Section 1111 (g) (2) (J) of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) requires that the State educational agency will ensure that all paraprofessionals working in a program supported with funds under Title I, Part  A meet applicable State certification requirements. Additionally, Section 1111 (g)(2)(M) requires that the State has Professional Standards in place for paraprofessionals, "including qualifications that were in place on the day before the date of enactment of the Every Student Succeeds Act."  Therefore, school districts are required to have all instructional paraprofessionals in Title I schoolwide buildings and all instructional paraprofessionals who are funded by Title I and working in a Title I Targeted Assistance program meet hiring requirements. To meet the hiring requirements, paraprofessionals shall meet the following:

• Have at least two years of post-secondary education that is equivalent to at least 48 semester hours from an accredited higher education institution, or

• Have obtained an associate (or higher) degree, or

• Have met a rigorous standard of quality and be able to demonstrate knowledge of and the ability to assist in instructing reading, writing, and mathematics (or, as appropriate, reading readiness, writing readiness, and mathematics readiness) by taking and passing one of the Hiring Requirements Options.

  • If a district chooses to create their own local assessments, DPI has created the Paraprofessional Assessment Framework to guide the development of  assessments that meet the ESSA requirements.

As a paraprofessional, you are a valuable member of a school community. In the day-to-day efforts of supporting students and staff, your professional learning is an important part of what’s needed to meet student needs.

The reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), also known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015, changed requirements for paraprofessionals. As in the past, paraprofessionals working in Title I programs or in Title I schoolwide buildings must hold a high school diploma. They must also meet the Title I Hiring Requirements.

For those paraprofessionals that will demonstrate their readiness through the assessment criteria, CESA #11 provides an annual opportunity to participate in the MasterTeacher ParaEducator Online Training proctored by CESA Title I staff. Participating paraprofessionals have access to the entire range of courses offered through the MasterTeacher website, allowing them to review and revisit the courses as needed, offering ongoing professional learning throughout the year.