West Hills College Coalinga

Program Assistant - Learning Assistance
Disabled Services Program & Services (DSPS)

Range 37

Hiring Range: $34,649 - $36,759

Full Range: $34,649 - $43,892

- Schedule -
40 hours per week/ 12 months per year
Monday - Friday

8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Summary:
Provides tutorial and technical assistance to students with learning disabilities, special, and/or remedial learning need, either in a classroom or similar laboratory setting, and who are involved in all levels of course work offered by the College.

Distinguished Characteristics:
The Program Assistant supports instruction in classroom, scheduled classroom labs, and walk-in learning labs.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

Learning Disability Assessment Testing
Facilitates post-testing exercises designed to improve student visual-perceptual (visual memory, speed, and accuracy), cognitive memory, auditory discrimination skills.

Tutoring and Laboratory Support

Tutors and instructs students in small group and individual settings within a laboratory environment to develop and increase skills in auditory discrimination, advanced spelling, decoding and multi-sensory learning strategies, and programs to enhance visual memory, speed, and accuracy, and cognitive memory skills.

Orients students to the Center’s programs and services, providing materials and technical assistance, and assisting with exercises. Instructs students in laboratory procedures, and the purposes and uses of materials,
including computer-aided instructional applications.

Learning Disabled Student Accommodations

Provides reasonable accommodations for learning disabled students.

Provides information to instructors about the determined needs and rights of students with learning disabilities and available test-taking facilitation services.

Proctors and reinforces instructor’s directions for examinations. Ensures security of test materials and documents. Logs students in and out for testing. Maintain a quiet testing environment and appropriate testing conditions. Maintains active and accessible files for tests, forms, contracts and related documents.

Administrative Support
Compiles and enters into files and computer-aided records, confidential student demographic, testing, medical, and Student Education Plan information. Compiles statistics of accommodations provided disabled students.

Provides information and assistance about services and accommodations provided or facilitated by the Center and
other programs to enhance and expand learning disabled students educational opportunity. Develops and updates printed materials.

Verifies enrollment status and eligibility for assistance in areas such as priority registration, special textbooks, and classroom note-takers. Registers students for laboratories. May assist students with actual registration.

Implements individualized programs for learning disabled students, guided by a student education contract.

Assists in the development of policies and procedures for the Disabled Students Programs & Services department. Participates in the development of learning training programs for students with disabilities.

Serves as an outreach liaison to, and advocate for the interests of learning disabled students. Meets with College staff, students and parents, and secondary schools to introduce and promote the Center.

Performs regular and recurring clerical functions. Prepares routine correspondence and reports that may contain private student information. Ensures that students sign in to the High Technology Center. Records testing attendance.

Serves as a liaison between the student and instructors and tutors. Keeps instructors appraised of student testing progress.

Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position.

Knowledge & Skills:
Requires knowledge of the range of materials that can be used to enhance or supplement learning. Requires knowledge and awareness of learning disabilities/problems with respect to the study of pre-college and college curricula. Requires knowledge of pertinent aspects of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Requires working knowledge of tutorial and instructional techniques. Requires a working knowledge of computer-aided
instructional techniques and general purpose and software applications that enhance learning. Requires knowledge of and skill in using proper English grammar, vocabulary, syntax, spelling and punctuation. Requires sufficient human relation skills to convey technical concepts to others and to facilitate a small group learning process. Requires sufficient math skills to tally sums, ratios, and statistics. Requires a basic knowledge of standard and common office clerical practices.

Abilities:
Requires the ability to carry out all the responsibilities of the job including general instruction support, providing general education tutoring and instruction for adult students of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and skill levels. Requires the ability to assess learning disabilities by administering the adult-norm diagnostic instruments used by the College. Requires the ability to administer pre- and post-testing exercises and feedback. Requires the ability to
tutor/instruct students individually and in small groups. Requires the ability to make informal presentations to small peer groups, for example study groups. Requires the ability to relate positively to students in a teaching/learning environment, develop and maintain productive working relationships, and facilitate learning to students having learning disabilities. Requires the
ability to listen actively and effectively, identify and solve problems, facilitate learning for students, and build student confidence in general learning ability. Requires the ability to supervise students, administer tests, and perform general clerical tasks. Requires the ability to operate computer hardware and utilize software applications that are dedicated to the subject matter.

Physical Abilities:
The incumbent performs work that is largely of a sedentary nature. Requires sufficient ambulatory to move to work stations. Requires sufficient arm, hand, finger dexterity in order to use a personal computer keyboard and other
office equipment, and apply learning exercises. Requires normal hearing and speaking skills to communicate with staff and students in one-on-one and small group settings. Requires visual acuity to read numbers and words and to observe students perform tests and assignments.

Working Conditions:
Work is performed indoors where minimal safety considerations exist. This position may require some evening and weekend work.