What does the team do



|Paraeducator–Teacher Teaming Rubric |

What are the characteristics of effective teacher-paraeducator teams?

At best, teachers and paraeducators intuitively grasp how their responsibilities fit together in an interdependent manner. This is maintained through awareness and sensitivity to each other and the requirements, demands and activities of the classroom. In the words of one paraeducator, the result is that the team “shares one brain”

At worst, teachers and paraeducators maintain rigidity in roles and cling to a preconception of what a team should be like, or was like in a previous work setting. This leads to work not being done, or not being done well. Members of a poorly functioning team withdraw from one another or compete in attempts to undermine the other person. This results in feelings of isolation and disillusionment.

The well-functioning teacher-paraeducator team:

1. Plans together

2. Shares pertinent information

3. Identifies roles, responsibilities and routines

4. Identifies record-keeping tasks

5. Assumes roles as needed

6. Shares a common definition of success

7. Knows goals of the classroom

8. Acts in a unified way

9. Manages conflict between team members

10. Pursues professional development

11. Reflects on team effectiveness

12. Supports substitute staff

13. Manages individualized educational plans

14. Supports the language, cultural and instructional needs of students

A continuum for each of these areas follows and can be used as a tool to gauge paraeducator- teacher teaming.

The teacher-paraeducator team:

|1. Plans together |

|Meets at regularly scheduled times to |Meets irregularly to assess and plan for |Uses planning time for individual |Uses planning time for tasks not related |Does not schedule or use planning time or|

|assess and plan for instructional needs |instructional needs or only meets to plan|planning and preparation tasks |to instruction, such as personal issues |joint planning time is not available |

| |special projects | | | |

|2. Shares educationally pertinent information |

|Shares educationally pertinent |Shares educationally pertinent |Communicates in a one-way manner with |Communicates during the day with the |Communicates little or not at all during |

|information in a two-way manner, such as |information in a two-way manner but less |little feedback, such as giving |focus on personal issues |the day |

|the teacher giving directions and the |frequently |directions only, or reporting back only | | |

|paraeducator providing feedback; sharing | | | | |

|insights; showing an interest in each | | | | |

|others work | | | | |

|3. Identifies roles, responsibilities and routines |

|Identifies, understands, and respects the|Understands most of the other persons |Holds the conceptions that roles are |Shows confusion as to who does what and |Does not see or agree with the benefit of|

|interdependent roles and responsibilities|roles |independent and separate |when or who makes decisions about what |a team approach built on interdependent |

|of the team; knows what needs to be done,| | |kinds of things |roles |

|by whom and when | | | | |

|4. Identifies recordkeeping tasks |

|Identifies and assigns attendance, |A. Identifies and assigns some |A. Identifies the recordkeeping tasks |A. Separates recordkeeping tasks so all |A. Does not know of all the |

|student assessment and other |recordkeeping tasks |but shows confusion about who is |are done by the teacher only |recordkeeping tasks |

|recordkeeping tasks | |responsible for what | | |

| | |B. Shows confusion about the purpose, |B. Knows purpose, requirements and | |

|B. Knows the purpose, requirements and | |requirements and system of keeping |system of keeping records but this is not| |

|system of keeping records. |B. Knows some of the purpose, |records |shared with the paraeducator |B. Does not understand the purpose or |

| |requirements and system but this is not | | |requirements or does not have a system of|

| |shared with the paraeducator | | |keeping records |

|5. Assumes roles as needed (within the terms of job contract) |

|Assumes the role of the other person |Adjusts some roles and tasks temporarily |Has the ability to adjust roles but is |Is unable and unwilling to temporarily | |

|temporarily in the classroom when |but not with ease or comfort |reluctant or unwilling to do so |assume role or tasks of the other person | |

|circumstances warrant | | | | |

|6. Shares a common definition of success |

|Articulates the criteria of team success |Agrees for the most part on the criteria |Is not able to articulate the criteria of|Does not share or unable to agree on the |Disagrees with and opposes the other |

|using a common language, for example, the|of team success |team success |criteria of team success |persons definition of team success |

