The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and its ensuing regulations require State Education Agencies (SEAs) to address in their State Plans 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, 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 following twelve (12) regional locations listed on the attached registration form.
This training will allow paraprofessionals with public agencies to be trained in the Core Paraprofessional Training Modules, developed by the ADE, Special Education Unit, and has been presented since the winter of 1997. Each site will have a trained facilitator(s) that will assist with activities conducted during the video training, including dissemination of materials and pre- and post-test activities for determination of competency acquisition.
A registration form is attached. For necessary materials to be prepared by the facilitators at the sites, paraprofessionals must pre-register to attend all sessions or any make-up sessions missed during previous trainings. Please submit registration form listing all paraprofessionals (names should be typed or printed clearly) representing a school district, educational cooperative or other agency as well as the form indicating the training site. Upon the completion of all modules, each paraprofessional will receive a certificate of completion and be entered on the Arkansas registry of trained paraprofessionals maintained by the Special Education Unit.
Registration will be limited (Note the number by the site on the registration form.) Participants will be registered on a first come, first serve basis. The times for the training program is comprised of the first two days, 8:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M. and the last training day is one half day, 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Please note the training sessions and dates for each of the regional sites listed on the registration form and mark the dates of choice.
Complete and return the attached registration forms for the summer sessions no later than July 30, 1999 (except South Central Co-op must be submitted by June 9, 1999). For the fall training sessions, submit registration forms by August 30, 1999.
Return to: Susie B. Nelson
Arkansas Department of Education
# 4 State Capitol Mall, Room 105-C
Little Rock, AR 72201-1071
Fax 501-682-4313