GOAL 4: CREATE A POSITIVE WORK ENVIRONMENT IN A SELF-RENEWING ORGANIZATION
MILESTONE 2: Systems are in place to recruit, support, and retain highly qualified and diverse professional and support personnel.
DATA POINT: Paraeducators in Title I Schools Who Are Qualified
OVERVIEW
In accordance with the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) legislation, MCPS ensured that all paraeducators employed in Title I schools met the requirements to be designated “highly qualified” by June 30, 2006.
In order for paraeducators to be designated as “highly qualified,” MSDE provides the following three options— pass the PRAXIS Para-Pro Assessment with a score of 455 or greater, have 48 college credits, or hold a two-year degree.
During the 2006–2007 school year, paraeducators in Title I schools who were not designated “highly qualified” were encouraged to either earn 48 college credits or pass the PRAXIS Para-Pro Assessment with a score of 455 or greater. The Division of Academic Support, Federal and State Programs, in collaboration with the Office of Organizational Development, offered a course that prepared paraeducators in Title I schools for the Para-Pro Assessment. Paraeducators who were not designated “highly qualified” by June 30, 2006, were involuntarily transferred to non-Title I schools.
During the 2006–2007 school year, there were 195 paraeducators in 20 Title I schools. Of those, 100 percent met NCLB requirements.