Becoming Highly Qualified

The Elementary And Secondary Education Act (EASA) is designed to help disadvantaged children reach high academic standards. Properly trained paraprofessionals (teaching assistants) can play important roles in improving student achievement in Title I schools by reinforcing and augmenting a teacher’s effort in the classroom. The ESEA requires that these paraeducators meet “highly qualified” standards. (ESEA Section 1119).

Paraeducators can demonstrate they have attained “highly qualified” status by:

• Obtaining an associate (or higher) degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
• Successfully completing at least 2 years of study or 48 semester hours at an accredited institution of higher education.
• Successfully pass the paraeducator competency exams which demonstrates knowledge of, and the ability to assist in instructing, reading, writing, and mathematics. 

Eligible Test Takers

The paraeducator competency exam is only offered to current employees of Granite School District or those prospective employees who are actively in the hiring process at one of Granite’s Title I schools.

Registering for the Exam

Candidates register for the ParaEducator Exams by first contacting their building principal. The principal will confirm your employment status in the district or that you are applying to work at one of our Title I schools. They send needed paperwork to Rebecca Johnson, administrative assistant in the Organizational Effectiveness department. Rebecca will email you, the paraeducator candidate, with an invitation to create a login that will allow you to study and take practice exams, if desired. Lastly, she will put you in contact with our testing lab to reserve your spot to take the paraeducator competency assessment.

Taking the Exam

ParaEducator exams are proctored multiple times each week at Granite School District at 2500 South State Street, SLC.

On the date and time arranged to take your exam, candidates must show up on time and bring a valid form of ID with them. Cell phones must be turned off and out of sight. Calculators or other aids are not allowed during the test. A pencil and piece of scratch paper will be provided.

After Taking the Exam

Following the exams, candidates will receive an email from Rebecca Johnson with your assessment results. If both assessments were passed, Rebecca will also contact the building principal, informing them that you have passed. The human resource department or the principal should contact the candidate within a few days to with instructions regarding what the next steps are. If the candidate did not pass one or both of the assessments, they should continue to study and take the practice exams online and try again. There is no limit to the number of times a candidate can attempt the tests.

Building principals will turn in the highly qualified paperwork with their hire letter and the Instructional Paraeducators Form (PDF).