In a groundbreaking move to address the critical shortage of special education professionals, the Montana Office of Public Instruction has launched a statewide initiative to train and certify working paraprofessionals as Special Education Technicians.
Developed in close cooperation with Dawson Community College, the OPI Special Education Para Pathways Project incentivizes working paraprofessionals to pursue a SPED tech certification by directly paying them to complete online training modules, and by paying tuition for online special education courses at DCC.
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The Special Education Para Pathways Project has attracted paraprofessionals from most Montana counties — indicated here in red — after just three weeks into the program.
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