Paraprofessional

Professional Development
Welcome to RiverEast!!
Vision
"RiverEast teaches scholars how to adapt and develop skills
required to be successful through academics, school-based
therapy, and positive relationships."

This placement is temporary and does not define the student.

We are a therapeutic setting to help student regulate

themselves in order to be successful in a general education
environment.

We employ alternative methods to achieve these goals.

Lets Get Technical
- Roles and Responsibilities
- Binders
- Importance of the schedule, down to the minute:)
- Master Schedule (Individual Schedules)
Busing -
All Teaching Assistants will be assigned to a bus.

You are required to ride the entire AM and PM route.

Reinforce safety rules on the bus

Provide active supervision during the entire route

Your time on bus route sheet from transportation will

determine the amount of time on that will go on your
timesheet.
Roles and Responsibilities
Primary Area of Responsibility for Paraprofessionals

Assisting teachers with building and maintaining effective instructional teams.

Assisting teachers with maintaining learner-centered supportive environments.
Supporting teachers with planning and organizing learning experiences.
Provide support and direction by interacting with students and serving as a healthy role model.
Assisting Special Education staff with de-escalation during a crisis.
Assisting teachers with assessing learner needs, progress and achievement.
Meeting standards of professional and ethical conduct for all of their responsibilities.
Actively seek opportunities to provide positive reinforcement.
Provide active supervision to and from school for students.
Bussing ..
Remember, the bus is your classroom! Set it up with your
routines!

Bus attendance is essential and part of your

responsibilities.

Must complete: basic first aide, CPR and the bus safety
policies and procedure within 30 days being assigned to ride
the bus.
Cell Phones
Use: Cell phones must be turned off or on vibrate during the school day. At
no time should a cell phone ring or beep causing a disruption to the learning
environment. Please remember that all personal calls (even in response to a
text message) must be made during break times. If it is an emergency that you
need to have your cell phone on, you MUST let the building administrator know
that day.

Staff are not permitted to make or conduct personal phone calls or access
internet for personal use when they are on duty with students.

When on duty (in the classroom and on the bus), staff are expected to be
focused on the students (attending to what they are doing and saying) and
redirecting and interacting appropriately. Making calls, surfing the internet,
wearing ear buds/headphones is not permitted.
Social Media
Active Supervision -
Unified front
Adult presence
Prompts desired behavior
Deters problem behavior
Contribute to school culture
Practice what we preach
Active Supervision
At least 4 positives for each 1 negative student contact.
Genuine
Appropriate (culturally, developmentally)
Specific
Continuously moving throughout the supervision area.
Positive
Interactive
Frequently scanning the area.
Head up
Arrival Dismissal
Active Supervision
- Lunch Duty
- Morning/Afternoon Supervision
- Transitions
- Eyes on - (non-verbal)
Behavior Reporting
If you dont write it down, it didnt happen!

Intro Tiered Forms

- Use only initials of other students

- Try to take emotion out of your description of the event
- Include as many details as possible that lead up to the
behavior
Tiered Interventions - Tier One
Tier One: Classroom Interventions

- Dont require a radio call

- Behavior can be managed in the classroom or right
outside.
- Dont require documentation.
Tiered Interventions: Tier 2
Tier Two: (T2) Out of Classroom

Tier two interventions ARE NOT gym breaks or recess. We need

to ensure that the classroom is the most exciting space for students to be.
We dont want our interventions to teach children that being outside of the
classroom is more rewarding than being inside.
Tiered Interventions: Tier 3
Tier Three: Calling the Trauma Team:

1. If non-emergency, make sure you have filled out the tier

one and two intervention form to pass on to the TT. (This
is where you share your perspective, do not verbally start telling the TT
what happened, we dont want to further escalate the student.)
2. If its an emergency, call the Trauma Team and once the
situation is under control, fill out the paperwork.
Remember - if its not written down it didnt happen.
Tier 3 Interventions
1. Know that now the situation is out of your hands, the TT
will determine next steps. Release yourself from the
situation unless the trauma team request your presence.
2. Most likely the student will return to class, at that
time welcome the student back and get them started on
academics (if youre curious about what happened then
follow up on your own time)
QTIP
It is extremely important that you not take things
personally in this position. This of this:

Q - Quit

T - Taking

I - It

P - Personally
CPI -
- Crisis - less is more
- Tagout System
- Asking for help
- Knowing when to remove yourself
Points and Levels
All students have a point sheet. Its important to fill it
out as the day progresses - dont wait until the end of the
day!

