Paraprofessional Testing

The federal No Child Left Behind legislation requires paraprofessionals serving in an instructional capacity satisfy one of the following:

• An associate of arts degree; OR
• Two years of college; OR
• Demonstrate, through a state or local academic assessment, knowledge of, and the ability to assist in the instruction of, reading, writing, and math

The choice of test(s) to satisfy the third option is left to the discretion of states and districts. Two testing companies have developed assessments to meet the federal guidelines.

ACT's WorkKeys® Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants
School districts in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Texas currently use the WorkKeys® Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants to evaluate paraprofessionals. The certificate program enables teacher assistants in Title I funded schools to demonstrate their proficiency in reading, writing, and mathematics as well as in assisting teachers in the classroom.

ETS ParaPro Assessment
The ETS ParaPro Assessment was developed in response to the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. The test was developed for prospective and practicing paraprofessionals to measure skills and knowledge in reading, mathematics, and writing as well as the ability to apply those skills and knowledge to assist in classroom instruction.

Links to SREB State and Related Resources

State Resource AL Alabama State Department of Education DE State of Delaware - Administrative Code FL Florida Department of Education GA Georgia Professional Standards Commission KY Kentucky Education Professional Standards Board LA Louisiana Department of Education MD Maryland State Department of Education NC North Carolina State Board of Education OK Oklahoma State Department of Education SC South Carolina Department of Education TN Tennessee Department of Education TX Texas State Board for Educator Certification VA Virginia Department of Education WV West Virginia Department of Education