Summary of Site Changes   

Select this survey to rate the Sevier County Special Education Website.

1. ParaEducator Praxis testing dates, cutoff scores by state, and other information from the Educational Testing Service
2. ParaPro Assessment Download Library, testing bulletin, registration, and good topic area practice from ETS
3. ParaEducator Praxis Tutorial, good topic area practice for this and a bunch of other tests
4. ParaEducator Praxis Tutorial from the Educational Testing Service
5. ParaEducator Survey for Praxis Training Sessions as a PDF file and as an MS Word document
6. Paraeducator Handbook for Sedgwick County (Kansas), a lot of limited use admin stuff, but the responsibilities section and the intro to various disabilities are well worth reading
7. Guidelines for Determining the Need for Paraprofessional Support, for use during Sevier County IEP meetings
8. Paraeducator Workbook, useful groundwork for smart ways to involve paraeducators in the classroom and school system
9. Online Paraeducator Training from the University of Kentucky
10. Education Service Center's Special Populations Link, good study/general knowledge source
11. Utah's Paraeducator Consortium, a wide range of information and support to classroom assistants and student attendants
12. National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals, site started in 2002
13. National Clearinghouse for Paraeducator Resources, a thorough, inclusive collection of resources
14. Paraeducator (Teaching Assistant) Training Materials from the University of Nebraska
15. Effective Paraeducator Resource Manual from North Dakota's Department of Public Instruction
16. Working Together for Successful Paraeducator Services, a 35-page PDF from the U.S. Department of Education's Northwest Regional Laboratory
17. Guidelines for Paraeducator Education, policy paper from the Northwest Regional Lab on designing training for TAs
18. Roles for Paraprofessionals in Effective Schools, a 1997 publication from the U.S. Department of Education
19. ParaEducator Handbook for Sevier County (2008-2009).  The same booklet as a PDF file.
20. Paraeducator Job Description, for an Attendant
21. Paraeducator Job Description, for an Inclusion Classroom Assistant
22. Paraeducator Job Description, for a Speech/Language Assistant
23. Paraeducator Job Description, for an Assistant in a CDC or SDC
24. Paraeducator Job Description, for a Sign Language Student Interpreter
25. Annual Paraeducator Evaluation, in a narrative, descriptive format
26. Annual Paraeducator Evaluation, in checklist format
27. Semiannual Paraeducator Evaluation, as compiled by Dr. Sandy Enloe, should be done one-to-one with the supervising classroom teacher at least once each semester.  Forward to Dr. Jeff Romanczuk once completed.  The same evaluation as a PDF file.

Positions in Sevier County

1. Certified Special Education Teachers (Tennessee endorsement 105, 460, 461, or 465) for various settings (self-contained, resource, and inclusion)
2. Speech/Language Pathologists (Tennessee endorsement 068, 464, or 498)
   
3. Certified, Noncertified, and Substitute Teacher Applications are available in MS Word under the "Documents" link at this Sevier County page
4. Noncertified Positions (Paraeducators and bus drivers).
Please contact the Sevier County School Board at (865) 453-4671 for more information. Click here for an Application for Employment with the Sevier County School System (for teaching assistants or others requesting work that does not require certification). Or select this one, Application for Teaching Employment with the Sevier County School System, for those requesting teaching or other certified positions. If you have matching certification from another state, contact the Tennessee Department of Education in Nashville (615) 532-4880 about getting an out of state certification for Tennessee.

