D 100 Staff SOPs (Knowledge Base)

    Paraprofessional Support Request

    Paraprofessional Support Request


    This SOP is meant to provide guidance to IEP teams when discussing various levels of adult support for students. This guidance is not specific to requesting a designated 1:1 paraeducator. 


    Overview of the Paraprofessional Role

    Paraprofessionals support teachers by assisting students in accessing and mastering curricular content, providing functional supports, and helping with classroom management tasks such as organizing instructional materials. Duties vary based on student needs and are not exhaustive. Paraprofessionals work under the direct supervision of a fully licensed teacher in all instructional settings. Paraprofessional support may be required to implement a student’s IEP and ensure access to a Free Appropriate Public Education; however, this support also increases the level of restrictiveness in the student’s educational environment. Every effort should be made to ensure we are building students’ independence skills across all settings. The plan below is a District 100 developed plan to ensure students are provided with high quality support prior to teams recommending additional adult support.

    1. 1

      Identify the problem

      1. A team member identifies that a student may not be making progress as expected. 
    2. 2

      Team Meeting- Data Review

      1. The team meets to review data and discuss the following:

        • Are the supplementary aids, services, accommodations, and modifications being provided with fidelity?

        • Has the team considered the need for a functional behavioral assessment (FBA)? This should be considered to address student behavior PRIOR to paraprofessional requests.

        • If the student already has a behavior intervention plan (BIP), has it been reviewed recently to ensure the plan matches the student needs? 

        • Has the student’s BIP been in place for 6 or more consecutive weeks?

        • Is there a need to increase the services provided by a special education teacher and/or  related service provider?

        • Has the school exhausted special education services for the student, including functional minutes?

    3. 3

      Special Education Supervisor Notification

      1. The team shares the above information supported with data with the special education supervisor. 

        • The supervisor reviews the team’s data and any gaps may be addressed directly. 

        • A staff member and Special Education Supervisor observe (minimum of 30 minutes each) the student using the same form. Observation Form for Paraprofessional Support Request 

        • Time of observations should be discussed as a team. 

    4. 4

      Special Education Supervisor/Team Review Data

      1. The Special Education Supervisor reviews the data with the team.

        • The building level team along with the Special Education Supervisor will meet as a school team to address the student’s needs and review guiding questions, observational data and scoring.

        • The team will review the need to increase the services provided by a special education teacher and/or another related service area.

        • The team will explore whether the school has exhausted special education services for the student (including functional minutes).

        • This meeting will outline potential supports for a path moving forward based on the scoring,  recommendations and need for program level paraprofessional or dedicated paraprofessional (Resource is considered a program for these purposes).

    5. 5

      Update IEP if Appropriate

      1. Schedule a meeting with the parent to update the IEP as necessary (See IEP Writing Guide).

        • Amendment with a meeting

        • Annual review update

        • Use the link below for IEP documentation

      Embrace Documentation

    6. 6

      Planning for Independence

      Team Plan to increase independence and consistently fade out adult supports

      1. Document the plan for teaching the student to become more independent in each of the activities listed as needing support based on data gathered.

      2. How will we teach the student independence through the teacher and paraprofessional?

      3. This plan should outline the explicit teaching of skills to the student by the certified teacher that is supported by the paraprofessional. There should be time each day/week to provide the student with instruction to support independent practice of the skill. 

      4. Review the minutes and the plan at the end of each semester (MS/HS) or trimester (Elementary) by completing the Observation Form for Paraprofessional Support to see how the scoring and need for support might have changed. 

        • In some cases due to the significance of the student’s disability, this may be done one time a year. Buildings should work with the Special Education Supervisors to identify these students. 

        • Use the fading plan (provided below) to enter the data from your quarterly or trimester observation rubric completion: Paraprofessional Support Fading Plan 

        • Decrease of support may require an amendment to an IEP.

        • Example Fading Plan

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