Supporting Paraeducators Through a Collaborative Classroom Support Plan

was eager to start her first year of teaching.Last spring, she student taught in a special education resource classroom and was able to work with students with a range of disabilities in a variety of settings.Her mentor teacher Mrs. Jones was quite experienced and made everything look so easy.Mrs. Jones showed Ms. Simmons how she managed student schedules, provided individualized and group instruction, and supported students in the general education setting.Ms. Simmons was even able to work with Ms. Tully, the classroom paraeducator who had worked with Mrs. Jones for 5 years.Overall, Ms. Simmons felt thorough ly prepared fo r her new role as a special educator working with a caseload of 20 students with disabilities ranging from moderate learning and behavioral disabilities to autism and multiple disabilities; that is, until she learned that she would also have to supervise and manage three paraeducators, one who had vastly more experience working with students than she and two who were brand new to the position.She didn 't know where to begin and asked herself, "How can 1, a new teacher, guide and support my paraeducators?" Paraeducators, also known as teacher aides, paraprofessionals, and educational or instructional assistants, have become increasingly vital participants in school communiti es.They provide support in many capacities in schools.Their roles may include working one-on-one with students in the classroom and supporting teachers and students throughout the day in varying activities.Some common activities are delivering lessons, supporting self-care, creating materials, collecting data, managing behavior, supervi sing the lunchroom, helping out in the library, or even riding the bus with students (Ashbaker & Morgan, 2006;May & Marozas, 1981 ).Although paraeducators are expected to complete these various tasks, they receive little or no training prior to starting their positions.In addition, the teachers who supervise paraeducators are often unprepared or untrained to work with or provide paraeducators needed training once they begin their work in the school setting.