By June 30, 2006, all school districts in the U.S. must be able to show that their paraeducators and other instructional assistants are “qualified,” according to rules outlined in the federal No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Since NCLB became law in 2002, CSEA has been working with districts, the state legislature and paraeducators to ensure that all of its members are moved into the qualified category. Many paraeducators have already been “moved to safety,” but the clock is ticking for those who have not met the qualification standards defined by NCLB.
What you need to do
If you’re a paraeducator or instructional assistant or subject to Title 1 Funding, here’s what you need to find out:
- Are you required to meet NCLB requirements?
- Are you considered NCLB-qualified by your district?
- How do you get NCLB qualified by your district?
- What tutorials or trainings are available to you?
For answers to these questions, call your district's classified personnel director or department of human resources. You may have already met the requirements. For information on the negotiated agreement between CSEA and your district, call your field office.
Who is NCLB-qualified?
Basically, if you are a paraeducator who works in a school or program that receives Title 1 funding, you must have a high school diploma and meet one of the following criteria:
- Possess an AA degree
- Two years of college (48 units)
- Meet a rigorous standard of quality through local assessment
The first two criteria are straightforward enough, but what about the assessment option? The California State Board of Education has left it up to individual districts to decide on how they will qualify their paraeducators. In many cases districts use testing as their assessment tool. Sometimes these tests ask questions that have little relevance to a paraeducator’s job. For example, how much algebra do you need to know in order to work with elementary students? Fortunately, CSEA has been able to negotiate more reasonable test questions in some districts, but paraeducators still need to be prepared.
The NCLB test
In many districts, paraeducators are being asked to pass the CODESP test. The test questions vary, since each district determines what their test will look like.
Main components of the test include:
- Reading comprehension
- Ability to assist
- Writing sample option
- Fractions
- Word problems
- Chart and Graph Interpretation
- Percent
- Estimation
- Statistics
- Probability
- Exponents
- Pre-Algebra and Algebra
- Geometry
NCLB test tutorials
The 9th Annual California Paraeducator Conference: Professional Pathways will include No Child Left Behind tutorial sessions for math and reading, as well as a class on the “tips and tricks” for test taking.
If your district is requiring you to take a test in order to meet the criteria for NCLB (and you haven't been tested), you may access various FREE tutorials online for assistance. Some Web sites may ask you to join in order to be able to access all of their information, but you will find select free portions within the site. You will find tutorials at the following sites:
Math:
hotmath.com
algebra.help
Test Prep Review (Look at the math on CBEST or ParaPro for basic algebra and geometry)
Reading:
200 Reading Exercises
Grammar:
Online Exercises: Grammar
High School Exit Exam:
California Dept. Education (Program Resources for the High School Exit Examination)
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