EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Special Education Classroom Instructional Assistant provides assistance and motivation to special education students.  Works closely with students with disabilities/special needs throughout the school day to help the students learn and succeed in all classroom settings.

 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:

 

Work effectively with children having disabilities and special needs within integrated and special education classrooms and in varied settings.

 

Communicate and work effectively with special education and classroom teachers, co-workers, parents, and other caregivers as an educational team.

 

Practice professional, legal, and ethical conduct toward students, parents, and co-workers.

 

Motivate and assist the student(s) to build self-esteem and independence, develop interpersonal and social skills, think independently, learn actively, and self-advocate.

 

Use assistive technology, computers, and adaptive equipment providing special care or physical assistance required for the student to function in school and learn effectively.

 

Use developmentally appropriate instructional interventions for curricular activities in the areas of cognitive, motor, self-help, social interaction, and language development for students.

 

Gather and maintain accurate data regarding the student, including academic, behavioral, and/or health information, as needed, and providing feedback to the teacher to improve instruction for the student.

 

Understand and appreciate diversity in children’s skills and abilities, cultural heritage, lifestyles, values systems, and human rights.

 

Maintain confidentiality with student information and student records. 

 

Use developmentally appropriate instructional interventions for curriculum activities in the areas of cognitive, motor, self-help, social interaction, and language development for students.

 

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, education, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

 

Under the Every Student Succeeds Act prior to starting, you must have one of the following:

· Two years of study at an institution of higher education; or
· Associate degree or higher; or
· Obtain voluntary certification through the Board of Educational Examiners(Paraeducator  Certification); or 
·  Successful completion of ACT WorkKeys® (NCRC Assessment).


ACT WorkKeys® Assessment
ACT WorkKeys®is a job skills assessment system that helps employers select, hire, train, develop and retain a high-performance workforce. This series of tests measures foundational and soft skills and offers specialized assessments to target institutional needs.

Successful completion of ACT WorkKeys® assessments in Applied Mathematics, Locating Information and Reading for Information can lead to earning ACT's National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), a portable credential earned by more than 2.3 million people across the United States. If you are interested in taking the NCRC assessments, you may schedule a time at one of the IowaWORKS Centers.

For more information, please contact Iowa Work Force Development at 712-233-9030. The calendar of testing times and locations is available on the Skilled Iowa website:
https://www.iowaworkforcedevelopment.gov/assess-and-improve-my-skills

 

EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE

Minimum education includes a high school graduate and previous experience working with children.  A paraeducator certification is preferred. 

 

For preschool classrooms, preference would be the individual has one of the following three criteria met: a paraeducator certification with an early childhood endorsement, CDA or a two-year degree or higher, or ability to obtain one of the criteria within one year of selection.    

 

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Must possess the ability to communicate effectively with a variety of individuals and groups from all levels of the organization. May communicate with parents or guardians of the student(s).  The individual must have effective listening skills.

 

ANALYTICAL and REASONING SKILLS

Ability to gather, collate, and/or classify data.  Ability to work with a variety of data.  Problem-solving is required to identify issues and create action plans. 

 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

May be required to lift up to 50 pounds frequently. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. The employee may work inside or outside.

 

TECHNOLOGY SKILLS

Must be able to use the computer, process electronic requests.  Able to retrieve and print information from various computer programs when needed.

 

OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED

Will perform other duties as may be assigned by the superintendent or designee, necessary and appropriate to the achievement of the program and/or District goals and objectives.