DBE Instructional Assistant Handbook

 

2018-2019 

Instructional Assistant 
Handbook 

 
 

 
 
 

 
400 Clinchfield Street Suite 220 

Kingsport, TN 37664 
(423) 378.2185 
dbexcel.k12k.com 
@KCS_DBEXCEL 

 
Mrs. Shanna Hensley, Principal 

 

 

   

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WELCOME! 

 

Welcome to D-B EXCEL and congratulations on your appointment as an instructional assistant! 
We hope that this handbook will be a useful resource as you become acquainted with our 
program and with the complex tasks you will face as an instructional assistant. 

In the spring of 2014, a team of Kingsport City School leaders and administrators met to 
conceptualize an innovative course of action to meet the needs of the 21st century learner. This 
team worked to create a vision that embraced the ideas of virtual and blended learning, 
engaging and relevant digital content, robust instructional technology, powerful data analytics, 
and the importance of teacher/student relationships that would support a learning 
environment that emphasized personalized learning.   

This vision was implemented in the fall of 2014 with the opening of DB-EXCEL (Excellence in a 
Creative Environment for Learning). From its initial stages, the program included an 
intentional focus on professional learning and a continuous process of reflective evaluation. 
These mindsets extend throughout the entire school as a defined focus for both students and 
staff. The fabric of DB-EXCEL is woven with a thread of personalized education experiences for 
all that support student success in college and career. 

You are about to become an important part of the D-B EXCEL program, sharing in the work of 
the team of professionals who teach the students of Kingsport City Schools. Much of our 
students’ educational success depends upon you - your actions, your enthusiasm, your 
professional attitude and your feelings. 

As a member of this team, your role needs to be clearly understood by you and the students. 
When in doubt of your role at DBE, please consult with principal, Mrs. Shanna Hensley. As a 
member of the DBE team- working to promote student growth, educational goals, objectives, 
and guidelines governing the ways teachers work with students apply to you as well. 

We are excited to have you be part of our innovative team and look forward to a great school 
year! 

Sincerely, 

Mrs. Shanna Hensley 

D-B EXCEL Principal 

   

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Instructional Assistant Job Description 

The position of Instructional Assistant was established for the purpose of providing support to 
the D-B EXCEL program within an assigned area with specific responsibility for working with 
individual and/or small groups of students.  

Essential Duties 

● Communicates with teachers and principal for the purpose of assisting in evaluating 
students progress. 

● Instructs students, individually or in small groups, with lesson assignments for the 
purpose of practicing and/or reinforcing learning concepts and assisting students in 
reaching academic goals. 

● Maintains classroom equipment, work area, and manual and electronic files and records 
for the purpose of ensuring student progress; providing a safe learning environment; 
and/or meeting mandated requirements. 

● Monitors students and records daily progress in Google Drive. 
● Performs non-instructional classroom duties such as lunchroom duty as needed and 

other duties as requested by the principal or classroom teacher. 
● Follows all board policies, school system rules and administrative regulations.   
● Maintains confidentiality relative to employee, student, and parent records/information 

and procedures according to legal and system guidelines such as the Employee 
Handbook or Kingsport City Schools Policy Manual.   
● Reports immediately, as required by law, to the appropriate agency(ies) and the 
principal or other persons designated by the school system, incidents of actual or 
suspected child abuse, actual or suspected child sexual abuse.   

○ You will need student information when calling in a report. 
■ Student Name 
■ Student Address 
■ Student Social Security Number 
■ Date of Birth 
■ Age 
■ Ethnicity 

○ https://www.tn.gov/dcs/article/report-child-abuse  
○ 1-877-237-0004 

   

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● Reports immediately, as required by law or school policy, to the appropriate agency(ies) 
and/or the principal or other persons designated by the school system, incidents 
involving unlawful student possession of weapons or drugs or fighting on school 
property.  

● Responds in a prompt and professional manner to inquiries from a variety of sources 
(e.g. teachers, students, parents, administrators, boosters, etc.).   

● Responds to emergency situations and safety concerns as necessary and directs to 
appropriate personnel for resolution. 

Schedules 

Please sign in and out each day through Skyward. Employees are responsible for accurately 
reporting work time in Skyward. After signing in, please report as quickly as possible to your 
assigned assigned, and remember that your daily schedule should be closely followed. 

All employees will have a regular work schedule with starting and stopping times and lunch 
breaks. Schedules are set by the principal at the beginning of the school year and cannot be 
altered without principal approval. Employees are expected to be at their normal work area 
during their scheduled time unless a variation has been approved in advance by the principal. 

Absences 

If you have to be out for any reason, you must call the office at D-B EXCEL (423-378-2185) and 
enter the absence into Skyward. You must call whether a substitute is required or not for your 
absence. When you know that you will be absent, please call as soon as possible. Whenever 
possible please let the secretary and principal know in advance when you will be absent. 

When you go to Skyward to request time off, you need to be sure to change the start and end 
times according to your schedule. When you are putting your absence into Skyward, you will 
need to select to add the secretary (Christi Pierce) in the section (shown below) at the bottom of 
the screen… 

Select additional employees to notify when this request is submitted and approved/denied 

Select Employee(s): 

Please let those you work with know when you have an upcoming planned absence. If possible, 
let us know at least a week in advance. The principal must approve all personal days in advance 
as well. Please email Mrs. Hensley to schedule your personal day.  

   

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If an emergency arises which causes you to be late, please call the office (423-378-2185). 

If a situation arises during the day which necessitates your leaving, be sure to inform all 
teachers concerned as well as the principal before you sign out. Please check the KCS Employee 
Handbook from the district if you have additional questions concerning absences. 

