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What does CO-TOP mean?
The word CO-TOP is an acronym that stands for Comprehensive Training Opportunities for Paraeducators – a mouthful! The CO-TOP Manual provides a detailed description of CO-TOP, the curriculum and the model.
What are the goals of CO-TOP?
- Initial preparation for paraeducators
- Collaborate with districts, higher education, and state agencies to seek solutions for paraeducator employment, career development, and training issues
- Build local capacity to supervise and train inservice paraeducators
- Facilitate paraeducator career pathways into professions in education
How does CO-TOP work?
CO-TOP is a Training of Trainers Model whereby:
- Districts nominate who they want as
trainers
- Trainers are prepared to deliver training through two
courses:
- The trainers use CO-TOP
Curriculum – that
consists of 21
Academies
- The CO-TOP Curriculum is based on relevance to paraeducator
positions
- Considerate of legitimate roles of paraeducators – teacher
- Comprehensive – appropriate depth of content
- Core content – consistent with various approaches
- High quality
- Accountability – it does what it says it will
do!
How was CO-TOP developed?
The CO-TOP Model originally grew out of a research project that was published in 1991 by French & Cabell. That
study indicated that districts wanted training for paraeducators
but only under certain conditions. They wanted paraeducator
training only if it was:
- delivered in-district
- delivered by district staff
- practical, relevant, timely
- at low cost
- under full control of the district
CO-TOP was developed to address all these wishes. It is a training of trainers model because districts wanted in-house trainers, and they wanted to deliver training in-district because they had little confidence that paraeducators would travel to colleges at some distance from home. They were worried that training developed in colleges would reflect too much theory and history of the field instead of practical how-to topics more relevant to the jobs of paraeducators. They wanted to minimize the cost and have full control of what training was delivered, how often and how much training was delivered, and who took the training. CO-TOP fills the bill.
History of CO-TOP Development
- 1994-1997 reviewed literature, developed, piloted-tested
7 academies
- Examined field test data
- 1997-1998 Rewrote and revised every academy - pilot
tested
- 1997-1999 Developed, pilot tested 3 more academies
- 1999-2000 Developed, piloted 3 courses on ESL
- 2002-2005 Developed literacy / math academies – expert
focus groups
- Pilot tested, revised and published academies
CO-TOP classes for paraeducators and for training of new trainers are offered in Colorado as needed to fulfill certain funded project requirements and upon specific request by school districts.
Outside Colorado, districts who are interested in adopting the CO-TOP Model may contact Paraeducator Training Resources, Inc. (PTR) for more information.
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