|students are learning; planned activities| | | | |

|are complete; the team gains insight on a| | | | |

|students; a problem or difficulty is | | | | |

|solved | | | | |

| Knows goals of the classroom |

|Knows the goals of classroom instruction |Knows most of the goals of classroom |Knows the goals of classroom instruction |Does not know goals of the classroom or | |

|and procedures |instruction and this is shared most of |but this is not shared well by the |misunderstands them | |

| |the time by the teacher with the |teacher with the paraeducator | | |

| |paraeducator | | | |

| | |A. How they align with district and | | |

|A. How they align with district and |A. How they align with district and |state curriculum goals |A. How they align with district and | |

|state curriculum goals |state curriculum goals | |state curriculum goals | |

| | |B. How they meet other legal and policy | | |

|B. How they meet other legal and policy |B. How they meet other legal and policy |requirements |B. How they meet other legal and policy | |

|requirements |requirements | |requirements | |

|8. Acts in a unified way |

|Uses similar and complimentary approaches|Uses similar approaches most of the time |Uses some similar approaches that may |Uses different and conflicting approaches| |

|to present a unified front when: |to present a unified front when: |send mixed messages when: |that compete or undermine the other | |

| | | |person when: | |

|Instructing students | | | | |

|Managing student behavior |A. Instructing students |A. Instructing students |A. Instructing students | |

|Interacting with parents and family |B. Managing student behavior |B. Managing student behavior |B. Managing student behavior | |

|members |C. Interacting with parents and family |C. Interacting with parents and family |C. Interacting with parents and family | |

|Upholding classroom standards of civility|members |members |members | |

| |D. Upholding classroom standards of |D. Upholding classroom standards of |D. Upholding classroom standards of | |

| |civility |civility |civility | |

|9. Manages conflict between team members |

|Addresses conflict, differences of |Addresses conflict, differences of |Harbors ill feelings about disagreements |Avoids conflict, ignores disagreements, |Competes openly or covertly to undermine |

|opinions and misunderstandings openly as |opinions and misunderstandings but do not|until a crisis is reached and issues are |gives the other person the silent |the other person |

|they arise and agrees on mutually |agree on solutions or solutions are not |temporarily resolved |treatment | |

|satisfactory solutions |lasting | | | |

|10. Pursues professional development |

|Pursues opportunities for professional |Pursues opportunities for professional |Pursues opportunities for professional |Does not pursue opportunities for |Undermines the other persons efforts to |

|development together in alignment with |development separately and shares new |development separately and does not share|professional development or does not have|improve |

|school district goals to build a stronger|learnings with each other |new learnings |opportunities for professional | |

|team | | |development | |

|11. Reflects on team effectiveness |

|Reflects regularly on effectiveness of |Reflects occasionally on effectiveness of|Does not reflect on effectiveness of team|Does not see or agree with the benefit of| |

|team efforts and incorporates reflections|team efforts and occasionally |or incorporates reflections into planning|a team approach or participate in efforts| |

|into planning to improve team |incorporates reflections into planning | |to establish or improve team | |

|effectiveness | | |effectiveness | |

|12. Supports substitute staff |

|Prepares for and supports substitute |Prepares somewhat for substitute but does|Maintains own role and expects the |Competes openly or covertly to undermine | |

|staff by communicating role expectations |not give clear expectations |substitute to adapt |the substitute | |

|and adjusting own role to support the | | | | |

|substitute | | | | |

|13. Manages individualized educational plans |

|Understands the goals of individualized |Knows the goals of individualized |Knows the goals of individualized |Does not know the goals of individualized|Is not familiar with the IEP |

|instruction and the strategies |instruction and the teacher assigns a |instruction but this is not shared well |instruction or misunderstands them | |

|appropriate to their roles for achieving |limited array of strategies for the |by the teacher with the paraeducator | | |

|those goals |paraeducator | | | |

English Language Learner Settings (where the Paraeducator is the interpreter)

|14. Supports the language, cultural and instructional needs of students |

|Shares teacher knowledge of instruction |Shares some of teacher knowledge of |Ignores the specialized knowledge of the |Has no communication of instructional, |Competes openly or covertly to undermine |

|and the paraeducators knowledge of |instruction and the paraeducators |other team member |language and cultural needs of students |the other person |

|language and culture to understand and |knowledge of language and culture to | | | |

|instruct student |understand and instruct student | | | |

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