District Training Options

The Paraeducator Training Center offers three options to meet school district training needs, including on-site training, training-the-trainer, and evaluation of district developed training programs.

Option 1 – On-Site Training: The PTC will develop and deliver onsite (at the local district) paraeducator training in systematic and comprehensive one-credit workshops. Students taking the workshop will choose whether to take the training for credit or not. In many instances, the trainings are considered to be one-credit of a three-credit class offered in a degree-granting curriculum which the paraeducator can take advantage of if they ever decide to become a degree-seeking student. This seamless articulation and inclusion of workshop credits will allow paraeducators to benefit from the career lattice professional development framework that the PTC offers.

Option 2 – Train the Trainer: The College of Southern Idaho’s PTC Train the Trainer Model is offered by a collaborative grant between the Idaho State Department of Education and the Para2 Center at the University of Colorado, utilizing their CO-TOP model.

Districts identify a person(s) who will be trained by the PTC in order to conduct credit courses. Potential trainers are required to complete four days of training. Day one and two cover Paraprofessional Supervision Academy (PSA). Day three and four covers Training of Paraprofessional Academy (TOPA).

Upon completion of training, the district will be provided with CO-TOP curriculum or academies to be used by qualified trainers.

Link to the List of Idaho's Current Qualified Trainers

The PTC can also provide a trainer to the district if this is a preferred option.

This Train the Trainer option is ideal for those districts that wish to provide their own paraprofessional training on site. If this is an option you are considering, contact the PTC at 208-732-6874 or toll free at 800-680-0274, ext 6874.

The PSA Training (Paraprofessional Supervision Academy) is scheduled for April 11-12, 2006.
The TOPA Training (Training of Paraprofessionals Academy) is scheduled for April 24-25, 2006.

Please fill out the following training registration forms to reserve a place for your district today. (Each participant will need to fill out the following forms.)

• PSA Training Registration Form
• TOPA Training Registration Form

Option 3 – District Credit : If a district is already offering a district-developed training program, the PTC will evaluate its content and then attach credit where appropriate. This option is provided to give paraeducators the opportunity to obtain credit towards the “No Child Left Behind” training requirement.