Highly Qualified Paraprofessionals

Job Description

Job Title :Paraprofessional
Reports To : Executive Director, Teacher and/or Special Education Teacher
Supervises : None
Status : Full-Time, Non-Exempt

Effective for the 2025-2026 School Year
Position Summary:
The Mission of Spero Academy is to provide an individualized and adaptive education to help students grow academically, emotionally and socially.
We are a nonprofit charter school that is devoted to educational programs for students with disabilities that foster a sense of respect, responsibility and community. We are looking for a Paraprofessional who is eager to work with elementary students who are on the autistic spectrum or who may have other social, emotional and physical disabilities. We are looking for someone who will support individualized learning programs to meet the unique needs of each student, while maintaining a high standard of academics and cultivating a sense of respect, responsibility and community.
What You Will Need:
● Ability to achieve and maintain the status of “not disqualified” upon completion of criminal background checks
● Must earn PCA Certification within your first two weeks of employment
● Must Earn CPI Certification within your your first six months of employment
Spero Academy will pay for all training, provide training materials and provide paid time for completion of these certifications in a timely manner. If you are already certified you will need to submit valid proof.
What You Will Do:
● You will support your classroom teacher in implementing coherent lessons to maximize the student’s potential for learning essential skills and knowledge.
● You will clearly demonstrate and model personal characteristics that Spero Academy expects of its students such as; Respect, Honesty, Responsibility, Empathy, Manners, and Trust.
● You will provide a warm, caring, nurturing, and stable learning environment.
● You will be a positive influence in the day-to-day activities of your team, act with integrity, showing respect to coworkers and students.
● You will participate actively in the scheduled team meetings.
● You must attend all paid professional development days for paraprofessionals and all staff ● You will communicate effectively and clearly with students and staff.
● You will define clear expectations for students as advised by your classroom teacher, the Special Education staff, and/or members of the behavior team.
● You must maintain personal accountability for actions.
● You will work with all staff members of Spero Academy including teachers, therapists, other professionals, board, and administration as a team player in working with students.
● You must comply with state, local, federal laws and understands the laws related to confidentiality

Qualifications

These Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Will Help You Succeed:
● Obtain skills to be a Special Education Paraprofessional through training and establishing personal and professional goals.
● Proven ability to work effectively with others.
● Ability to be flexible and handle quick changes.
● Demonstrate skills in problem-solving and decision-making.
● Obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to help your classroom students to use communication devices and other assistive technologies.
● Learn how to submit “PCA hours” and submit them in the correct and timely manner
● Ability to effectively use Mac ios computers.
● Ability to lift up to 50 pounds on occasion or move quickly to contain a student

Institution Description

We are a tuition-free public charter school with programming designed to meet the individualized needs of students with disabilities. We invite you to explore our website to learn more about how our program may be able to help your student grow academically, emotionally, and socially.

Application Instructions/Comments

Please Send resume and district application to: Human Resources Spero Academy
Rev. 03/2024
2701 California Street NE, Minneapolis, MN 55418