Title: Staff Assistant II

Classification Title: Special Education Functional Skills Staff Assistant

Calendar: A, School Days

ESP Salary Schedule: Range 30 Step 1
Hours: 5.5/Day 27.5/Week

Location: New Bridge Elementary School

General Purpose

Responsible for assisting teachers with tutoring of individual students; tutoring students in small groups to give additional reinforcement on subjects already taught and discussed; and assisting teachers in administering tests to individual students.

Main Tasks and Responsibilities

• Instruct children in small groups, and/or tutor individual students in reading, math, writing, music, etc., as assigned by the Special Education Teacher.   
• Rotate groups periodically during the school day with teachers and other staff assistants. 
• May be required to assist students with his/her physical needs, such as feeding , diapering, toileting, pushing wheelchairs, lifting on and off bus, etc.
• Assist in maintaining classroom calendars, bulletin boards, and other room arrangements.  (Elementary)
• Provide reinforcement as prescribed by the Special Education Teacher or by the Speech Therapist.
• Assist regular education teachers and special education students in mainstreaming (when special education students mainstreamed into regular education classrooms).
• Record data on individual student performance; and input student information on the computer.
• May instruct and coach students in life skills.  
• May take children out in the community to participate.
• Assist in preparing lesson plans, under the direction of the Special Education Teacher.
• Use a data sheet to record progress of students on classroom simulations (money, shopping, banking, etc.).
• Provides prescribed behavioral support.
• Record engaged time for students.
• May assist students in traveling to job sites; learn required job tasks and instruct the student.  Also observes student’s job performance.  (Secondary)
• Instruct severely disabled students in reading, math, spelling, etc. and record student’s answers to assignment problems.
• Monitor life support equipment; keep detailed records on suctioning, ventilation settings, number of days students are absent, etc.
• Administer medication to the student as required.
• Apply behavior modification techniques to assist students in learning.
• May be trained on life support equipment, suctioning, catheterization, etc.
• Follow the lesson plan outlined by the Speech Therapist, according to the student’s individualized educational plan; drill individual students on words, phrases, specific sounds, etc.  
• May work with both regular education and special education students.
• Conduct exercises with individual students or small groups of students to reinforce speech training.
• Record student activities for use by the Speech Therapist; documents progress of students.
• Prepare materials to supplement Therapist’s assigned activities; make own files to refer to student’s progress.
• May team-teach elementary school students in the classroom in language skills and listening comprehension.
• May be required to conduct language lessons for the entire class independently.
• Locate and request Special Education Files/Records. 
• Put together and organize Special Education Files before delivering them to applicable teachers and schools. 
• Maintain the Inactive File Database for Special Education Files until a student turns 27 years old. 
• Complete data entry for Home and Hospital Database. 
• Answer phones, send and reply to emails and faxes, and make copies of Special Education Records for Social Security Claims. 
• Make copies and scans of Special Education Records prior to Priority mailing them to Educational Institutions requesting Special Education Records.

Education and Experience

• High School Diploma or equivalent
• Six (6) months of related experience
• Knowledge and skill in understanding and using alphabetical and numerical systems, in organizing and maintaining catalog systems, and in handling finances

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements

• The job occasionally requires light physical exertion including walking, standing, motor vehicle operation and other forms of light physical activity.
• The job occasionally requires a moderate level of physical exertion such as handling medium weight materials (11-50 pounds), extensive standing, walking, crawling, bending, stooping or climbing, or assisting special education students with their physical needs.
• Work is carried out in an agreeable environment as generally represented by normal office conditions and little or no unpleasant elements.
• Work is occasionally carried out in mildly disagreeable conditions.  Work involves exposure to unpleasant elements such as noise, ventilation, crowded nature of work, exposure to outside weather conditions, pressures related to sensitive situations, sitting;/standing in one position for an extended period of time, etc., that yield a perceptible level of discomfort.
• Typically involves contact with students, parents, teachers, principal, assistant principal and/or other staff members.