TAMPA, Fla. — There are no statewide requirements for teaching assistants or paraprofessionals in Florida.
10Investigates has been digging into the requirements for Bay Area schools. Most districts do not require teaching assistants to have a state certification, and the minimum requirement for all area school districts is a high school diploma or GED.
Some counties require an associate’s degree and a passing grade on a paraprofessional test. We’ve included details for all local counties below.
You can also head to this link and type in a certified teacher’s name and find out if there are any disciplinary actions against them.
Hillsborough County:
NO STATE CERTIFICATION NEEDED
Most of the aide positions require a minimum of 60 hours of college or they can take a paraprofessional exam to meet the qualifications.
They do not need a state certification, but there are district requirements.
Hernando County:
NO STATE CERTIFICATION NEEDED
- High school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED)
- Ability to follow instructions and work well with others
ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) paraprofessionals only:
- Ability to communicate both orally and written in the language reflecting the predominant language of students
- A.A. degree, 60 college credits or a passing score on the ParaPro Assessment Exam
Pinellas County:
An associate’s degree or 60 credit hours from an accredited college or university OR graduation from high school or a GED AND a passing score on the Para-Pro Assessment or alternative assessment which meets the federal/state requirements
Teacher assistants who work in an instructional capacity must meet a rigorous standard of quality and be able to demonstrate, through an academic assessment, knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing reading, writing, and mathematics (or, as appropriate, reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness).
Sarasota County:
NO STATE CERTIFICATION NEEDED
References
- Supply two references using the online application process. At least one of the two references for non-instructional applicants must be from a previous supervisor.
- Previous Sarasota County School Board employees must include a reference from the most recent Sarasota County School Board supervisor/administrator.
- Supervisor references must be identified in the Work Experience section and/or Professional References section of the application.
High school diploma or equivalent – Must include a copy of your high school diploma or GED equivalent (with the exception of jobs that do not specify this as a requirement on the job description). Foreign diplomas/transcripts must be translated and evaluated.
Testing - Review basic test requirements for non-instructional positions.
Pasco County:
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Associate’s degree OR 60 hours of college/university level course work OR demonstrated proficiency on district assessment
Polk County:
Paraprofessionals in Polk County do not need a state certification if they are serving as teacher aides in classrooms. They need additional certifications if they’re serving in a specialized paraprofessional role, such as LPN.
To serve as a paraprofessional, applicants are required to meet one or more of the following requirements:
- Associate’s degree
- 60 college semester hours from a regionally accredited institution
- Passing score of 464 on the ParaPro Assessment
Citrus County:
- Completed two years of study at an institution of higher education.
- Obtained an associate's or higher degree or earned a minimum of 60 college credit hours at a college or university accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies
- Passed the ParaPro Assessment with a minimum score of 464
Manatee County:
- High school diploma or equivalent and a passing score on the Para Pro Assessment Test, or a minimum of 60 college credit hours.
- Eagerness to assist children in the learning process.
- Must be at least 19 years of age to work with elementary students and 20 years of age to work with middle and high school students.
- Level 2 background check
- They also go through training and orientation before starting the job.
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