Shatarupa Podder: Pennsylvania Department of Education

1. Pennsylvania’s Paraprofessional Training InitiativeFrom Pilots to Statewide Scale-Up and Implementation OSEP Project Directors’ National Conference Arlington, VAMarch 6-7, 2012 Shatarupa Podder: Pennsylvania Department of Education Janet Sloand: Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network

2. Premise IDEIA 300.156(b) requires that all paraprofessionals are appropriately trained and supervised, in accordance with State law. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s intention was to assure that paraprofessionals providing assistance to students with disabilities in Pennsylvania’s classrooms are appropriately trained and competent.

3. = SPDG/SIG III = SIG I = SIG II Stages of Community Readiness Community Readiness Model: Edwards, Jumper-Thurman, Plested, Oetting & Swanson (2000)

4. No Awareness/Denial • No orientation to school procedures when hired • May not know who their direct supervisor is, or even have one • Paid minimum wage or low hourly wages • May not have benefits • Minimal or no training provided • Present only when students are there • no time to collaborate with adults • May be placed one-on-one with the most difficult students • May not know who or how to ask for help

5. Vague Awareness • Stakeholder group (October 2001) • Reviewed current training efforts, training needs and competencies • Helped develop the competency checklist, vetted by SEAP and adopted as Pennsylvania’s voluntary Pennsylvania measure of paraprofessional competencies • Training of paraprofessionals not a priority for school districts; no plans or funds available

6. Vague Awareness continued • PaTTAN work group charged with developing trainings to enhance skills of paraprofessionals • Developed after-school videoconferences disseminated to all intermediate units and any interested school districts

7. Pre-Planning: Review Data Approximate number of paraprofessionals employed by LEAs

8. Pre-Planning • Funded trainings through the federal State Personnel Development Grant (SPDG) • After School Videoconferences • Summer two-day regional conference • Weekend Seminar – all expenses paid! • Developed online courses aligned to paraprofessional competencies • NCLB, IDEA 2004: followed by Chapter 14 • 3 paths to become qualified • Increased awareness and HR involvement

9. Fall 2001: SIG I - Preparation, Initiation • Recognition of Problem • Paraprofessionals are an integral part of IEP teams • Receive little or no professional development to perform their duties • Changing role from clerical and routine to instructional assignments • Increasing number of paraprofessionals employed by LEAs

10. SIG I: Preparation, InitiationPA Focus Group Raise awareness and develop concrete ideas for improvement: BSE, PaTTAN, community colleges, teachers, paraprofessionals, IU and SD administrators Goals • Identify current training efforts for paraprofessionals • Identify training needs of paraprofessionals • Identify competencies for paraprofessionals • Develop a system of recognition for paraprofessionals demonstrating acquired competencies in the area of special education and related services

11. SIG II: Implementation Work in process with high enthusiasm • Created intensive workgroup to develop trainings on topics identified by Focus Group • Developed after-school video conferences and weekend seminars for paraprofessionals • State recommended professional development series leading to volunteer credential • Offered after school, video streamed and available online for LEAs and paraprofessionals at http://pattan.framewelder.com

12. Feedback from SIG II activities • Increasing ground swell of awareness and need for highly-skilled paraprofessionals to support the changing instructional requirements of students with disabilities • Enthusiasm extremely high from paraprofessionals • Increasing awareness of need and importance of highly skilled paraprofessionals, by paraprofessionals and administration • Training focused on hot topics as identified, in addition to systematic alignment to the knowledge and skills in the Credential

13. SPDG/SIG III: Stabilization • Partner with community colleges to align courses with state requirements – pre-service strand • Partner with LEAs in understanding the competencies and offering the online courses to paraprofessionals – in-service strand • Provide resources and technical assistance to LEAs and IUs to develop administrative tools for supporting paraprofessionals

14. SPDG/SIG III: Stabilization GOAL - All paraprofessionals meet requirements and have access to meaningful professional development • Training plan now focused on systemic alignment to knowledge and skills in the Credential • Specific training modules developed to build knowledge and skills needed to become qualified • Offered after school, video streamed and available online for LEAs and paraprofessionals at http://pattan.framewelder.com

15. SPDG/SIG III: Stabilization • Webinars, video conferences and presentations targeted to supervisors and administrators on how to use the credential and competencies • Promulgated FAQs and Penn Links to assist in implementation

16. Stabilization: Recognition Pennsylvania invited to host the 29th National Conference of the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals (NRCP) - Keyed In, Logged On, Charged Up! Paraprofessionals Connecting with 21st Century Learners May 12 - 14, 2011 Harrisburg

