As part of the process of consolidation of special education costs in FY19, all special education paraprofessionals will become supervisory union employees. This mandate provides an opportunity to review and update the current evaluation model for all paraprofessional staff. A committee comprised of paraprofessionals, special educators, and administrators from each of our schools reviewed the current evaluation process and documents for each of the schools. The committee is now in the final stages of developing a standard evaluation protocol for use throughout the district.
The intent of the evaluation process is to provide paraprofessionals with meaningful feedback delivered in a consistent model across the district. The committee structured the evaluation tool on professional domains of knowledge, responsibilities, learning environment, instructional support, and strategies.
The FWSU Special Education Department reviewed the draft document at the last special education district meeting and provided valuable feedback. The evaluation committee plans to share the form with all staff to gather additional input before finalizing the document. The revised paraprofessional evaluation tool will be ready for the start of next school year. The coordination of paraprofessionals at the supervisory union will allow for resources to be more efficiently utilized to support student learning.
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