Instructional Assistant - Multilingual Learners

JOB TITLE: Multilingual Learner Instructional Assistant (Bilingual)

FLSA CLASSIFICATION: Non-exempt, hourly employee.

WORK DAYS: 181 days, student attendance days.

STANDARD HOURS PER DAY: The standard hours for the Instructional Assistant are 7 hours per day, not including a 30-minute, unpaid, duty-free meal break.

WORK YEAR: The Instructional Assistant is scheduled to work all days when students are scheduled to attend school.

SALARY SCHEDULE & BENEFITS: The Instructional Assistant is paid on the "Instructional Assistant" salary schedule, $21.63 is the starting hourly rate, and is eligible for benefits on the "Support Staff" benefits schedule on the first of the month following 60 days of employment.

REPORTS TO: The Instructional Assistant is supervised by one or more teachers. Instructional Assistants are evaluated by and report to the building principal or administrative designee.

SUPERVISES: The Instructional Assistant does not supervise any other staff.

General Summary Of Duties

Under direct supervision, the Instructional Assistant provides support in an educational environment, performing paraprofessional work in assistant students, with an emphasis on providing bilingual communication support to teachers, staff and students. The Instructional Assistant interprets and translates classroom assignments, parent and student communications, and other school activities to support comprehension and transition for students for whom English is a secondary language. The Instructional Assistant generally works with children individually in providing basic instruction in reading, writing, math, spelling, art, or other education-related activities. Performs related work as directed.

Essential Functions

• Provides fluent bilingual communication support to teachers, staff and students through interpreting and translating data and information.
• Assists students individually for whom English is a second language in a manner to support comprehension and transition into an English speaking environment.
• Communicates with parents and children regarding education and school related information to ensure full comprehension of all exchanges.
• Monitors activities and behavior of children during the absence of the classroom teacher(s) to ensure the physical and environmental safe keeping of students, as well as adherence to appropriate conduct and disciplinary controls.
• Assists the teacher(s) in the supervision of learning activities, circulating within the classroom and providing assistance and learning support to students.
• Provides one-on-one instruction to students in the target language, as applicable, to reinforce skills introduced by the teacher(s); may utilize games, stories, or other constructive activities to enhance students learning skills.
• Assists the teacher(s) in checking and objectively evaluating students work; teaches students individually and in small groups reinforcing skills based upon instructional guidelines.
• Assists in managing student behavior and maintaining classroom order; reinforces rules of the school and classroom; escorts and/or supervises students to time out and/or the principals office.
• May be asked to assist in the preparation of lesson plans; may be asked to provide input and assistance in the development of classroom activities and learning tools.
• Assists the teacher(s) by noticing students language, math, and communication skills; monitors students progressive learning skills; makes the teacher(s) aware of students learning deficiencies; documents records of learning activities and diagnosis.
• Prepares or assists in the preparation of instructional materials; performs support tasks such as photocopying materials, laminating items, typing correspondence, and filing paperwork and documentation.
• Coordinates with media center staff for classroom learning resources; sets up equipment in the classroom for teachers instructional studies.
• Assists in preparing classroom bulletin boards, classroom decorations, displays of student activities, and other classroom objectives.
• May be asked to prepare drafts of reports and to tentatively complete forms, schedules, and other data as required.
• Learns students assigned bus route(s) to assist with proper boarding of students.
• Maintains accurate and complete records of a variety of student information which may require the use of a computer to enter student scores and other student data.
• May be assigned monitoring duties, i.e., hallways, lunchroom, restrooms, and bus duty; ensures appropriate student conduct during these periods; escorts students to designated activity areas, i.e., music room, computer room, art classes, assemblies, etc.May be assigned to various labs providing assistance to the teacher(s) and instruction/information to students; may translate lesson plans and other information to students for better understanding and comprehension.
• Responsible for keeping up to date on current technology, as job appropriate, being used by Warren.
• With the support of the district, attends training to ensure skill level in various technologies is at the level required to perform in current position.
• Responsible for timely and accurate information they maintain as part of their job responsibilities.
  
  

Non-essential Functions

While the following tasks are necessary for the work of the unit, they are not an essential part of the purpose of this position and may also be performed by other unit members.

• Performs related duties as directed.
  
  

Entry-level Requirements

• EDUCATION/TRAINING: Associates degree or higher, or at least sixty (60) semester hours from an accredited institution of higher education. (Official transcripts are required to validate education.) or have passed the ParaPro test.
• Must demonstrate advanced fluency and the ability to communicate clearly and effectively in all formswritten, spoken, and interpersonalin both English and Spanish or another high need language.
• EXPERIENCE: Previous vocational training or work experience with school-age children is preferred.
• CERTIFICATIONS & PARAPROFESSIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
• Federal Options:
• Two years of college experience
• Two-year college degree
• Pass the Para-Pro Assessment/ParaPathways within the first year of employment (HIghlander Park offers the ParaPro Assessment at no cost for all Warren Township prospective employees. Testing is offered Monday through Thursday at 9:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. To register for your free assessment, email adulteducation@warren.k12.in.us or call 317-532-3000.
• Ed-Flex Options:
• One year or 1,000 hours of previous employment experience in a school or working with children
• Passed annual school-level evaluation
• Completed 48 credit hours of college level courses
• Child Development Associate (CDA) Credentials
• Completed LEA required professional development modules/training
  

4. OTHER: Ability to perform the essential functions, meet the performance aptitudes, and fulfill the physical/sensory/environmental requirements of the job (with or without reasonable accommodations) is required. Demonstrated written and oral linguistic skills in English and in at least one target language is required.

Performance Aptitudes

• Data Utilization: Requires the ability to arrange, compare, count, differentiate, measure and/or sort data and/or information. Includes judging whether readily observable functional, structural or compositional characteristics are similar to or divergent from prescribed standards, procedures or routines.
• Human Interaction: Requires the ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others on how to apply procedures and standards to specific situations.
• Equipment, Machinery, Tools, and Materials Utilization: Requires the ability to operate, maneuver and/or control the actions of standard office equipment (including a computer).
• Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize a wide variety of reference and advisory data and information in both English and the designated target language.
• Mathematical Aptitude: Depending on the school grade classroom of assignment, may require the ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division; may require ability to calculate decimals and percentages; may require ability to utilize principles of fractions and/or interpret graphs.
• Functional Reasoning: Requires ability to carry out detailed but uninvolved written or oral instructions. Involves routine work according to clearly prescribed standard practices, with some latitude for independent judgment.
• Situational Reasoning: Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness and creativity in situations involving a variety of generally pre-defined duties which are often characterized by frequent change.
  
  

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS: Tasks involve the ability to exert very moderate physical effort in light work, typically involving some combination of stooping, kneeling, crouching and crawling, and which may involve some lifting, carrying, pushing and/or pulling of objects and materials of moderate weight (12-20 pounds).

SENSORY REQUIREMENTS: Most tasks require visual perception and discrimination. Most tasks require oral communications ability. Most tasks require the ability to perceive and discriminate sounds.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS: Tasks are regularly performed without exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, electric currents, traffic hazards, animals/wildlife, toxic/poisonous agents, violence, disease, or pathogenic substances.