Special Education Paraeducator Aide HQ

PARA EDUCATOR AIDE 3

Highly Qualified Status (HQ):
The selected candidate must be highly qualified. Requirements include:

• High school diploma or equivalency.
• Completed at least 48 semester hours at an accredited college or university; or obtained an associate’s degree or higher.
• Or passed the Para Pro Assessment administered by Educational Testing Services (ETS) with a score of at least 460.

Under supervision, the aide works in special education classrooms, assisting teaching staff with a variety of instructional activities. The incumbent provides individual or group assistance based on student functional living and academic skills or behavioral support needs, and may also provide attendant services to students with intellectual or physical disabilities.

The Teacher Aide III assists teachers and/or special education students in general or special education classrooms, including specialized programs such as CLS, EC, MA, SIP, Strategies, and social or resource classrooms. In Title I schools, the aide must be highly qualified.

• Assist students with intellectual, physical, or behavioral disabilities in boarding and de‑boarding buses and in reaching proper locations within the school.
• Accompany students into general education classrooms and provide attendant services such as diapering, toileting, washing faces, and other hygiene activities.
• Support instruction in health and hygiene habits and perform delegated procedures such as clean intermittent catheterization.
• Provide emergency and first aid care as necessary.
• Move students weighing 50–80 pounds daily and repetitively, following proper safety procedures.
• Prepare and help feed students when needed.
• Support instruction in functional life skills and modify general education classroom assignments as required.
• Follow behavior plans outlined in students’ IEPs and use positive behavior management techniques.
• Assist with lesson assignments, reinforce learning concepts, and maintain discipline and order in the playground, lunchroom, library, and classrooms.
• Accompany students on field trips and arrange and adjust wheelchairs, oxygen hoses, and other equipment as needed.
• Communicate with special education teachers about concerns and observations of students.
• Assist in maintaining bulletin boards and, when trained, in administering medication.
• Assist in operating classroom equipment and assistive technology devices.
• Record student progress toward goals and develop instructional materials, graphs, and charts.
• Assist in modifying the general education curriculum and participate in district training programs, implementing non‑violent behavioral intervention procedures.
• Maintain confidentiality regarding student information and records.

The aide may work in one or more of the following specialized programs:

• Early Childhood (EC, EC SIP, EC STRAT, IEC) – age‑appropriate curriculum for 3‑5 year olds, focusing on literacy, math readiness, motor skills, communication, and social‑emotional development.
• Integrated Kindergarten (IK) – co‑teaching model with kindergarten standards.
• Comprehensive Life Skills (CLS) – supports students with cognitive disabilities to access alternative curriculum aligned with state standards.
• Social Intervention Program (SIP) – academic and emotional/behavioral support for students with significant emotional or behavioral needs, utilizing structured behavior management.
• Strategies – intensive instruction for students on the autism spectrum, focusing on language, routines, academics, and social skills.
• Social Resource – specialized curriculum emphasizing social thinking, coping skills, and transition to general education environments.

An associate’s degree, associate‑level education, or equivalent knowledge and experience qualify. Required skills include:

• Knowledge of educational principles, student behavior, basic discipline and positive behavior modification techniques.
• Competency in English usage, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and basic mathematics.
• Familiarity with office methods and procedures, record keeping, and computer skills.
• Ability to…