Practicum Orientation: Roles, Ethics, and Site Protocols

What a Paraprofessional Is — and Is Not

A paraprofessional (also called a teacher aide, paraeducator, or instructional assistant) works under the direct supervision of a licensed lead teacher. Your role is to support instruction, not to direct it. The lead teacher plans lessons, assigns grades, makes instructional decisions, and holds legal responsibility for the classroom. You carry out tasks the teacher delegates — such as working with small groups, assisting individual students, preparing materials, and monitoring behavior — within the boundaries the teacher sets.

This distinction is not a formality. Federal and state law, your district's employment policies, and your state paraprofessional certificate all define what you may and may not do. Exceeding your scope of practice — for example, making independent disciplinary decisions or modifying a student's Individualized Education Program (IEP) without teacher direction — can put students at risk, expose the district to liability, and jeopardize your credential.

Scope of Practice: Where the Lines Are

A useful way to understand your scope is to separate tasks into two columns:

Lead teacher's sole responsibility (never delegated to a paraprofessional):

1. Designing and modifying instructional plans

2. Writing, reviewing, or signing IEP documents

3. Assigning or changing grades

4. Making formal disciplinary determinations (suspension, referral for evaluation)

5. Communicating with parents about a student's academic progress or eligibility decisions

Tasks paraprofessionals routinely support:

• Delivering pre-planned instructional activities to small groups
• Reading directions aloud or scribing student responses as specified in an IEP
• Supervising students during non-instructional time (lunch, transitions)
• Collecting data on student behavior or skills using teacher-designed tools
• Preparing classroom materials and equipment

If you are ever uncertain whether a task is within your scope, stop and ask the supervising teacher before proceeding.

FERPA and Student Confidentiality

The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) is the federal law that protects the privacy of student education records. As a paraprofessional, FERPA applies to you every day.

Key FERPA rules to internalize:

• Student records — grades, IEPs, behavior reports, health information — may not be shared with anyone who does not have a legitimate educational need to know.
• You may not discuss a student's performance, disability, or personal situation with other parents, community members, or even other school staff who are not part of that student's educational team.
• Conversations about students must happen in private settings, not in hallways, parking lots, or on personal social media.

Violating FERPA is not a minor infraction. Breaches can result in loss of federal funding for the district and disciplinary action against the employee.

Mandatory Reporting

Every U.S. state designates school employees — including paraprofessionals — as mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect. This is a legal obligation, not an option.

If a student discloses abuse, shows physical signs of harm, or you have reasonable suspicion that a child is being neglected or abused, you are required by law to report it to the appropriate authority (typically child protective services or your school's designated administrator) promptly. You do not need proof. Reasonable suspicion is enough to trigger your duty to report.

Do not investigate on your own, promise a student confidentiality about abuse disclosures, or wait to see whether the situation resolves. Document what you observed or heard using the student's exact words and report it through your site's established protocol immediately.

Professional Ethics and Conduct

Beyond legal requirements, paraprofessionals are expected to maintain professional boundaries and ethical conduct at all times:

• Impartiality: Treat all students fairly and without favoritism or bias.
• Professional relationships: Maintain appropriate boundaries. Do not share personal contact information with students or families or connect with students on personal social media.
• Confidentiality beyond FERPA: Even information not covered by FERPA (such as casual observations about a student's family situation) should be treated with discretion.
• Conflict of interest: If a personal relationship with a student or family could affect your objectivity, disclose it to your supervisor.

Site Emergency Protocols

Before your first day in any placement, you must know the host site's emergency action plan. Three scenarios you are expected to handle correctly:

Fire: Know the primary and secondary evacuation routes. Take your class roster. Lead or assist students to the designated outdoor assembly area. Account for all students and report to the lead teacher or principal.

Lockdown: Follow the lead teacher's direction. Help secure the door, move students away from windows and doors, maintain silence, and do not open the door until the all-clear is given through official channels.

Medical emergency: Call or signal for help immediately — do not leave a student alone in a crisis if you can send another adult. If you hold a current CPR/First Aid credential, provide care within your training until emergency medical personnel arrive. Know the location of the first-aid kit and the AED on your site.

Your practicum agreement requires you to complete a walkthrough of the site emergency plan before working independently with students. This is a safety requirement, not optional.

Your Practicum Agreement

The practicum agreement you will sign is a formal document. By signing it, you confirm that you understand confidentiality requirements, professional conduct standards, mandatory reporting duties, and your scope of practice. Read every section carefully before signing. Ask your college supervisor or site mentor to clarify anything that is unclear. Signing without reading is not acceptable professional practice.