Paraprofessional Educator Special Education Speech

Bargaining Unit: TOTEM

Work Year: 9 months

Work Day: 7.0 hours per day

FTE: Full time, .875 FTE

Salary: T-10, $20.13 to $20.98 per hour, DOE

Job Summary

The Speech Special Education Paraprofessional Educator provides support to Speech Pathologists by preparing therapy materials, providing direct supervised instruction to students with communication disorders, collecting and recording data, and completing routine clerical tasks. The position has a retirement association with the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS).

Job Requirements

The following is required:

• A high school diploma or equivalent.

• Must meet paraprofessional requirements for the state of Alaska through one of the following methods: 48 college semester credits from a regionally accredited institution, OR a passing score of 459 or greater on the ETS Paraprofessional Assessment exam, OR passing the WorkKeys by ACT assessment, OR passing the ASD provided Master Teacher paraprofessional training.

• Basic literacy skills in reading, writing, and math.

• Excellent communication and customer service skills.

• Ability to establish and maintain a professional relationship with staff, parents, students, administrators, and the public.

• Ability to maintain confidentiality and inspire confidence and cooperation of staff, parents, students, administrators, and the public.

The following are preferred:

• Knowledge of first aid.

• An undergraduate degree in speech and hearing sciences.

• Knowledge of Boardmaker Picture Communication program or other computer software used for creating picture boards and overlays for communication devices.

• Experience working with children ages 3 through 21.

• Experience working with children with disabilities, particularly speech-language disabilities.

• Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing with educational professionals, other school staff, and parents.

• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule format.

• Ability to organize and carry out activities with students independently, under supervision of a speech pathologist.

• Ability to apply new knowledge to therapy program.

• Ability to solve practical problems in scheduling therapy services.

• Ability to work with people of all ages and abilities in a school setting.

Essential Job Functions

• Collects and records data on therapy programs.

• Manages student behavior during therapy.

• Develops and adheres to a daily schedule that may include traveling between schools.

• Under the direction of the speech pathologist, works individually, in small groups, or in the classroom with speech-language students.

• Monitors the therapy group when teacher leaves the room or when a substitute therapist is on duty.

• Assists with student hygiene, which may include toiletry and/or diapering, and performs other related duties as assigned.

• Prepares instructional materials at the direction of the speech pathologist.

Physical /Mental Demands

The physical demands of this job require frequent standing, walking, sitting, speaking and hearing. Specific visual abilities are also required. The employee is regularly required to reach with his/her hands and arms and occasionally lift items weighing less than 40 lbs. Additionally, the employee must be able to understand vague and implicit instructions, be able to readily recall facts and details, handle conflict and make effective decisions under pressure. The employee must have the ability to effectively manage the stress of working with students, parents, and other employees representing diverse cultures, personalities, and work styles in a dynamic work environment.

The Anchorage School District is committed to providing reasonable accommodations, according to applicable state and federal laws, to all individuals with a qualified physical or mental disability.

Work Environment

Work is performed in a professional environment with a wide variety of individuals having differing functions, personalities and abilities, including working with diverse groups of people in a variety of different settings.

While performing the duties of this job the employee may be regularly exposed to a video display. The employee may be exposed to outdoor weather conditions. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

Additional Job Information

This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the employee(s) in this position. Employees will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job related duties as requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments.

Anchorage School District (ASD) employees must possess the ability to read and write in English. This also includes the ability to communicate in English with school staff, co-workers, and the public; as well as have the ability to comprehend and carry out oral and written directions and understand and follow English instructions and written documents.

Offers of employment are contingent upon completion of a satisfactory criminal background check. For certificated positions, this is in addition to the background check conducted through the certification process with the Alaska State Department of Education and Early Development (DEED).

This position may be required to work in ASD facilities on the military installations (JBER). Please visit the government REAL ID website for additional information.

The Anchorage School District is an equal employment opportunity employer.