Office of Accreditation & Teacher Quality

Paraprofessional Requirements

NCLB gives all paraprofessionals working in Title I programs until the end of the 2005-06 school year to meet the highly qualified requirement in one of three ways:

1. Earning an associate’s degree or higher;

2. Earning a minimum of 48 college credits; or

3. Passing the designated Parapro state test.

Please note that this does not apply to paraprofessionals newly hired into Title I programs; such paraprofessionals must meet one of the qualification requirements before they are hired.

Each fall, the department of education will automatically grant certificates to paraprofessionals who are currently working in a Title I programs if they have met the above-listed qualifications during the past year.

If a paraprofessional is NOT working in a Title I program but has met the above-listed qualifications, or if the paraprofessional achieves the "qualified" status during the school year but after the PRF data collection has been completed in the fall, send the paraprofessional's name, Social Security Number, and proof of the qualification that has been met to Pam Hoepfer at pam.hoepfer@state.sd.us and a certificate will be granted to the paraprofessional. For more information, contact Pam at 773-3426.