Teacher Assistant Certification in Rhode Island

<p>While the Rhode Island Department of Education does not certify teacher's assistants, it bases the minimum requirements that school districts must follow on the legal state requirements. The general criteria for becoming a teacher's assistant are summarized in the table below. </p> <p /> <table border="1"><tr><td>Education/Experience Required</td><td> High school diploma or equivalent</td></tr> <tr><td>Exam Requirements </td><td> ParaPro Assessment</td></tr> <tr><td>Certification Renewal Period </td><td>Not applicable</td></tr> <tr><td>Requirements for Renewal </td><td> Not applicable</td></tr> <tr><td>Average Salary (2018) </td><td> $32,840 (teacher assistants in RI)*</td></tr> <tr><td>Estimated Job Growth (2016-2026) </td><td>8% (teacher assistants nationally)*</td></tr> </table><p><i>Sources: *U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics</i> </p> <h3 id="section---GeneralAcademicRequirements">General Academic Requirements</h3> <p>A teacher's assistant must hold at a minimum, a high school diploma or the equivalent. For persons who will be carrying out an instructional function, such as tutoring or assistance in the school's computer laboratory, further training from an approved institution may be required. </p> <h3 id="section---ExamRequirements">Exam Requirements</h3> <p>Teacher's assistants must pass the ParaPro Assessment that is offered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). This two and half hour assessment covers the subject areas of Reading, Writing and Math and consists of 90 multiple-choice questions. While the test is administered on a computer, candidates must sit the exam at an approved location such as regional education offices. </p> <h3 id="section---PreEmploymentTraining">Pre-Employment Training</h3> <p>Before being employed as a teacher's assistant, candidates must complete a teacher assistant program from an approved provider. Teacher assistant programs must meet certain standards set by the Rhode Island Department of Education. For example, there is a general standard for teacher's assistants as well as specific standards for teacher's assistants who will be working with students who have English as a second language or have diverse needs. A general training program must cover professionalism, collaboration, instructional training, learning environment standards as well as knowledge of health and safety. The Rhode Island Department of Education keeps a list of approved providers on its website. The list includes institutions such as Education Exchange, Smithfield High School, and Northern Rhode Island Collaborative. </p> <h3 id="section---ApplicationProcess">Application Process</h3> <p>Since the Rhode Island Department of Education does not issue a permit or certificate for teacher's assistants, the candidate must approach the school of interest for employment. The school will then need to verify the candidate's qualifications and ensure that the candidate completes any training or assessments that are necessary for employment. Based on the Education Act in Rhode Island, the school will also need to ensure that the candidate is in good standing by receiving the results of a background check. The candidate must apply to the Bureau of Criminal Identification (BCI), department of the attorney general, state police, or their local police department to start the background check process. The school will get the results in writing if there are no issues with the candidate's criminal history. Otherwise, only the candidate will be informed and they have the option of asking that the results be sent to the school as well. </p> <h3 id="section---ProfessionalDevelopment">Professional Development</h3> <p>The regulations in Rhode Island require that teacher's assistants undergo continuous professional development activities while employed. The schools to which they are employed must keep a record of these activities on file. To accommodate this, the Rhode Island Department of Education will occasionally show information regarding professional development activities for teacher's assistants on their website.</p>