policy History:
Adopted on: July 12, 2021
Revised on:
Reviewed on: