Paraprofessional Strategies

Paraprofessionals are an integral part of a student’s educational experience. Paraprofessionals are often untrained, unsupervised, and unprepared however, they are still expected to assist with classroom instruction. It is essential that paraprofessionals are fluent in research based instructional strategies in order to play more effective roles in the classroom. Research shows the need for better training in all areas for paraprofessionals and instructional strategies are pivotal in the classroom. Six participants in grades nine through twelve enrolled in a self-contained special education classroom for students with moderate cognitive impairments and two paraprofessionals participated in this study. The paraprofessionals were trained on the
The law states that paraprofessionals can assist in special education services if they are adequately trained and supervised. (Wrightslaw, 2004). The definition of adequate training is not provided and is up to individual interpretation. According to Breton (2010), “Least qualified individuals, paraprofessionals, often have primary teaching responsibilities for the most challenging students; the most complex teaching strategies are often implemented by untrained or poorly trained paraprofessionals; paraprofessionals.” Paraprofessionals are present in the classrooms of most students with significant disabilities; they are there to assist and are frequently given teaching roles in small groups or one on one situations. A study designed to look at the preparation of special education paraprofessionals (Breton, 2010) found that twenty-nine percent of the paraprofessionals felt that they were not thoroughly prepared to handle their assigned positions. The study was a survey that was administered to paraprofessionals throughout a school district in Maine. Examining the possibility for paraprofessional training, the study also found that although there are staff training days available, most often the paraprofessionals are not compensated or required to
The study states that, “paraprofessionals need to acquire the skills to competently implement prescribed teaching plans (Bolton&Mayer, 2008).” The study included three paraprofessionals who were new to the profession. All of the participants worked with students with significant disabilities. During the study, the paraprofessionals were trained rapidly using a power point presentation and the materials that would be need for them to use the discrete trial method. The students’ performances increased dramatically after paraprofessional training as compared to before the training. This study demonstrates that paraprofessional training plays a large role in student achievement. The relationship of the teacher and paraprofessional can be challenging. Rarely, have teachers been given training how to work effectively with paraprofessionals and paraprofessionals have reported that “they have more responsibility than is appropriate and that they do not receive adequate guidance” (Wallace, 2003). There are many different forms of relationships that can be successful for a teacher and paraprofessional. McGrath, Johns, and Mathur (2010) offer the following advice for