17. SIG I, II and SPDG – Increase in legislative requirements • NCLB 2002 required Title I paraprofessionals to be qualified • IDEA 2004 and implementing regulations of 2006 required special education paraprofessionals to meet state requirements • Pennsylvania State Board of Education included standards for special education paraprofessionals in state regulations, 2008

18. Regulations – State Chapter § 14.105. Paraprofessionals. (2008) Instructional paraprofessionals shall meet one of the following qualifications effective July 1, 2010: • Have completed at least 2 years of postsecondary study • Possess an associate degree or higher • Meet a rigorous standard of quality as demonstrated through a State or local assessment

19. Regulations – State continued Instructional paraprofessionals, each school year, shall provide evidence of 20 hours of staff development activities related to their assignment

20. Chapter 14 Paraprofessional Requirements • Defined paraprofessionals • Instructional and Personal Care Assistants • Requirements • Instructional: Qualifications and 20 hours of professional development, annually • Have completed at least 2 years of postsecondary study • Possess an associate degree or higher • Meet a rigorous standard of quality as demonstrated through a State or local assessment • PCAs: 20 hours of professional development, annually

21. PA Credential of Competency Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) • Promulgated performance-based standards for special education paraeducators in 2000 • List of basic Knowledge and Skills needed to work successfully in educational environments Bureau of Special Education • Endorsed use of these CEC standards for the initial preparation and practice of special education paraeducators • Checklist format adapted from Twin Falls School District #411, Idaho, Paraeducator Portfolio Plan & Competency Checklist, 2002

22. PA Credential of Competency continued CEC will shortly release updated and expanded standards. Standards: # 1: Foundations of Special Education # 2: Development and Characteristics of Learners # 3: Individual Learning Differences # 4: Instructional Strategies # 5: Learning Environments and Social Interactions # 6: Language # 7: Instructional Planning # 8: Assessment # 9: Professional and Ethical Practice # 10: Collaboration

23. Total Credentials Issued: 11,848

24. PaTTAN Training Paraprofessionals must work with their supervisors to ensure that courses are acceptable Online courses for 10 Competency Standards – Certificate of Attendance Video Conferences – Downlinked to all IUs and any interested school districts Webinars – Use any computer with internet connection Downloadable power points and training notes from PaTTAN website for numerous topic areas

25. PaTTAN Training continued DVDs available from PaTTAN KoP to school districts Many IUs have developed their own courses for professional development

26. *Attendees are counted for every training attended PaTTAN Training

27. Scale up and Stabilization • Stakeholder meeting in November 2010 • Impact of initiative in LEAs • Professional development opportunities to in-service special education paraprofessionals • Building a pool of qualified special education paraprofessionals: pre-service

28. Scale up and Stabilization continued • SPDG mini-grants to 5 Community Colleges to revise/create curriculum aligned to the competencies required for “qualified” paraprofessionals • New RFP out for additional community colleges to participate in second round of mini-grants

29. Data System Responsibilities PDE • Maintains data on credentials issued • Reports number of qualified paraprofessionals employed • Monitors LEAs compliance with professional development requirement LEAs • Maintain and report data on qualified paraprofessionals employed • Responsible for providing access to relevant professional development • Maintain data on compliance with professional development requirement

30. Conceptual Framework of Implementation Destination Fixsen, Naoom, Blasé, Friedman, & Wallace, 2005 INFLUENCE Communication Link Source Feedback

31. Framework for Implementation of Paraprofessional Credential • Source: Targeted training aligned with the Pennsylvania competencies - knowledge and skills as outlined in credential • Destination: LEAs, administrators and paraprofessionals • Communication Link: accessible online modules and information results in fidelity of content

32. Framework for Implementation of Paraprofessional Credential continued • Feedback: Supervisors are skilled at assessing paraprofessionals on competencies • Influence: Students have access to qualified paraprofessionals for instruction

33. Stakeholder Buy-in • PDE uses the Special Education Advisory Panel (SEAP) as the entity to provide input and feedback on paraprofessional training issues • SEAP and Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) initially vetted and supported the Credential of Competency • PDE annually updates SEAP, PSEA, Pennsylvania Association of Intermediate Units and LEA administrations

34. Contact Information Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Tom Corbett, Governor Pennsylvania Department of Education Ronald J. Tomalis, Secretary Carolyn C. Dumaresq, Ed.D., Deputy Secretary Office of Elementary and Secondary Education John J. Tommasini, Director Bureau of Special Education Patricia Hozella, Assistant Director Bureau of Special Education Shatarupa Podder 333 Market Street, 7th Flr Harrisburg, PA 17126 Phone: (717) 772-2646 Fax: (717) 783-6139 spodder@pa.gov Dr. Janet Sloand 200 Anderson Road King of Prussia, PA 19406Phone: (610) 265-7321 (800) 441-3215 Fax: (610) 265-5737 jsloand@pattan.net