Professional Roles

Professional Roles for Educators Working with Students Supported by District 75

 Overlapping Professional Roles

Professionals teaching and supporting students in inclusive schools are members of one community with a common vision- the student actualizing his/her desired long term adult outcomes. The adults in the classroom are models of collaboration for the students. They demonstrate that any successful team is based on the positive interaction of all the participants.

Every team member contributes to building and sustaining structures that support the education of students in inclusive schools by:

  • Ensuring a healthy, safe and academically effective environment. 
  • Communicating and collaborating with team members to develop, and implement the IEP, access to the general education curriculum and student supports.
  • Communicating and collaborating with team members to assess IEP goals, access to the general education curriculum and student supports.
  • Participating in meetings by contributing ideas regarding the students’ education and supports.
  • Recognizing and acknowledging the competencies and expertise of team members.
  • Advocating to ensure that students’ educational and support needs are provided in a manner that is consistent with IDEIA, state standards, data-based practices, student independence and student goals for adulthood.
  • Providing data to administrators for the purpose of decision making.

 Role of the General Education Teacher Instructing Students Supported by District 75

Classroom teachers share responsibility with the SETSS provider and other support personnel for teaching all students through:
  • Co-creating a climate of acceptance by facilitating the valued membership of all students in the class. 
  • Knowing the student’s learning characteristics, performance levels and IEP goals.
  • Participating in regular student planning meetings so that the team can develop appropriate curriculum adaptations, instructional and behavior strategies and identify other age-appropriate supports needed by the student(s). 
  • Working collaboratively with the student’s SETSS Provider, paraprofessional and Related Service Provider to implement, teach and assess the curriculum for all students in the class. 
  • Co-directing the work of the paraprofessionals in the class so they are not expected to make pedagological decisions. 
  • Sharing his/her expertise on the general education curriculum with the student’s SETSS Provider and paraprofessional. 
  • Attending IEP meetings in order to share his/her expertise on the general education curriculum and the student supported by District 75.
  • Grouping all students heterogeneously in tasks and activities involving their collaboration. 
  • Co-directing the work of the paraprofessionals in the class so they are not expected to make pedagological decisions. 
  • Providing data to administrators for the purpose of decision making.

 

Role of the Special Education Teacher Support Service (SETSS) Provider
Supporting Students from District 75

SETSS Providers share responsibility with the general education teacher and other support personnel for teaching all students with a focus on students supported by District 75. This is accomplished through:
  • Working with families to align goals and practices between home and school.
  • Co-creating a climate of acceptance by facilitating the valued membership of all students in the class. 
  • Collaborating with team members to share expertise in curriculum adaptation, individualized instruction and positive behavior strategies.
  • Collaborating with trans-disciplinary team members to insure input and involvement of related service providers.
  • Participating in student’s planning meetings with the general education teacher(s), paraprofessional(s), and related service providers.
  • Maintaining a working knowledge of the general education curriculum and practices. 
  • Sharing and implementing strategies to enable student’s access to the general education curriculum and practices.
  • Co-directing the work of the paraprofessionals in the class so they are not expected to make pedagological decisions; this may be realized by modeling specific teaching techniques for the paraprofessional to use with each student.
  • Co-teaching with the classroom teacher, teaching small mixed-ability groups and/or providing one-to-one instruction in the general education classroom. 
  • Adapting and modifying curriculum through published and teacher-made materials when mandated by the IEP.
  • Designing, assessing and evaluating student’s progress as per his/her IEP goals.
  • Ensuring that all IEP mandates are addressed and met.
  • Providing instruction for small, heterogeneous groups in the general education classroom.
  • Providing one-to-one supports, direct instruction and assessment for students receiving supports from District 75 in the general education classroom.
  • Providing one-to-one supports, direct instruction and assessment for students receiving supports from District 75 in a separate location.
  • Performing Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) and develop Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) as needed by student(s). 
  • Developing articulation plans for students moving from one grade to another, or from one school to another. 
  • Developing transition plans for students before their 15th birthday. 
  • Providing data to administrators for the purpose of decision making.

 Role of the Paraprofessional Supporting Students from District 75

Paraprofessionals are programmatic and support all students in the classroom with a focus on students supported by District 75 by:
  • Encouraging the participation of all students in all classroom activities.
  • Facilitating positive peer interactions between students.
  • Initiating and maintaining natural peer supports.
  • Implementing instructional strategies developed by the teaching team.
  • Gathering and recording data on student behavior and progress in instructional goals; the data collection system is designed and modeled by SETSS Provider in collaboration with the general education teacher.
  • Carrying out health, hygiene and safety protocols. 
  • Maintaining confidentiality. 
  • Participating in team meetings. 
  • Maintaining positive relations with all school staff. 
  • Supporting and implementing the discipline policies of the community school and general education classroom. 
  • Enacting a behavior intervention plan as designed by the trans-disciplinary team.
  • Communicating effectively with SETSS provider, general education teacher(s) and related service providers. 
  • Performing non-instructional tasks such as lunch duty, playground monitor, etc.

 Role of the Related Service Provider Supporting Students from District 75

Related Service Providers support the education of students with disabilities by:
  • Working with families to align goals and practices between home and school. 
  • Co-creating a climate of acceptance by facilitating the valued membership of all students in the class. 
  • Collaborating with trans-disciplinary team to share expertise in his/her specific discipline. 
  • Participating in student’s planning meetings with the general education teacher(s), SETSS
  • Provider, and paraprofessional(s). 
  • Providing supports established by the trans-disciplinary team that are educationally relevant and allow for student access or participation in typical activities and environments. 
  • Collaborating with the trans-disciplinary team to determine when supports need modification, fading or discontinuation based on data. 
  
Inclusive Education Home
Curriculum Adaptations
FAQs
Forms and Files
Leadership
Mission
Resources

    District 75  |  400 First Avenue, New York, NY 10010  |  (212) 802-1500  |  Contact