This District of Columbia Public Schools School Year 2024-2025 "Parental Right to Know Guide" informs parents on their rights with regard to the following: (1) Notice of Non-Discrimination and Non-Retaliation; (2) Teachers and Paraprofessionals; (3) Student Achievement (DC CAPE Data); (4) Student Records; (5) Unsafe School Choice Option;…

In 2015, President Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) into law. The law states that any school that receives Title I funds must inform parents if their child is assigned a teacher for four (4) or more consecutive weeks who has not met applicable state certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in…

This succinct guidebook provides educators with the essentials they need to navigate remote learning for students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Filled with practical tools and excerpts from teachers in the field, this book explores tips to share with parents, alongside synchronous and asynchronous strategies that can help make…

This brief, produced by WestEd as part of a collection of Crisis Response Resources, provides guidance and resources to help district and school leaders ensure students with disabilities are well supported through distance learning prompted by the coronavirus crisis. The brief begins with key questions to guide adminis­trators as they consider how…

Improving school climate takes time and commitment from a variety of people in a variety of roles. This document outlines key action steps that instructional staff--including teachers, paraprofessionals, and others in the classroom who provide instruction or assistance--can take to support school climate improvements. Key action steps are provided…

This guide is designed to facilitate self-studies of planning and implementation of state-required summer reading camp programs for grade 3 students who scored at the lowest level on the state reading assessment. It provides a template for data collection and guiding questions for discussion that may improve instruction and increase the number of…

Middle and high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are increasingly being taught in general education settings. This guide reviews common characteristics associated with autism and provides teachers with practical tips and strategies for supporting their students with autism in the classroom setting. It is also designed to…

School-Parent Compacts are a component of school-level parental involvement policies, and must be developed by the school, teacher, and parents as a description of how parents, the entire school staff, and students themselves will work together for improved student academic achievement. This District of Columbia Public Schools School Year…

This book presents case studies of schools' journeys towards effective CPD practice as part of a TDA national project. It tells the story of the goals set and achieved, and the challenges and successes along the way. Each case study makes specific reference to the nine factors or approaches to CPD identified in the book as underpinning effective…

Special educational paraprofessionals may experience burnout due to a number of factors, including stagnation, lack of career advancement, and poor salaries. Coping strategies may take the form of administrative prerogatives, teacher- and counselor-initiated strategies, and responsibilities of the paraprofessionals themselves. (CL)

The authors provide a preliminary discussion of specific roles that paraprofessionals could assume in assisting professionals in educational programming for hearing-impaired children. The article is organized around responsibilities relating to diagnosis, instruction, instructional support, classroom behavior, and communication skills. Brief…

Paraprofessionals can be valuable in the education of handicapped students by taking part in assessment and identification, instruction, behavior management, record keeping, parent interaction, career education, and transportation. (CL)

Paraprofessionals are being employed to support special and regular educators in mainstreaming multihandicapped students. (Author/SBH)

One of 10 documents developed for preschool programs for handicapped children, the manual focuses on the use of parent volunteers (or paraprofessionals) in the classroom. The introduction examines the program's purpose and rationale, provides an overview of the parent volunteer system, and considers recommended setting, and the appropriateness of…

The article describes a model of paraprofessional placement in special education. The process involves four steps: (1) assessing needs and skills; (2) comparing role expectations; (3) resolving differences in perceptions of teacher and paraprofessional; and (4) writing individualized job descriptions. A list of resource materials for training…