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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 and developmental intervention assistants. Paraprofessionals who work with families of infants and toddlers (birth through two years) with disabilities and developmental delays hold the title of Developmental Intervention Assistants (DI Assistants) in Colorado
- Collaborate with districts, community centered boards, higher education, and state agencies to seek solutions for paraeducator employment, career development, and training issues
- Build local capacity to supervise and train in-service paraeducators
- Facilitate paraeducator / DI assistant career pathways into professions in education
How does the CO-TOP model work in K-12 schools?
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 22
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 does the CO-TOP model work in early intervention services?
- CCB's (community centered boards) nominate who they want as
trainers
- Trainers are prepared to deliver training through two
courses:
- The trainers use CO-TOP
DI Assistant Curriculum – that
consists of 15
Academies
- The CO-TOP Curriculum is based on relevance to DI assistant
positions
- Considerate of legitimate roles of DI Assistant - licensed early intervention providers
- 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.
In 2008, t he PAR²A Center adapted the CO-TOP K-12 Model to train DI Assistants, who are paraprofessionals who work with families of infants and toddlers (birth through two years) with disabilities and developmental delays .
History of CO-TOP Curriculum Development
- 1994-2005 - developed, pilot-tested 22 academies for K-12 paraprofessionals
- 2008-2010 - developed 15 academies for DI Assistants. Field testing for these academies is in progress.
CO-TOP classes for paraeducators, DI Assistants 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 and community centered boards.
Outside Colorado, districts who are interested in adopting the CO-TOP Model may contact Ritu.Chopra@ucdenver.edu
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