Relevant, Flexible, and Immediately Applicable: Paraprofessional Training That Fits THEIR Schedule
St. Landry Parish is serious about supporting their paraprofessionals. Located in Opelousas, Louisiana, St. Landry’s Parish serves over 13,000 students across 34 schools. They know their paraprofessionals are essential to their mission to ensure high quality instruction to maximize every student’s potential.
“We consider our paras an extension of our teaching staff.” said Dr. Tammy Lavergne, Special Education Supervisor for the district. “They provide support to our exceptional students on a daily basis.”
The Search for Relevant Para PD
The district had been searching for professional development geared specifically for paras for years, to support their work in the classroom and strengthen their collaboration with their partner teachers and other members of the educator team.
They were thrilled to find the ParaSharp series from 321 Insight. “We liked that administrators on campus can individualize the training and that it can be tailored to the needs of each school.” Dr. Lavergne said. “We also liked that the videos are brief and relevant to what paras encounter every day in their work.”
ParaSharp is a web-based professional learning series consisting of bite-sized videos and resources that matter most to paras, including topics like proactive behavior management, building strong relationships with both students and teachers, and strategies to support and sustain student regulation.
Prioritizing Flexibility for Paras and Administrators
Dr. Lavergne was especially impressed by the flexibility of the learning options, intentionally designed to fit paras’ jam-packed schedule. “ParaSharp allows our paras to participate in the trainings on their own time, which makes it very convenient,” she says. “The videos are quick and relevant, so they can watch them in 3 to 13 minutes and learn actionable skills that can make a huge difference in their roles immediately.”
ParaSharp’s flexibility also appeals to administrators, not just paras. “It also allows the administrators to assign trainings to be viewed during school-based professional development times, or other times as the administration deems necessary.”
Taking a Collaborative Approach for Customized Learning
St. Landry’s decided to take a combined approach to their professional learning plan. In collaboration with the Implementation Team at 321 Insight, Dr. Lavergne and her team crafted a professional development plan that combined facilitated sessions with asynchronous learning, completely customized to fit the needs and availability of her paras. “The plan we developed allows them to participate in the trainings on their own time, which makes it very convenient.”
“We were really excited by the opportunity to work hand-in-hand with the team at St. Landry’s,” says Sue Lyons, Sr. Director of Implementation at 321 Insight. “The plan needed to be effective, flexible, and accessible for their paras and administrators. We worked together to create a custom solution that truly aligns with St. Landry’s goals.”
“It has been a wonderful experience working with the team at 321 Insight, and we look forward to continued collaboration and support” agrees Dr. Lavergne. “This PD gave our paraprofessionals newfound excitement for the essential role they play in the district. They are so grateful, and feel appreciated and valued.“
Empower your paras with job-specific tools for addressing
challenging behavior. Visit www.321insight.com/parasharp for more information on our on-demand, bite-sized PD and training for paraeducators.