It was a typical Wednesday morning at Maplewood Elementary, and paraprofessional Sara was busy helping in Mrs. Harris’s third-grade classroom. Sara’s role was clear: assist in supporting students with behavioral needs, but today was different. Mrs. Harris had asked her to focus on Daniel, a student who often struggled with staying on task and following classroom routines.
As Sara watched Daniel, she made sure to document every moment accurately—whether it was a small victory when he raised his hand before speaking or a challenge when he interrupted the class. She carefully wrote down the time, the behavior, and the context, knowing that this data would help Mrs. Harris adjust Daniel’s behavior plan if needed. Sara knew it was essential that everything she recorded was factual and unbiased, as this would provide the team with the right information to make decisions about Daniel’s progress.
At lunch, Sara met with Mr. Collins, the school’s behavior specialist. He reminded her of the importance of fidelity in documenting behaviors and following through with interventions exactly as planned. “Remember,” Mr. Collins said, “our goal is to help these students by creating consistency. They need to know what to expect, and we need to ensure every adult is on the same page with the interventions.”
Sara reflected on this conversation throughout the day, recognizing how crucial her role was in the bigger picture of Daniel’s success. Her careful observations and documentation weren’t just part of her job—they were a key piece in helping Daniel move forward.
Reflection Questions:
- After working with Daniel today, how can I make sure I’m accurately documenting every behavior without letting personal feelings influence my notes?
- What steps can I take to communicate more effectively with teachers and specialists to ensure we’re all following the same behavior intervention strategies?
Complete the following pre-assessment to reflect on your perspective on data collection in your role as a paraeducator:
| Yes | No | ??? | |
| I believe data collection is one of my job responsibilities as an educational assistant. | |||
| It is feasible for me to collect data as part of my work? | |||
| I have learned how to collect data and am able to accurately collect this data. | |||
| Receiving ideas and feedback about my data collection would be helpful. |