Paraeducators work under the supervision of teachers or other licensed personnel who have the ultimate responsibility for the design and implementation of education and related service programs. Other terms used to describe paraeducators include paraprofessional, educational aide, associate, or instructional aide.

Paraeducators provide assistance to a variety students including those with and without disabilities, with health needs, with limited English and others. They work in a range of educational settings including general education classrooms, special education settings, lunchrooms, playgrounds, school buses, vocational work sites, computer labs, and school media centers. They provide instructional support to children and youth in early childhood, elementary, middle school, and secondary school programs and in residential educational facilities. The service of paraeducators contributes significantly to the success of individual children and youth, schools, and educational programs.

Because paraeducators work under the supervision of licensed educators, their roles change to reflect the systemic changes within teaching practices. The evolution of teaching has experienced some profound changes under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA). An increased emphasis on measuring student achievement and on partnerships among all teachers of students with diverse needs has impacted not only the teaching profession, but all educational personnel. Paraeducators are seeing new service delivery models such as consultative and co-teaching options and are discovering new opportunities through these models to contribute to the educational growth of Iowa's children and youth.

Legal Requirements and Reports

Paraeducators Who Are Licensed Teachers 2009

 Highly Qualified Paraeducator Requirements Under NCLB (2013-05-31)

Highly Qualified Paraeducator Requirements Under IDEA 2004
The highly qualified paraeducator requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA 2004) call for paraeducator qualifications to be “consistent with any state-approved or state-recognized certification, licensing, registration, or other comparable requirements that apply to the professional discipline in which those personnel are providing special education or related services.” Under IDEA 2004, Iowa paraeducators who provide services to students with disabilities do not have any certification requirements because Iowa’s state-approved system for paraeducators certification is voluntary.

Guiding Practices

Paraeducator Certificate opportunities and Institutions (2006-10-25)

 Appropriate Paraeducator Duties

Supporting Documents

 Paraprofessional Requirements for Iowa Schools (2013-05-31)

Requirements Flow Chart (2006-11-14)

Guide to Effective Paraeducator Practices II--2007 (2007-08-17)