Lunch 

Every instructional assistant has a 30-minute lunch break each day. This is unpaid time, so it 
adds on to the length of your work day. In Skyward, you will need to sign out for lunch and sign 
back in after 30 minutes. You may leave the building for lunch, but please sign out in the office 
when you leave and sign back in upon your return. 

Lunchroom Duty 

Assistants who have been assigned to lunchroom duty must spend this time in direct 
supervision of their students. As you are provided a separate lunch time, cafeteria duty is not to 
be spent eating lunch. Students are expected to follow all lunchroom expectations which 
include cleaning their tables and floor area. You are responsible for making sure they follow the 
rules and carry out all responsibilities. If you know in advance that you are going to be absent, 
please let Mrs. Pierce or Mrs. Hensley know as soon as possible. 

Conduct 

An employee's conduct must be representative of an exemplary role model. The primary 
function of the school system is the education of children and youth. Each employee is expected 
to represent the school, school system and the community in a positive manner. Employee 
conduct, while on or off duty, that is damaging to the reputation of Kingsport City Schools, may 
result in disciplinary action up to and including termination.  

Confidentiality 

Employees with access to confidential student or employee information and records are 
expected to protect the confidentiality of such information and disclose information only to 
appropriate individuals within the system on a need-to know basis. Release of information 
outside the system may be subject to Federal and State laws, rules and regulations. Only 
employees authorized to release information may do so. 

Privacy of students, teachers, and other staff members of utmost importance! Confidentiality 
must be protected at all times. Information as to a student’s grades, behavior, home life, etc. is 
not to be discussed. Should a parent ask you about his or her child, please refer him or her to a 

   

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teacher or administrator. In respecting teachers’ privacy, do not discuss classroom matters 
outside of the classroom. If a problem arises, please try to discuss the matter with the teacher 
concerned. If further help is necessary, let Mrs. Hensley know. This is particularly important 
with the addition of Facebook. Please do not post negative school related comments on 
Facebook. It is never appropriate to post about students. We want to promote a positive image 
of our school at ALL TIMES. We will all have had days and feel frustrated. However, we don’t 
want the world to know about. The trust of our parents and our community is very important. 

Dress Code 

Kingsport City Schools employees are role models for students and are expected to dress 
professionally during the instructional hours. This dress code is required for all employees and 
substitutes. The guidelines are outlined for specific items of clothing in addition to piercings 
and other general requirement. Anything deemed disruptive or distracting to the learning 
environment will not be permitted. Your manner of dress should reflect a professional attitude.  

Technology 

All Kingsport City Schools employees should be aware that business communications may be 
discoverable in litigation. Discoverable communications include, but are not limited to emails, 
voicemails, and text messages. 

It is the responsibility of all employees to assure that the use of any personal communication 
device does not interfere with fulfilling their job responsibilities. Employees are expected to 
follow all laws and reasonable safety precautions while using cell phones during the operation 
of system-owned or personal vehicles when on school related business.Please refrain from 
using your cell phone when working with students.  

Supervision of Students 

Whether in the classroom, lunchroom, restrooms, hallways, or parking lot, the students of DBE 
are expected to behave and follow all school and classroom rules. Like teachers, all assistants 
share the responsibility for making sure all students follow our school rules. When an 
instructional assistant is supervising students, the same discipline management system used by 
the teacher should be followed. Quiet, appropriate behavior is expected of all students in the 
hallways and restrooms so as not to disturb other classrooms. Please remember that students 
should be treated with dignity and respect. They should be corrected when necessary using a 
firm tone of voice. One should always speak to a child as if the whole world is listening. For your 
protection as well as the students’ safety, do not use physical methods as a means of discipline 

   

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and do not physically transport a student. Unless you have been trained in our H​ andle with Care 
procedures you should never ever try to move, hold, or restrain a child. Even then, these 
procedures should be reserved for EMERGENCY situations ONLY. If a situation arises where this 
type of action is necessary, please call Mrs. Hensley. 

Instructional Expectations 

At D-B EXCEL we utilize three different learning management systems (LMS) to 
support our students. Instructional Assistants are responsible for familiarizing 
themselves with the LMS and supporting students through their coursework. IA’s 
will have a login for all LMS so they can monitor student progress and assist 
struggling students. IA’s are expected to monitor students in their area to keep 
them focused but also to work with students individually and/or in small groups to 
assist them in their coursework. 

 

Effective Instructional Assistants  Non-Effective Instructional Assistants 

Arrives to work on time and reports to their  Arrives to work late and reports late to their 

duty area.  duty area. 

Present and engaged.  Sits in their area and is not engaged with 
their students. 

Effectively communicates (via Google Doc or  Does not communicate with teachers 
email) with teachers in a timely manner  regarding their students. 
regarding student concerns. (Examples: 
Student progress, student needing additional 
support, student needing a retake or 
assignment reset, etc.)  

Rotates to different students and groups of  Sits in one spot and doesn’t rotate through 
students in their area to monitor and offer  their area. 
assistance. 

Supports students through their question.  Gives students the answer. 
(Examples: Read the question to the student, 
work through the question, take notes, etc.) 
Note-Taking Strategies 

Supports students with their assignments.  Bypasses, resets, gives retakes and deletes 
Emails the appropriate teacher to add retakes  assignments. 

   

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or reset assignments. 

Learning Management Systems 

  w​ ww.graderesults.com 

Grade Results is an online curriculum that D-B EXCEL uses for courses that we currently do not 
offer through a DBE teacher. For example, students may be assigned electives and/or CTE 
courses to complete through Grade Results. They may also be assigned courses in Grade Results 
for credit recovery. 

 

kingsport.instructure.com/login/canvas 

Canvas is the newest learning management system (LMS) implemented by Kingsport City 
Schools. All courses at D-B EXCEL that require an EOC (End of Course Exam) will be taught in 
Canvas through teacher created courses.