Core Competencies for Special Education Paraeducators (CEC)

Description:

The Core Competencies for Special Education Paraeducators represent the required knowledge and skills all paraeducators need to safely and effectively support students with disabilities in K-12 settings. Paraeducators work in general education and special education classrooms, nonclassroom school settings (e.g., cafeteria, playground), and community-based learning sites supporting an entire classroom of students or individual students with disabilities. Paraeducators provide individualized services to students with disabilities through a range of tasks directed by the instructional team consisting of licensed professionals responsible for planning and implementing specially designed services for students with disabilities. These core competencies address the corresponding role of paraeducators in the four aspects (collaboration, assessment, social/emotional/behavioral, and instruction) of the High Leverage Practices for special educators developed by CEC in collaboration with the Collaboration for Effective Educator Development, Accountability, and Reform (CEEDAR) Center.