Announcements

IVCC's Paraprofessional Certificate/Degree
The IVCC Paraprofessional program has been developed to meet the needs of Paraprofessionals (teacher aides) as a result of No Child Left Behind. Courses are currently available to complete the Paraprofessional Certificate or Degree. Contact an IVCC counselor and make your appointment today at 224-0360.

The Paraprofessional Certificate is currently available at IVCC and approved by the state of Illinois.

Paraprofessional Testing Options
IVCC and the ROE previously offered the ACT Workkeys Paraprofessional Training and Certification Workshops. Currently they are no longer available. Another options is being considered at this time and more information will be provided once it is available. Questions can be directed to the ROE 815-434-0780.

Preparation for the Testing:
To prepare for the Paraprofessional exams (ACT Workkeys or the ETS Paraprofessional), one could navigate the ACT and/or the ETS website. Another source for a math review is www.purplemath.com.

In addition, there is a Paraprofeesional Preparation Workshop manual on reserve in the IVCC Jacob's Library. This manual contains refresher information on Math, English, Reading, Test taking skills, and Test anxiety. The material is also on a CD and is available to anyone who has an IVCC.I.D. to check out for one week. If you do not have a student I.D. from IVCC, you can review the book on campus.

May 2004 News Release: IVCC offers Paraprofessional Certificate and Workshop
IVCC is proud to announce the newly designed Paraprofessional (teacher aide) Certificate, which is now available and approved by the state. Courses are currently available and registration for Summer and Fall 2004 has begun. Development of the Paraprofessional Certificate began about 2 years ago when policies were made in regard to No Child Left Behind Act. As stated through this legislation, any paraprofessional in a Title I program hired after the effective date of January 8, 2002 shall have completed at least two years of study at an institution of higher education; obtained an associates (or higher) degree; or met a rigorous standard of quality and can demonstrate through a formal state or local academic assessment. Paraprofessionals will have 4 years (January 2006) to fulfill these requirements. Further information and updated information regarding No Child Left Behind can be found at www.ed.gov/legislation/ESEA02/pg2.html. As part of this process, an advisory team was developed at IVCC and met periodically to assess the educational needs of our local school districts.
The Paraprofessional Education program at IVCC has been developed to assist those who are interested in working in the field of education as a paraprofessional (teacher aide). The program is designed to assist Paraprofessionals to function optimally in the classroom. The curriculum has been designed to focus on eight key areas:

*Reading, writing, mathematical computation/reasoning
*Critical/creative thinking and decision making/problem solving skills
*Communication skills
*Child Growth and Development
*Technology
*Cultural Diversity
*Team dynamics
*Educational strategies/laws/policies/procedures

Another option would be for Paraprofessionals to complete an exam. The LaSalle Regional Office of Education and IVCC have paired up to offer the ACT Work Keys exam. At this time, the ETS Paraprofessional Exam and the ACT Work Key exams are two exams that Paraprofessionals can take and will need to successfully complete to meet state and federal guidelines along with 30 college credit hours.   The ACT Work Keys has been offered at IVCC on three occasions throughout this year. 110 Paraprofessionals have completed the workshop and the exam with a 100% pass rate. The next offering of the Paraprofessional Workshop and the ACT Work Keys exam will be February 2005.
If anyone is interested in taking the ACT Work Keys exam, the LaSalle Regional Office of Education will be bringing a refresher day and exam to IVCC in October. You can contact the R.O.E. at 434-0780 to register.                To prepare for these exams, one could navigate the web sites for ACT and ETS, and another option is available at IVCC. Anyone interested in further preparing for either of the exams can receive a Math, English and Reading refresher by taking part in a pilot program that is grant funded called, Skills Tutor. This is a free service available on the Internet available through IVCC. If you are interested you can request this service by contacting Theresa Carranco, English, Math, and Education secretary at 224-0233. Please have your name and last four digits of your social security number available to secure registration. Another source for a math review is www.purplemath.com.
               In addition, there is a Paraprofessional Preparation Workshop book on reserve in the Jacob’s Library at IVCC. The book contains refresher information on Math, English, Reading, Test taking skills and Test anxiety. It is available to anyone who has an IVCC I.D to check out the resource book for one week at a time. If you do not have a student ID from IVCC you can review the book on campus but you would not be able to check it out.

Further information on the IVCC Paraprofessional certificate, course schedule, teacher resources, education guide sheets, contact information, transfer information and other educational resources can be found on the IVCC Educators Academy web page at www.ivcc.edu/educatorsacademy or by calling the Education Program Coordinator, Jill Urban Bollis at 224-0429. In addition, the complete IVCC summer and fall course schedule can be found on-line at www.ivcc.edu.

Any questions can be directed to:
Jill Uban-Bollis
(815) 224-0429
Jill_UrbanBollis@ivcc.edu