Technical Reading: Informational Text, IEP Summaries, and Safety Data Sheets

Why Technical Reading Matters for Paraprofessionals

As a paraprofessional, you will read every single day on the job — and the stakes are real. A misread IEP accommodation can mean a student does not receive legally required support. A misread Safety Data Sheet (SDS) can expose you, students, or colleagues to unnecessary risk. The ParaPro Assessment tests your ability to read and understand exactly these kinds of documents. This lesson builds those skills directly.

The Three Types of Reading You Will Encounter

Literary text tells a story or conveys experience. You may encounter short fiction or personal narrative. Your job is to identify theme, character motivation, and tone.

Informational/expository text explains facts, processes, or concepts. Textbook chapters, news articles, and educational policy briefs fall here. Readers must locate main ideas, understand text structure (cause/effect, compare/contrast, problem/solution, sequence), and use context clues for vocabulary.

Functional workplace documents are designed to guide action. IEP summaries, safety data sheets, schedules, and policy handbooks are all functional documents. Reading them requires a different strategy: scan for structure first, then read the section that answers your specific question.

The ParaPro Assessment Reading section tests all three types. Knowing which type you are reading helps you choose the right strategy before you answer a single question.

Reading Strategy: SQRR for Informational Text

A reliable four-step approach for informational and functional documents:

1. Survey — Glance at headings, bold terms, and any numbered sections before reading closely.

2. Question — Ask yourself what you need to find out. For an IEP, the question might be: What specific accommodations does this student require in my classroom?

3. Read — Read the relevant section carefully. Underline or highlight key phrases.

4. Review — Restate the key information in your own words. If you cannot paraphrase it, read again.

This strategy prevents the most common reading error on assessments: rushing past the text and answering from memory or assumption.

Understanding IEP Accommodation Language

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding document prepared by a team that includes the student's family, teachers, and specialists. As a paraprofessional, you will not write IEPs, but you are responsible for carrying out the accommodations listed in them.

When you read an IEP accommodation summary, look for four specific elements:

• The student's present level of performance — often called the PLOP or PLAAFP. This tells you where the student is academically right now.
• Specific accommodations — these are changes to how learning is delivered (extended time, preferential seating, read-aloud). They do not change the grade-level standard.
• Paraprofessional responsibilities — some IEPs name the paraprofessional directly and list tasks such as re-reading test questions aloud, scribing student responses, or providing physical prompts.
• Assistive technology — devices or software the student is entitled to use, such as text-to-speech programs or AAC devices.

Confidentiality note: IEP documents contain protected student information under FERPA. You may not share their contents with other students, parents of other students, or staff who do not work directly with that student. In small-group activities in this class, all student names and identifying details are removed or replaced with fictional information.

Reading a Safety Data Sheet (SDS)

OSHA requires that every hazardous chemical used in a workplace have a Safety Data Sheet available in a standardized 16-section format. Even common school cleaning products have an SDS, and you may be the person a student or new colleague asks for safety information.

For most classroom situations, you need to be fluent in the first four sections:

• Section 1 — Identification: Product name, manufacturer contact, and intended use.
• Section 2 — Hazard Identification: Signal words (Danger or Warning), hazard statements, and required pictograms. This section tells you how serious the risk is.
• Section 3 — Composition/Ingredients: The chemical components, which matters if a student or staff member has a known allergy or sensitivity.
• Section 4 — First-Aid Measures: What to do immediately if someone is exposed by skin contact, eye contact, inhalation, or ingestion.

Safety priority: If a spill or exposure occurs, consult the SDS and follow your school's emergency procedures simultaneously. For any eye or skin exposure, begin flushing with water immediately — do not wait to finish reading the SDS. Call for help using your school's protocol. Document the incident afterward.

When you summarize an SDS for a student worker or a colleague unfamiliar with chemical safety, convert the technical language into plain English. For example, instead of writing "may cause reversible corneal damage," write "can irritate eyes; rinse immediately with water for at least 15 minutes and tell an adult."

Main Idea vs. Supporting Detail

A consistent challenge on the ParaPro Assessment is distinguishing the main idea of a passage from a supporting detail. The main idea is the central point the whole passage makes. A supporting detail is one piece of evidence or example that backs up that point.

Test yourself with this check: Could the passage still make its main point if this sentence were removed? If yes, it is probably a supporting detail. If the passage would collapse without it, it is likely the main idea or a major claim.

Vocabulary in Context

When a question asks what a word means as used in the passage, always return to the sentence and read one sentence before and after it. Do not rely on a definition you already know — the word may be used in an unusual way. Substitute each answer choice into the sentence and choose the one that preserves the meaning of the surrounding text.