ABA Paraprofessional bei Holyoke Public Schools

DISTRICT OVERVIEW

Holyoke Public Schools is a PreK-12 public school district serving nearly 5,100 students, of whom 80 percent are Latino/Latina, in 11 schools. We employ nearly 1,300 people who together educate and support a richly diverse community of learners. We are committed to recruiting and retaining top-quality educators who believe all children can and will learn and who strive daily to make school a joyful place of discovery, support, and belonging.

Holyoke Public Schools’ strategic plan, “Moving Forward Together,” builds on the strengths of our past while serving as a call to action to accelerate student learning by thinking differently about how we teach, how we work together, and how we support students’ well being. 

Our Equity Commitments are pledges we are making to address systemic equity challenges. 

• We intentionally build a community that is anti-racist, inclusive, and culturally responsive.
• We ensure that students, families, and staff get the support they need to be successful.
• We seek out and incorporate the voices of those impacted, with a commitment to include those who have been excluded in the past. 
• We promote access and inclusion for all students, staff, and families.
• We respect, embrace, and honor the diversity of our students, families, staff, and community.
• We reflect on our own behavior to minimize harm to others.
• We create a culture of acceptance and empathy so that everyone feels valued and is able to contribute to our community’s success.

Please visit the Holyoke Public Schools website to learn more about us as well as some of our recent accomplishments. 

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Spanish:

Las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke son un distrito escolar público de prekínder a 12.° grado que acoge a casi 5100 estudiantes, de los cuales el 80 por ciento son latinos/latinas. Empleamos a casi 1300 personas que, juntas, educan y apoyan a una comunidad de estudiantes muy diversa. Estamos comprometidos a contratar y retener educadores de alta calidad que tengan la certeza de que todos los niños pueden y podrán aprender, y que también se esfuercen diariamente por hacer de la escuela un lugar alegre de descubrimiento, apoyo y pertenencia.

El plan estratégico de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke , "Avanzando Juntos", toma en cuenta nuestras fortalezas anteriores y al mismo tiempo sirve como un llamado a la acción para acelerar el aprendizaje de los estudiantes a través de una perspectiva diferente sobre cómo enseñamos, cómo trabajamos juntos y cómo apoyamos el bienestar de los estudiantes.

Nuestros compromisos de equidad son promesas que hacemos para abordar los desafíos de equidad sistémica.

• Construimos intencionadamente una comunidad antirracista, inclusiva y culturalmente receptiva.
• Nos aseguramos de que los estudiantes, las familias y el personal reciban el apoyo que necesitan para tener éxito.
• Buscamos e incorporamos las voces de los afectados, con el compromiso de incluir a los que han sido excluidos en el pasado. 
• Promovemos el acceso y la inclusión de todos los estudiantes, el personal y las familias.
• Respetamos, acogemos y honramos la diversidad de nuestros alumnos, familias, personal y comunidad.
• Reflexionamos sobre nuestro propio comportamiento para minimizar el daño a los demás.
• Creamos una cultura de aceptación y empatía para que todos se sientan valorados y puedan contribuir al éxito de nuestra comunidad.

Por favor, visite el sitio web de las Escuelas Públicas de Holyoke en www.hps.holyoke.ma.us para obtener más información sobre nosotros y algunos de nuestros logros recientes.

POSITION OBJECTIVE: 

The ABA paraprofessional will provide positive behavioral support to students who are in the ABL Classrooms, Applied Behavioral Learning Classrooms our system-wide program for students on the autism spectrum. We seek candidates who have experience with Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) methodology, including verbal behavior (VB), discrete trial training, incidental teaching, data collection, crisis prevention and intervention strategies, facilitating support strategies 

during inclusion opportunities, and experience working with students who are on the autism 

spectrum who have significant behavioral challenges. The paraprofessional will work directly with students and will work closely with teachers, BCBAs, and other specialists who support our ABL Program. This position is accountable for providing assistance to the classroom teacher and/or other certified personnel in the delivery of positive behavior supports and stabilization, quality education, recreation, classroom organization and maintenance, record keeping and 

school-community relations with the assigned teacher and/or other certified personnel 

consistent with rules and regulations of the Holyoke Public Schools. 

RESPONSIBILITIES: 

(These duties are a representative sample; position assignments may vary.) The PRIMARY 

responsibility will be providing academic, communication, adaptive, and behavioral support to students. Additional responsibilities include: 

1. Responsible for assisting the classroom teacher and related personnel in carrying out  lessons with groups of students with all content areas associated with the curriculum & IEP implementation. 

2. Responsible for direct implementation of ABA/VB methodologies including: discrete trial training, mand training, incidental teaching, and other strategies identified in each child’s individualized learning plans & recommendations from the BCBA or autism specialist.. 

3. Responsible for collecting data in all areas identified by the classroom teacher & support personnel. 

4. Responsible for implementation of behavior plans, as identified by the classroom teacher & support personnel. 

5. Responsible for supporting students with learning, communication, behavioral, and social skills objectives during inclusion opportunities and related service sessions, as needed. 

6. Responsible for assisting in preparation and inventory of instructional materials and the setting-up, operating, and maintenance of various learning aids, and equipment. 

7. Responsible for assisting in adaptive skills, such as toileting, hygiene, school-related dressing, and assisting in the supervision of breakfast and/or lunch periods and assemblies, and cleaning up of work areas. 

8. Responsible for supervising students during play and leisure activities to ensure a safe environment. 

9. Responsible for performing duty work (ie lunch, recess, bus) and other related duties, as determined by building principal. 

SKILLS: 

-Monitoring and assisting children with activities; 

-Implementation of behavior plans 

-Ability to utilize a team-based approach and maintain professional and cordial relationships with staff 

-Using office equipment; 

-Dealing patiently with students; 

-Ability to adapt to a variety of students’ needs from preK-high school; 

-Maintaining order, discipline, and interest of children;

-Performing routine mathematical calculations; 

-Providing customer service; 

-Utilizing a computer and related software applications; 

-Interpreting and applying applicable laws, rules, and regulations; 

-Preparing, training, and monitoring data collection; 

-Reading and interpreting routine information from schedules, memos, and/or other written documentation; 

-Communication, interpersonal skills as applied to interaction with coworkers, supervisor, the general public, etc. sufficient to exchange or convey information and to receive work direction. 

QUALIFICATIONS: 

-Associate’s Degree or higher; OR Completing at least two years, or 48 credit hours of study at an institution of higher education; OR taking and passing a formal assessment measuring one’s knowledge of and ability to assist classroom teachers in reading, writing, and mathematics. (Parapro Assessment and workKeys) 

-Three years of experience in working with students/clients with autism, developmental delays, intellectual impairments, communication disorders, and/or social/behavioral deficits disorders; or, an equivalent combination of education and experience sufficient to successfully perform the essential duties of the job such as those listed above. 

-Experience working in an urban setting, preferred 

-Experience working with diverse student populations, preferred 

-Strong written and verbal communication skills; excellent teamwork skills 

-Bilingual applicants (Spanish) strongly encouraged to apply 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: 

-Positions in this class typically require: stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, lifting, finger dexterity, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, seeing, and repetitive motions. 

-Medium Work: Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects. 

-Incumbents may be subjected to odors, extreme temperatures, and intense noises.