The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and its ensuing regulations require State Education Agencies (SEAs) to address in their state policies and procedures a mechanism for ensuring that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) maintain appropriately qualified personnel to provide special education and related services for children and youth with disabilities who are served by public and private agencies. The following policy was stated in Director's Memo # ACC-98-058, February 26, 1998: "It shall be the policy of the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) that the paraprofessionals, educational interpreters for the deaf and hearing impaired or other assistants employed by public agencies to assist in providing special education and related services to children with disabilities, birth to 21 years of age, will be appropriately trained and supervised in accordance with guidelines established by the ADE, Special Education Unit." To address this requirement, the ADE, Special Education Unit, through the Arkansas Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (ACSPD), is providing another opportunity for the Core Paraprofessional training, as outlined in this memorandum. This paraprofessional training will be held at the locations listed on the attached registration form.
This training will allow paraprofessionals employed by public agencies to be trained in the Core, Early Childhood, Secondary and/or Special Health Care Needs Paraprofessional Training Modules, developed by the ADE, Special Education Unit. Each training site will have a trained facilitator(s) that will assist with activities conducted during the video training, including dissemination of materials and pre/post test activities for determination of competency acquisition.
A registration form is attached. For necessary materials to be prepared by the on-site facilitators, paraprofessionals must pre-register for each session they wish to attend, including any make-up sessions. Please submit the registration form listing all paraprofessionals (names and social security numbers printed clearly) representing a school district, educational cooperative or other agency as well as the form indicating the training site. Upon completion of each training module, each paraprofessional will receive a certificate of completion and be entered on the Arkansas registry of trained paraprofessionals maintained by the Special Education Unit. If a paraprofessional has previously completed the training, he/she will not receive an additional certificate.
Registration will be limited (Note the number by the site on the registration form). Participants will be registered on a first come, first served basis. The Core training program is comprised of two days, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. daily. The Early Childhood, Secondary and Special Health Care Needs training programs are each one day in length, from 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. daily. Please note the training sessions and dates for each of the regional sites listed on registration form and mark the dates of choice.
Complete and return the attached registration forms for the June and July sessions no later than May 24, 2002. For training sessions after July, please submit registration forms by June 21, 2002.
Please return the registration forms to:
Cassandra D. Green, CSPD Coordinator
Arkansas Department of Education
Special Education
#4 Capitol Mall, Room 105-C
Little Rock, AR 72201-1071
Fax: 501-682-4313