Teacher Aides

Certification or Licensing

Most states now have core performance, skills, and competency standards for education paraprofessionals, including voluntary certification, based on the 2001 federal No Child Left Behind Act. Requirements vary by state and by school, so teacher aides must find out the specific job requirements for the school, school district, or state department of education in the area where they want to work. It is important to remember that an aide who is qualified to work in one state, or even one school, may not be qualified to work in another. The National Resource Center for Paraeducators provides state certification information on its Web site: https://www.nrcpara.org/states.