An Exploration of Paraprofessional Utilization in the Good Spirit School Division Student Services

1. An Exploration of Paraprofessional Utilization in the Good Spirit School DivisionStudent Services

2. Overview of Presentation • Our rationale for reviewing our utilization of paraprofessionals within the GSSD • The results of our division-wide screening of EA Utilization using Giangreco & Broer’s 2003 screening tool • Our present process for allocating professional and paraprofessional support for students and schools • The digital orientation program to support the training of all staff (professionals and paraprofessionals) to effectively work as a team to support our students in inclusive settings

3. EA Utilization: Guiding Philosophy Paraprofessionals, when utilized appropriately, are productive team members who greatly assist with student progress and independence. Conversely, inefficient utilization of EAs can be a source of conflict, impede student progress and contribute to student dependency. To be effective, the paraprofessional’s role within the collaborative educational team requires clear articulation, professional preparation at school division and individual school level, careful and progressive leadership, and ongoing nurturing of positive working relationships. The manner of interaction between the student and paraprofessional and the actual proximity of paraprofessionals to student is critical to eventual independence. Creating Opportunities, 2001

4. Impetus for a Review of Paraprofessional Support Ministry direction Need to further develop repertoire of strategies for supporting students with diverse learning needs A commitment to move away from a medical model (diagnosis = EA) Limited resources and lots of student needs Need to optimize current EA support for our students with intensive support needs

5. School-based Screening to Determine Overreliance on Paraprofessionals (Giangreco & Broer, 2003) • Article describing the development of and directions for using a 16-item screening tool • designed to assist school teams in determining degree of effectiveness in utilization of paraprofessionals • Scores are collated into quadrants of concern: • Proximity, • Resource Allocation, • Teacher Ownership, & • Independence

6. First Quadrant: Indicators of Excessive Proximity Students with special learning needs: • spend most of their time in close proximity to paraprofessionals • are physically separated within the classroom to work with a paraprofessional • spend time with a paraprofessional that would typically be spent with peers • communicate through their language or behaviour that they find the support of a paraprofessional stigmatizing or otherwise unwanted

7. Quadrant 2: Questionable Resource Allocation or Instructional Role Mismatches • Students with special learning needs receive their primary instruction from paraprofessionals when SSTs do paperwork or manage the activities of paraprofessionals • Paraprofessionals provide academic support in subjects where they are under- or unskilled • Teachers spend time doing clerical tasks while paraprofessionals are teaching lessons to students with special learning needs

8. Quadrant 3: Insufficient Teacher Ownership & Engagement Paraprofessionals or classroom teachers are unfamiliar with PPP goals or curricular content for the students with special learning needs in their classroom Classroom teachers are minimally or superficially involved with students with special learning needs in their classrooms Paraprofessionals have more frequent communication and more developed working relationships with parents of students with special learning needs than teachers At progress reporting times, teachers rely on paraprofessionals because they know more about the students with special learning needs

9. Quadrant 4: Dependence on Paraprofessionals or Inappropriate Autonomy • Paraprofessionals make curricular or instructional decisions, or make adaptations without teacher oversight • Students with special learning needs are unnecessarily dependent on paraprofessionals • The absence of a paraprofessional results in either (a) a “lost day” at school for a student with special learning needs, (b) the student staying home from school, or (c) a parent being asked to be a substitute paraprofessional • Paraprofessionals operate with virtually unrestricted autonomy

10. Why do we care? • Overreliance of paraprofessionals as one-to-one supports for individuals with special learning needs, can lead to a wide range of inadvertent detrimental effects (Broer, Doyle & Giangreco, 2005). Specifically, one-to-one supports are associated with: • Isolation within the classroom (e.g. seated in the back or side of the room) • Insular relationships between students and paraprofessionals • Unnecessary dependence • Interference with peer interactions • Stigmatization • Limited access to professional instruction • Interference with teacher engagement • Loss of personal control or choices available to same-age peers • Provocation of behaviour problems

11. Results • When our division employed this screen, we asked all of our schools to complete the survey at their December 10th, 2009 Staff Meeting (early dismissal day across the division) • Participants: • Total Schools: 22/28 • Total Staff: 457 (62 surveys were incomplete and removed from further analysis) • Total Number of Professionals who completed the survey: 278 • Total Number of Paraprofessionals who completed the survey: 117

12. Professional Participants • Professionals: 243/278 (87%) reported working directly with an EA in the past 2 years • Average number of EAs professionals reported working with: 3.33

13. Paraprofessionals working with individual students: 66/117 Paraprofessionals working with program or group: 70/117 paraprofessionals could choose one or both options. Paraprofessional Participants

15. Reported Time Distribution

16. Results reveal that the majority of paraprofessional time is spent implementing instruction (~50% of the time) followed by addressing behavioural concerns (~15% of the time) This is interesting as a review of GSSD requests for paraprofessional support indicates that behaviour is the primary area of impact for which the team is requesting additional support Reported Time Distribution

17. Results • Minor trends were indicated: • Paraprofessionals report increased time spent on personal care for individuals in elementary vs. high school • Paraprofessionals also report spending less time addressing behavioural concerns in high school vs. elementary school • Paraprofessionals also report spending more time implementing instruction as students enter high school • It is interesting to note that responses from teachers do not show such variability in reporting

18. Estimated Time Paraprofessionals Spent in Close Proximity (< 3 feet) from student with special learning needs.

19. Estimated Time Paraprofessionals Spent in Close Proximity (< 3 feet) from student with special learning needs from elementary to high school

20. Quadrant Results • Survey results were also broken down into 4 quadrants of concern: • Excessive Proximity • Questionable Resource Allocation • Insufficient teacher ownership and engagement • Dependence on paraprofessionals • Please note that scores above 3.5 indicate an area of concern.

