Graduation Date
6-2016
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science
Department or Program
Education
Department or Program Chair
Elizabeth Truesdell PhD
First Reader
Suresh Appavoo, EdD
Second Reader
Colleen Arnold, MS
Abstract
This research study involved training paraprofessionals in one special education classroom to implement student IEP in a variety of different settings. Three paraprofessionals participated in this training and with the assistance of the researcher, they determined if the current program at the school site was effective, what some of the reasons were for students not achieving a higher rate of IEP goal success, and if the implementation of a new pilot program helped students become more successful in achieving their IEP goals and benchmarks during a nine-week research period. Through research conducted on the history of paraprofessionals in classrooms and other successful training programs for paraprofessionals, the researcher used model-based and step-by-step training techniques to train and observe the paraprofessionals during the nine-week period. The three participating paraprofessionals were able to successfully implement the new program, which showed through data collection and analysis, and student assessment and observation to be a successful alternative to the current program being used at the school.
Included in
Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons, Special Education and Teaching Commons