Support Staff

Depending on the programming needs of students, Educational Assistants (E.A.s) and Educational Intervenors (S.E.I.s) support Special Education department staff as well as the greater teaching staff in helping students to meet the expectations of their varied programs and achieve any alternative goals that they may be working towards. 

Generally, students who are being supported in the Core Resource Program do not have access to support staff. The accommodations stipulated in the I.E.P. and recommended by the psychological assessment that rendered the identification and/or diagnosis should suffice in order to allow for students to work independently and advocate for their needs. 

More commonly, but not always, students in the Functional Life Skills, Social Communication and Educational Support Programs receive additional support from E.A.s. In certain circumstances, where it has been determined that one-to-one support is required, a student will work with an S.E.I.

The Role of E.A.s and S.E.I.s

a.) Educational Assistants

The Educational Assistant is an integral part of the school team. The primary focus of the role of the Educational Assistant is to support the individual program of students with special needs in the classroom and school community. Educational Assistants work in collaboration with the classroom, core resource/special education teachers and special education department heads, to implement the student’s plan.

EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANTS/WORKERS…

1. Provide guidance, support, and encouragement to all students, in accordance with the Board’s mainstreaming philosophy.

2. Provide opportunities for success in fostering independence, self-esteem, promoting positive peer and adult interactions, and developing communication, social skills, and life skills.

3. Ensure the form S23 (appendix A) is completed and in school office for the use of a supply EA.

4. Implement the student’s individualized program to develop academic, communication, social, and other appropriate skills within the school and the community.

5. Assist in the preparation of materials in support of student(s) program(s).

6. Assist student(s) in meeting individual personal and health care needs. (e.g. dressing, toileting, hygiene, lifting, administration of medication, non sterile catheterization – (training required) feeding that does not 

    require a gastro tube)

7. Assist the teacher in supervising students during classroom activities, (yard duty, lunch, bus arrivals and departures).

8. Accompany and provide support and guidance to students in the community during work placements and excursions.

9. Attend appropriate meetings* as requested.

10. Carry out other related duties as assigned. Priority must be given to the preparation of materials related to student(s’) Individualized Education Plan(s)(IEP) and/or classroom programs

These are some examples of the duties that are typically carried out by an Educational Assistant: 

• Provide information required for the completion of the Essential Student Information Folder (Form S23) and applicable forms as requested

• Provide student with additional instruction so that teacher’s directions are understood and break the task into simpler steps, if necessary

• Break down language to student’s receptive level to aid comprehension and interpret student’s expressive language to enhance communication

• Assist student in selecting and initiating activities and remaining on task

• Implement specific programs specified in the IEP as directed

• Record data, maintain observation notes and share information with team members

• Adapt environment/tools to enable student to participate

• Assist student in achieving independent mobility throughout the school day

• Assist student in developing appropriate skills in the application and use of technology

• Model appropriate behaviour and language skills and reinforce appropriate skills being used

• Assist with supervision of other students in the classroom while the teacher is engaged with the student with special needs

• Assist with preparation of picture symbols, picture timetables etc. necessary for the student(s) program

• Assist and encourage independence in the area of self-help skills for toileting, personal hygiene, feeding and dressing

• Assist with arrival or departure of students by bus/taxi and promote safety awareness

• Assist student(s) to develop skills which increase independence in activities of daily living and use a hierarchy of prompts, to assist the students throughout the school day

• Communicate on an ongoing basis with the classroom/core teacher and department head

• Assist student in recording homework in personal agenda

• Communication with parents/caregivers (i.e. communication book) is through the direction of teacher and/or department head

• Accompany and provide support and guidance to students on field trip/excursions/community outings and in community work placements

• Administer medication as per Board policy 207 and administer first aid, when necessary, to student with special needs

• Support student in accordance with the individual student’s disability accommodation plan

• Use existing behaviour and Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) plans in conjunction with preventative measures (i.e. calming strategies) to monitor student’s behaviour, to ensure a safe learning environment

b.) Specialized Educational Intervenors

The Educational Intervenor (EI) is also an integral part of the school team. The EI is assigned to assist a teacher in specific settings to respond to students’ needs which require specialized training and expertise.

Students supported by an EI have highly complex learning needs within a particular exceptionality. The primary focus of EI’s responsibility is to interact with identified students and to support their learning.

Educational Intervenors participate as part of a school and multidisciplinary team, in providing ongoing feedback about the students’ response to program and with their expertise contribute to direction setting for the upcoming period/term.

EIs work in collaboration with the classroom/core resource/special education teachers, and special education department heads to implement the student’s plan, as well as the following: 

1. Provide guidance, support and encouragement to all students, in accordance with the Board’s mainstreaming philosophy.

2. Provide opportunities for success in fostering independence, self-esteem, promoting positive peer and adult interactions, and developing communication and social skills.

3. Ensure the form S23 (appendix A) is completed and in school office for the use of a supply EI.

4. Implement structured modified programs to allow identified students to develop meaningful academic and social skills within the school and the community as developed by the teacher, school resource team and 

    multidisciplinary team.

5. Carry out specific programs in language, behaviour management and physical management as established by the teacher, school resource team, and multidisciplinary team.

6. Work with the teacher, school resource team and the multidisciplinary team in providing guidance, emotional support and encouragement to the identified student.

7. Provide opportunities for learning, success and transfer of interactional and social skills within the classroom and school to other settings.

8. Assist in the preparation of materials for programs as required by the teacher.

9. Assist student(s) in meeting individual personal and health care needs and medical accommodations.(e.g. dressing, toileting, hygiene, lifting, administration of medication to student with special needs, non sterile 

    catheterization – (training required) feeding that does not require a gastro tube,)

10. Assist a teacher in the supervision of identified student during indoor/outdoor activities, lunch and bus arrivals and departures.

11. Attend whenever possible, scheduled planning meetings and other appropriate meetings as requested.

These are examples of some duties that would be performed by Educational Intervenors in collaboration with the school and board resource team:

• Provide information required for the completion of the Essential Student Information Folder (Form S23) and applicable forms as requested

• Provide students with additional instruction so the teacher’s directions are understood and break the task into simpler steps using concrete and visual cues as needed

• Use appropriate language and, if necessary, short clear and concise language paired with gestural and/ or visual cues to aid comprehension and encourage the student’s communication or communicative attempts by using a multi-modal approach in response to direction from consultation with the teachers/special education department head/resource team

• With teacher direction, assist the students in choosing activities, getting started and remaining on task and redirect when necessary and use a hierarchy of prompts to assist the students throughout the school day

• Implement specific programs specified in the Individual Education Plan (IEP) as directed by the teachers/special education department head/resource team

• Record data, maintain observation notes, and share information with team member(s)

• Modify the environment or tools involved to enable the students to participate as directed by the teacher in consultation with the resource team

• Assist the students in developing skills in the use of adaptive technology

• Consistently role-model appropriate behaviour and language skills and positively reinforce appropriate skills being used

• Use existing behaviour and Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) plans in conjunction with preventative measures (i.e. calming strategies) to monitor student’s behaviour, to ensure a safe learning environment

• Assist in the preparation of activities, assemble and distribute materials as needed

• Communication with parents/caregivers (i.e. communication book) is through the direction of teacher and/or department head

• Assist and encourage independence in the area of self-help skills for toiletting, personal hygiene, feeding and dressing skills

• Assist with arrival or departure of students by bus/taxi and promote safety awareness

• Administer medication as per Board policy 207 and administer first aid, when necessary, to special needs students

• Support student in accordance with the individual student’s disability accommodation plan

• Accompany and provide support and guidance to students on field trip/excursions/community outings and in community work placements