All points tie to levels (see handout)

Levels tie to privileges:

Store shopping, extra incentives in class, iPad time, dance

party and SOME field trips
A New Vision
Our belief systems influence our students.

We need to focus on our growth mindset and making adaptive

changes.

Rita Pearson Video...

Voices
What else do you need or want to know?

What professional development opportunities would you be

interested in having this school year?
Human Resources Video
As you view the Human Resources video, jot down any
questions you have about your roles and responsibilities as
TA at RiverEast so we can go through them at the end of the
video.
What else is unique to RiverEast?
Review the Behavior Flow Chart and see what questions come
up for you (see handout).

The upcoming slides show what common language has been

introduced to students
 Common Language
@ RiverEast
Take a Break

When I hear.. It means.

Take a Break or TAB I go to my classroom break space

Now Practice: Each student in the room needs to model taking a break
Chill

When I say... It means...

I want a chill I chose to go to the reset room and

reset.

Each student can have up to 2 chill breaks a day in the reset room.

Now PRACTICE: asking for a chill and walking to the reset room.
Reset

When I hear.. It means.

You need to reset I need to go to the reset room and reset

Now Practice: Staff telling you to reset and going directly to the reset room
If I walk out.
I will need to go to reset.

If I am not able to go directly to a reset the TT Team will be called and I will still
have to complete my reset.
If I am asked to Fix-it...
- This means that after I have reset I may need to:
- Clean up something I have messed up
- Mediate with a peer or staff that I might have said or done something to that is not within the
school expectations
AWS
- If I am assigned AWS it means that I need to go to the AWS room for
re-teaching after I complete my reset.
Remember to stay on Level 3!
We have many students on Leadership Level that are working their way to
executive level.

Make sure to check with your teacher daily when you are on Level 3 to see how
close you are to reaching the next level.
CODES
Code 1: 1 person support

Code 2: 2 person support

Code 3: 3 person support - must all respond

 Praise
&
GROWTH MINDSET
Office of Specialized Services
 Definitions
Growth Mindset Fixed Mindset
In a growth mindset
people understand that
their talents and
abilities can be
developed through
effort, good teaching
and persistence. They
dont necessarily think
everyones the same or
anyone can be Einstein,
but they believe
In a fixed mindset
people believe their
basic abilities, their
intelligence, their
talents, are just fixed
traits. They have a
certain amount and
thats that, and then
their goal becomes to
look smart all the time
and never look dumb.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWv1Vd
DeoRY
 Using praise that may encourage
a FIXED mindset
Paraprofessional says
You learned that so quickly!
Youre so smart!
Look at that drawing. You are
the next Picasso.
Youre so brilliant, you got an
A without even revision!
Students hears
If I dont learn something
quickly, Im not smart.
I shouldnt try drawing
anything hard or he will see
Im no Picasso.
If I start revising she will stop
thinking Im brilliant.
 Using praise to encourage a
Growth Mindset
Praise should reflect
Specific effort
Persistent struggle
Use of Strategies
Learning something new
Improving on something
Taking on difficult and or complex tasks
 Using praise that may encourage
a GROWTH mindset
Paraprofessional says Student hears
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

At your tables, work on 5 different scenarios where you can offer Growth
mindset praise for a student. Ex. How would you praise a child for work
completion, turning in homework, or remaining on task? Please be prepared
to share out with the group.