Videos

The purpose of this training is to provide school administrators the information they need to guide the work of special education paraprofessionals in a manner that supports the best outcomes for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania’s schools. This training will describe the types of paraprofessionals in use in PA, regulations regarding paraprofessional qualifications and the role of paraprofessionals supporting students with disabilities. This training is designed for school administrators who are charged with hiring, monitoring, supervising, or training paraprofessionals directly, or who supervise teachers who work with special education paraprofessionals. There are four separate sections to this training package: • Introduction • Laws, Regulations and Standards Related to Paraprofessionals • Supervision, Policies, Team Roles and Ethical Considerations • When and How We Use Paraprofessionals You may choose to proceed through the training in order all at once over the course of a day or more. Or, you may prefer to complete each section one at a time. These materials are designed to be used either way.

The purpose of this training is to provide school administrators the information they need to guide the work of special education paraprofessionals in a manner that supports the best outcomes for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania’s schools. This training will describe the types of paraprofessionals in use in PA, regulations regarding paraprofessional qualifications and the role of paraprofessionals supporting students with disabilities. This training is designed for school administrators who are charged with hiring, monitoring, supervising, or training paraprofessionals directly, or who supervise teachers who work with special education paraprofessionals. There are four separate sections to this training package: • Introduction • Laws, Regulations and Standards Related to Paraprofessionals • Supervision, Policies, Team Roles and Ethical Considerations • When and How We Use Paraprofessionals You may choose to proceed through the training in order all at once over the course of a day or more. Or, you may prefer to complete each section one at a time. These materials are designed to be used either way.

The purpose of this training is to provide school administrators the information they need to guide the work of special education paraprofessionals in a manner that supports the best outcomes for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania’s schools. This training will describe the types of paraprofessionals in use in PA, regulations regarding paraprofessional qualifications and the role of paraprofessionals supporting students with disabilities. This training is designed for school administrators who are charged with hiring, monitoring, supervising, or training paraprofessionals directly, or who supervise teachers who work with special education paraprofessionals. There are four separate sections to this training package: • Introduction • Laws, Regulations and Standards Related to Paraprofessionals • Supervision, Policies, Team Roles and Ethical Considerations • When and How We Use Paraprofessionals You may choose to proceed through the training in order all at once over the course of a day or more. Or, you may prefer to complete each section one at a time. These materials are designed to be used either way.

The purpose of this training is to provide school administrators the information they need to guide the work of special education paraprofessionals in a manner that supports the best outcomes for students with disabilities in Pennsylvania’s schools. This training will describe the types of paraprofessionals in use in PA, regulations regarding paraprofessional qualifications and the role of paraprofessionals supporting students with disabilities. This training is designed for school administrators who are charged with hiring, monitoring, supervising, or training paraprofessionals directly, or who supervise teachers who work with special education paraprofessionals. There are four separate sections to this training package: • Introduction • Laws, Regulations and Standards Related to Paraprofessionals • Supervision, Policies, Team Roles and Ethical Considerations • When and How We Use Paraprofessionals You may choose to proceed through the training in order all at once over the course of a day or more. Or, you may prefer to complete each section one at a time. These materials are designed to be used either way.

This video will highlight the story of a paraprofessional's journey to becoming a certified Special Education teacher within a school district. Click here for more episodes https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLCkBP2csbOssi3rUsfM-yQT1DVGUihxg2 Also available in podcast format on iTunes and Google Play Music iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/pattanpod/id1436873041?mt=2 Google Play Music https://play.google.com/music/m/Iwyth5xyq26f67f4qrzktutbxke?t=PaTTANpod Logan Buffington teaches Autism Support with the Central Dauphin School District. Prior to this, he worked as a paraprofessional in a secondary autism support classroom. Logan obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biochemistry from Messiah University and a special education certification from Eastern University. He is currently enrolled in Eastern University’s Masters of Education in Special Education. Danielle Leshak is currently a Supervisor of Special Education with the Central Dauphin School District. Prior to being a Supervisor, Danielle worked as a Middle School Autism Support Teacher for six years and as an elementary emotional support teacher for five years. Danielle obtained her undergraduate degree in Special Education from Millersville University. She obtained her Master’s Degree from Shippensburg University. She is currently enrolled in Shippensburg University’s Educational Leadership Program to obtain her Pennsylvania K-12 Principal Certification along with her Supervisor of Special Education Certification. Aimee Miller, M.Ed., BCBA is an educational consultant with the Pennsylvania Autism Initiative. She earned her master's degree in education from Cabrini College and her undergraduate degree in special education from Bridgewater College of Virginia. She completed her course work to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at Florida Institute of Technology. Aimee became an educational consultant with PaTTAN in 2013. While working at PaTTAN, she has had the opportunity to provide direct consultation and training based on current research and practice in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis to teachers and staff working in Autism Support classrooms throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Prior to beginning her work with PaTTAN, Aimee taught special education in Maryland and Pennsylvania for 13 years. For the last six years of her teaching career, she taught in a K–2 classroom that was part of the Pennsylvania Autism Initiative. During these years, while receiving consultation and technical training from PaTTAN consultants in her own classroom, Aimee realized how much of an impact ABA could have on teachers’ practices and therefore on student outcomes. The students we serve are our most valuable assets and they deserve every opportunity to learn that we are able to provide to them. Helping teachers and classroom teams realize the impact their instruction has on students, families, and communities is one of the most valuable aspects of Aimee’s career as a BCBA and teacher.

There are many roles individuals play in a school setting. Each one carries a heavy responsibility for ensuring the welfare of our students – physically, emotionally, and academically. A dynamic role in the school setting is that of a paraprofessional. In alignment with Pennsylvania’s dedication to Attracting, Preparing, and Retaining practitioners in education, specifically in special education, Christine Moon, educational consultant from PaTTAN West / state lead for the APR pillar at the state level, Tammy Adams, Special Education Supervisor for the West Allegheny School District and Renee Patterson, a paraprofessional in West Allegheny School District joined PaTTANpod to discuss the dynamic role of paraprofessionals.