Professional Development Resources and Training Opportunities

1. Calendar of Training Offered After School Hours in Sevier County During SY 07-08, all paraeducators, teachers, administrators, and parents welcome. Presenters or dates may change; watch for individual announcements prior to each inservice. The same file in PDF format.
2. DIBELS Training Done in March 2008 by Sevier County's School Psychologists. Here's is a link to the slides for this presentation.
3. Transition/Post-High School Considerations, after school inservice session given by Melinda Dunlap, Jeanne Tredup,l Linda Tilson, and Randy Corrado on November 1, 2007
4. Transition/Post-High School Considerations, PowerPoint slides from the after school inservice session given by Melinda Dunlap (Consulting Teacher at Pigeon Forge High School) on November 1, 2007
5. Becoming Involved in Your Child's Education and School, after school inservice session given by Kendra Davis (of Sevierville Middle School) on May 8, 2007
6. Recent Changes in IDEA and NCLB, after school inservice session given by Jeff Romanczuk (of Sevier County Special Education) on May 8, 2007
7. Modifying Assignments and Tests for Inclusive Teaching, after school inservice session given by Janet Epley and Lara Carr (Pigeon Forge Middle); Debbie Smolnycki and Jennifer Jeffers (Sevierville Primary) on March 12, 2007
8. Strategies for Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders, after school inservice session given by Sandi Estes (Resource teacher at Jones Cove) and Brian Sims (Behavior teacher at Seymour Intermediate) on November 2, 2006
9. Calendar of Training Offered by LRE for LIFE During SY 06-07, Special Ed and Reading Ed training, most sessions in Knoxville, Tennessee.
10. TCI training PowerPoint Presentation.  Be sure to check the "Notes Pages" view for Jeff Moore's accompanying notes.
11. Calendar of TCI trainings offered by the SpEd Department Aug-Sep 2008
12. Mentoring Teacher's Handbook, a 90-page manual from Massachusetts
13. Calendar of Professional Development Workshops, many available online this school year
14. Research Notes on Various Education Topics from the San Diego County Office of Education
15. Tennessee School Boards Association, TBSA's website
16. Identifying and Implementing Educational Practices Supported by Rigorous Evidence, 19-page PDF file from the U.S. Department of Education
17. TeacherWeb.com, a place on the Web for you to easily set up your own classroom site; great info sharing for students and their parents
18. Internet Education Exchange, for parents and teachers
19. Fulbright Teacher and Administrator Foreign Exchange Program, with application and information for the next school year
20. 4Teachers, special education and professional development links
21. Henderson Training Series for Educators: Useful Links, from Vanderbilt's JFK Center
22. U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, highlights the House of Representatives' committee that works education issues
23. Resources and Advice for New Teachers from the LA County Office of Education
24. Survival Guide, the U.S. Department of Education's tips for first year teachers
25. Educational and Curricular Resources from Georgia's Teacher's Resource Center
26. Paideiaschool Library, a nice mix of professional development and lesson planning links
27. Teachers' Closet, topical articles and good materials, though the pop ups can get annoying
28. Professional Development from the LA County Office of Education
29. Council of Administrators of Special Education. CASE is a division of the Council for Exceptional Children.
30. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, some useful links even for non-ASCD members
31. Elementary and Secondary Education Act Reauthorization for 2002, aka, "No Child Left Behind"
32. Title II Guidance, the "Improving Teacher Quality" State Grants guidelines
33. Rethinking Special Education for the 21st Century, the Fordham Foundation's view prior to the next IDEA reauthorization
34. National Forum in Special Education, a peer-reviewed electronic journal
35. National Education Association, with links to education information and resources
36. Council for Basic Education, some good Reading and Science teaching information
37. Collaboration and Cooperation, in teaching learning-disabled children
38. Teachers Collaborating, general view, with some Special Education emphasis
39. Teacher's Planet.com's professional development link
40. World Education News, from the Australia-based International Confederation of Principals
41. TERC, research into science and math education
42. 20 Suggestions for a Teacher and Paraeducator to Work More Effectively Together, from LD Online
43. Conflict Resolution, teacher behavior from an inservice by Sevier County's Special Education Director
44. Map to link to the many U.S. Department of Education Regional Laboratories
45. Professional Development for Teachers, courtesy of Eisenhower National Clearinghouse
46. APA Style Sheets Online, from Northern Michigan University's Library
47. Bloom's Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, good detail on the domains of learning
48. National Center on Educational Outcomes' online publications site
49. International Reading Association, including Reading Research Quarterly online
50. Best Practices and Specialty Areas of several North Carolina teachers
51. Brain Research, Standards-based Education, and Good Instruction, Maryland's guide to good practice
52. ERIC Clearinghouse for Education Management
53. Set of Professional Journals for Teachers, courtesy of AT&T
54. Full text of many education journals online and it's thorough, too!
55. Education Week, online version of "American education's newspaper of record"
56. Pro-Ed Journals, a good site to find education sources produced by the Austin, Texas publisher
57. Journal of Special Education Technology, online version from CEC's Technology and Media Division
58. National (U.S.) Education Association's Professional Books; this is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act link
59. U.S. Department of Education Grant Applications in Reading, Math, Vocational Rehabilitation, etc.
60. Searching the Internet, tips from Berkeley's Teaching Library
61. Teachers' Rights and Responsibilities for educating students with disabilities in general education environments
62. Education Listserves, good group of Internet lists, archives, and directories
63. List of Disability Newsgroups, a thorough collection of online mailing lists
64. School Catalogs, the site to start from, well sorted by subject and age groups
65. Forms for IEP development, career tracking, parent contact, etc.

Tennessee Special Education Links

1. Educators, the State's main link for teachers' professional information and resources
2. Special Education, the State's main link for Special Education information
3. Curriculum Frameworks, the State's curriculum outline
4. Professional Growth, the framework for evaluation of teachers
5. Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System, forms, benefits, and information for state employees
6. Course Codes and Endorsement Codes, for the 2000/2001 school year
7. Praxis Score Requirements for Tennessee
8. Search for Other Ten-Nash People when you know only their name or work place
9. Assess Your Ten-Nash Account from Any Browser; check your e-mail from anywhere

1. Application for Employment with the Sevier County School System, for teaching assistants or others requesting work that does not require certification
2. Application for Teaching Employment with the Sevier County School System, for those requesting teaching or other certified positions
3. County Contract Supplement Form, for employees to be paid from Sliver Grant funds
4. Flexible Inservice Credits, for professional staff to document the 6 (or more) hours of Inservice time required each year. The same form as an Acrobat PDF file.
5. Claim for Traveling Expenses, for covered employees to be reimbursed for driving their own vehicles on official business
6. Dental Direct Reimbursement Claim Form, for covered employees to receive back part of their payments for covered dental work
7. Bus Conduct Report, the driver's form for reporting student behavior and corrective action taken
8. Bus Maintenance/Completion Reporting Form, Sevier County Schools Form 620, for the driver to indicate a problem and the garage staff to report how they fixed the vehicle