How Does The No Child Left Behind Law Affect Your Teacher’s Aide Training and Career?
Teacher’s Aide Training & The Law
Before diving into your teacher’s aide training, you may want to take a step back and consider how your teacher’s aide training and career are affected by the No Child Left Behind law. This law, which was initially known as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act during the Johnson administration, was revamped in 2001 to earn its current name.
The No Child Left Behind law has been changing the way teachers, teacher’s aides, school professionals, parents, and students function in the academic field for the past decade. It outlines the teacher’s aide training that must be completed, the additional training and certification teachers must undergo, how parents are informed of a student’s progress, and how children will learn in the classroom and be tested.
Your Career and Teacher’s Aide Training Under This Law
Under the No Child Left Behind Law, those who wish to support instruction in the classroom as teacher’s aides or paraprofessionals must complete a certain amount of teacher’s aide training. While it may be confusing, ‘support instruction’ often means that you:
- Tutor students one-on-one at a time when the classroom is not providing instruction
- Assist in the management of the classroom, such as organizing and gathering together instructional materials
- Instruct students on how to use computers in the school’s computer lab
- Are a translator in the classroom
- Support instruction of the classroom teachers
While the exact definition of ‘support instruction’ may not mean a whole lot to you, it is important in determining what kind of teacher’s aide training you must complete to work in a public school under the No Child Left Behind law. If you provide instructional support in the classroom, the law states you must complete two years of teacher’s aide training in college, earn an associate’s degree or higher in education, or complete a local or state test to determine if you are qualified enough to help teacher’s instruct in the classroom. You must also be able to demonstrate your ability to assist students in learning how to read, write, and do mathematics.
There are also exceptions to the rule. Secondary diplomas may be earned by translators or teacher’s aides who work with parents instead. Also, teacher’s aides who provide no instructional support, like those who work as personal care aides, library aides, or hall monitors are not required to adhere to these education rules.
Will The No Child Left Behind Law Continue To Affect Your Teacher’s Aide Training?
While right now this law is still in effect, things could soon change. According to the New York Times, last month Senator Harkin created a bill that will effectively change the entire way this well known law works. If it is passed, it will place much of the responsibility for monitoring student academics and teacher qualifications in the hands of each state, instead of the federal government. It is expected to be open to amendments sometime in 2012.
Before you begin your teacher’s aide training, make sure you have a full understanding of what is expected of you. If you are planning on a career in a public school, you may be required to complete a certain amount of education. Don’t start your teacher’s aide training until you have a full understanding what type of training is required of you.