21. Quadrant Results by Profession

22. Quadrant Results by Profession • According to Giangreco and Broer (2003), our school division results revealed that all quadrants indicated an over-reliance on paraprofessionals. The only area not of concern was the rating of questionable allocation of resources by paraprofessionals. • Professionals rated the following two quadrants as highest: • Dependence on paraprofessionals • Questionable allocation of resources • Paraprofessionals rated the following two quadrants as highest: • Insufficient teacher ownership and engagement • Dependence on paraprofessionals

23. What can we do? • We need to utilize paraprofessional supports in responsible ways. Specifically this means that: • Instruction by paraprofessionals: • should be supplemental, rather than primary or exclusive • should be planned by qualified personnel • Should be based on explicit and intensive training in research-supported, best practices • Should be followed by on-going supervision • Non-instructional roles for paraprofessionals (e.g. clerical, materials preparation, personal care) should be acknowledged and valued as important contributions to enable teachers to spend time with students

24. What can we do? • We need to utilize paraprofessional supports in responsible ways by: • Facilitating peer interactions and other natural supports • Involving students in making decisions about their own supports • Exploring less restrictive options to using 1:1 paraprofessional supports. • Exploring ways to fade 1:1 supports • Having and refining a process for making decisions about 1:1 professional supports – more on this in the upcoming slides. • Exploring alternatives (resource reallocation, co-teaching, transitional use of paraprofessionals, peer supports) Giangreco, 2009

25. Decision-Making Process for the Allocation of Support

26. Educational Assistant Support within the GSSD: Two Types of Allocated Support • In each of our schools we provide general educational assistant time based on enrolment numbers. This EA time is called “diversity” EA hours. • The intent of this time: • to support classrooms and students at certain times of need • kids that may not meet intensive support criteria but occasionally require support (for example: to have tests read, multi-grade classrooms, tutorial programs). • This “diversity” time is designed to be fluid within the school – constantly allowing schools to meet their ever-changing needs. • To meet student specific support needs, we also have “Student Specific Support” • The intent of this Student Specific Support is to support the personal program plan goals of a student with intensive support needs. • This student specific EA time is allocated based on student need as opposed to student level or diagnosis. • Not all students with intensive needs require EA time as their goals may be supported by other professionals and/or assistive technology

27. Establishing Priorities If the school determines that additional support is required to meet the needs of a particular student or a group of students, it is recommended that the school reassign existing professional or paraprofessional support to meet those needs. In each school, intensive supports should always be directed towards meeting the needs that are considered to be the highest priority at the school.

28. Steps in Allocation of Support • School team contacts their SSC indicating further need for additional support • request a consultation from their SSC at this time • proceed with a formal request for additional support

29. Request for Additional Support Form

30. Steps 2. SSC Observation: • Needs of the student • Tasks that the student is expected to complete • Class environment: • evaluation of the number of students in the class • the diversity present in the room • current supports provided (SST, PSP, EA) • Analysis of current utilization of allocated support 3. Student’s Impact Form, PPP, & Request for Additional Support Form are distributed to members of the Intensive Support Committee (one week prior to regularly scheduled meetings)

31. Steps 4. Requests and means of meeting student goals are discussed at monthly meeting 5. Recommendations may include the following: • Specific adaptations and strategies be put in place for the student using existing student services supports • Additional professional service provider supports • Access to outside agency supports • Access to assistive technologies – low tech & high tech • EA support on a temporary basis – to be reviewed at later date • EA support for specific times/tasks throughout the day

32. Steps 6. The Superintendent of Student Services provides a written summary to the schools of decisions made This process is meant to be transparent. Administrators have been invited to join sessions in person or on Skype to better understand the process 7. SSCs follow up and monitor student progress 8. Each spring, all student needs are reviewed to prepare for fall staffing and adjustments to staffing may be made for the following school year

33. A Note on Reductions in EA Staffing Throughout the year, adjustments may need to be made to previously approved EA staffing allocations when students with intensive needs are no longer enrolled in a school or when student’s/school needs change Schools are to inform the SSC of these changes one-week prior to the monthly ISC meeting Following the decision to reduce paraprofessional staff in a school, a one month grace period will be provided to schools to facilitate transition for students/staff and the school as a whole

34. Orientation of Educational Assistants • Training of staff in the roles & responsibilities of both paraprofessionals & professionals when working with all children • This includes: • Providing appropriate training on working with paraprofessionals through the Teacher and EA Module (TEAM) digital orientation package designed to orient and train staff on effective practices to support all learners

35. SUPPORT OF EAs: SMART GOAL: By 2011, 95% of newly hired Educational Assistants will complete the GSSD digital self-guided orientation program Student Services Goals2009-2011

36. T & EA M Orientation Welcome to The GSSD Role of the Superintendent Of Student Services Roles of the SSC & Professional Staff Roles of the Teacher & SST Roles of an EA GSSD Student Services Vision Inclusive Education Vision Promoting Inclusion TEAM Introductory Video What is Independence? How can I promote it? Working collaboratively as a team. Personal Program Planning Confidentiality Documentation Transition Planning Safe Practices I.e. Lifting & Transfers Promoting Optimal Communication Skills Optimizing Behaviour Promoting Social Skills Valuable Lessons From the Students

37. Summary Through our survey, we did learn that we have some areas for improvement in how we are effectively employing paraprofessionals in student services We continue to strive to ensure that we are optimally supporting our students with intensive support needs by having a plan and exploring various means of supporting students – including the use of adaptations, assistive technology, involvement of peers, and use of support staff in innovative ways When a paraprofessional is part of the plan, then we all have a role in ensuring that everyone – the whole “TEAM” utilizes them appropriately

38. Comments or Questions