Education support professionals are critical members of the K-12 and higher-ed public school workforce. They are responsible for keeping students safe and cultivating a positive school climate that makes learning possible.
With the CHC40221 Certificate IV in School Based Education Support, you can prepare yourself for this exciting role that is transforming the educational landscape. Read on to learn more about the responsibilities and duties of this vital position.
Academic Support
Academic support is an educational strategy that can be used to help students overcome learning difficulties. This may be in the form of tutoring sessions, summer learning programs, and other academic interventions. This can be provided to individual students, specific student populations (such as non-English speakers or disabled students) or to all students in a school. Academic support may also be offered to address specific issues or trends, such as course failure rates or dropout statistics.
Research has shown that seeking academic support increases student performance. This is due to the fact that students who seek academic assistance tend to be more confident in their ability to succeed. Additionally, perceived teacher support has a strong positive correlation to academic achievement. This relationship is mediated by both student self-efficacy and engagement. Moreover, effective university support systems can play an important role in enhancing students’ performance. This is because they are typically based on student-centered and collaborative models.
Counseling
Students can experience a variety of personal issues that impact their mental health, including depression and anxiety. Counselors can help them manage their stress levels by offering advice and providing therapeutic support.
In addition, counselors help students develop helpful habits and skills that can benefit them throughout their academic career. For example, they may encourage students to stay organized and prioritize studying.
Finally, counselors work closely with administrators and teachers to evaluate school curriculums. They also collaborate with community professionals to provide additional guidance on relevant topics.
Become the mentor students need to thrive in and out of school. Led by world-class faculty, William & Mary’s online M.Ed. in Counseling with a concentration in School Counseling program prepares you to help students navigate early-life decisions and become resilient. Learn more today!
Special Needs Support
Special needs support helps students whose education is compromised by a physical, cognitive or behavioral condition. These conditions can include ADD/ADHD, allergies, arthritis, asthma, cerebral palsy, diabetes, depression, Down syndrome, epilepsy/seizure disorder, hearing problem, heart problem, learning disability, vision problem or other mental health issue.
Many of these students require special educational assistance, known as SEN (or aided education or alternative provision in England). The process begins with an assessment that determines whether or not the child qualifies for a specially tailored curriculum.
For some students, a special needs assessment can lead to an individualized family service plan or IEP. This outlines the student’s present achievement levels and plots out reachable goals. It can also detail accommodations and modifications, like different teaching approaches and a more flexible learning environment. Some students may benefit from a partial withdrawal or “pull-out” class that is more self-contained. This type of school provides extra help for specific subjects, and might be run by a separate staff member.
Student Referrals
When a student’s challenges are beyond your academic scope, you need to be able to quickly identify the right resources for them. This requires that you remain attentive to students, and that you be able to listen for clues that they may need an outside resource.
For example, a student who is struggling in class could be having trouble sleeping or experiencing family problems, and these are concerns that should be reported to the appropriate staff member.
The Referral Phase serves as the link between recognizing that students need more support and them being connected to it. It is important to document the details of each incident to help develop a more holistic picture of the students’ needs and to understand the patterns that emerge. This data is then used to design a tailored support pathway. This can be either Tier 2 or Tier 3 support depending on the situation. This process can take time, but it is often worth the effort once the students see improvement in their performance and skills.