Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 12, March 23, 2024
(a)
Appropriate certification required. Persons who provide
special education or related services to children with disabilities in charter
schools and cyber charter schools shall have appropriate certification,
notwithstanding section 1724-A of the act (24 P. S. §
17-1724-A).
(b)
Educational
interpreters. An educational interpreter is an individual who provides
students who are deaf or hard of hearing with interpreting or transliterating
services in an educational setting. To serve as an educational interpreter at a
charter school or cyber charter school, consistent with the Sign Language
Interpreter/Transliterator State Registration Act (63 P. S. §§
1725.1-1725.12), an individual shall meet the
qualifications in paragraph (1) or (2) and paragraph (3):
(1) Achieve and provide evidence of a score
of 3.5 on the Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment (EIPA) for the
appropriate grade level to which the person has been assigned.
(2) Be a qualified sign language interpreter
or qualified transliterator under the Sign Language Interpreter or
Transliterator State Registration Act and its implementing
regulations.
(3) Provide evidence
of a minimum of 20 hours of staff development activities relating to
interpreting or transliterating services annually.
(c)
Review of EIPA score.
The Department, in consultation with the State Board of Education will review
the EIPA score requirement every 2 years.
(d)
Paraprofessionals.
(1) An instructional paraprofessional is a
charter school or cyber charter school employee who works under the direction
of a certificated staff member to support and assist in providing instructional
programs and services to students with disabilities. This support and
assistance includes one-on-one or group review of material taught by
certificated staff, classroom management and implementation of positive
behavior support plans. Services may be provided in a special education class,
regular education class or other instructional setting as provided in the
student's IEP. Special education instructional paraprofessionals shall meet one
of the following qualifications effective July 1, 2010:
(i) Have completed at least 2 years of
postsecondary study.
(ii) Possess
an associate degree or higher.
(iii) Meet a rigorous standard of quality as
demonstrated through a State or local assessment.
(2) Nothing in subsection (a) should be
construed to supersede the terms of a collective bargaining agreement in effect
on July 1, 2008.
(3) Each school
year, instructional paraprofessionals shall provide evidence of 20 hours of
staff development activities related to their assignment.
(4) A personal care assistant provides
one-to-one support and assistance to a student, including support and
assistance in the use of medical equipment (for example, augmentative
communication devices; activities of daily living; and monitoring health and
behavior). A personal care assistant may provide support to more than one
student, but not at the same time. Personal care assistants shall provide
evidence of 20 hours of staff development activities related to their
assignment each school year. The 20 hours of training may include training
required by the school-based access program.
The provisions of this §
711.5 amended under sections
1732-A(c)(2) and 1749-A(b)(8) of the Charter School Law (24 P. S.
17-1732-A(c)(2) and
17-1749-A(b)(8).
This section cited in 34 Pa. Code §
501.5 (relating to
exemptions).
