Are you a student thinking about picking a career in the education field? Perhaps you don’t have enough resources to take the path – you don’t have to feel bad about it. You can still work as an educator without a regular teachers’ certification. Another option worth trying is working as a Paraeducator. You won’t need to earn a regular teachers’ certification to work as a Paraeducator. However, you’ll need to pass a special assessment for it. This article details everything you’ll need to know about the Paraeducator test, including the best tips to help you prepare well for it. Are you ready for the ride? Let’s go!
What Does it Take to Be a Paraeducator?
What Does it Take to Be a Paraeducator?If you are familiar with the current academic setting, you’ll know that the teacher-to-student ratio still favors the students as there are, by far, more students than teachers today. To help cover for the huge number difference, educational authorities created a role for Paraeducators. A Paraeducator is one who has undergone the various training processes to assume teaching but without the necessary qualifications for that role.
Some of the requirements for becoming a Paraeducator include:
Natural Teaching Skills
As mentioned above, you must be able and ready to teach to become a Paraeducator. It’s a profession designed for people who find impacting knowledge rewarding. As a Paraeducator, you’ll be doing almost the same work as a conventional teacher, so you’ll need to know what it means to teach. If you’ve always enjoyed leading class groups or teaching groups of people, this may be a good place to start your teaching career.
Ability to Research
Like conventional classroom teachers, you’ll be doing a lot of research. In fact, some schools assign Paraeducators to work directly as research assistants to teachers. Therefore, it’s often a core skill required for the position. If you are naturally curious and enjoy learning more about concepts and ideas, this may be an excellent opportunity for you to put your skills into good news. Besides, since the role requires a good knowledge of different subjects, adequate research ability will help you excel.
Communication Skills
Whether you are a Paraeducator or a conventional classroom teacher, you’ll need to communicate with students. The best teachers are those that can explain concepts and ideas for students to understand. Therefore, most school authorities look at communication skills before employing you as a teacher in any capacity. Fortunately, you can pick up this skill with consistent practice. Get materials that will help you improve your communication ability and work cautiously towards becoming better.
Certifications
The Paraprofessional role requires a little less compared to the certified teaching profession. But to qualify to become a Paraeducator, aside from other basic credentials you should own, taking and passing the Paraeducator test exam is essential before you can assume the role. Although it is not a full teaching profession with all the necessary certifications, it still requires a certain level of certification to qualify a person.
Generally, having at least a high school diploma, a two-year degree in any specialized degree program in Paraeducation is a bonus for the role of a Paraeducator.
What is a Paraeducator Assessment?
As a potential Paraeducator, one of the questions you’ll often ask us why the role requires assessment, despite not being a whole teaching profession. To answer the question, you should first understand what the Paraeducator assessment is and what it consists of. The Paraeducator assessment test is designed to scrutinize the preparedness level and capacity of any potential Paraeducator. This test examines your abilities in different relevant areas.
This testing program was developed as a response to the federal legislation known as No Child Left Behind. The law requires Paraeducators to meet certain criteria, including:
- Associate of Arts degree
- Two years of college (72 College credits)
- Demonstrated, through a state or local academic assessment, knowledge of and the ability to assist in the instruction of reading, maths, and writing.
This assessment for potential Paraeducators is designed to measure your skills, efficiency, and knowledge in reading, maths, and writing. It also recognizes your ability to apply these skills in traditional classroom situations.
What Does the Paraeducator Test Consist of?
Preparing for the Paraeducator test can seem difficult. However, adequate preparation puts you one step ahead. The first step for preparing adequately is knowing what to expect in the test.
The test is a computerized test and usually consists of 90 multiple choice questions that focus on three basic areas, including reading, mathematics, and writing.
However, being designed specifically for Paraprofessionals means that its examining process differs slightly from that of full professionals in the teaching field.
The test questions always follow the same arrangements, with questions from reading taking the lead.
How to Prepare for a Paraeducator Test?
The first thing to think about when preparing for any professional assessment is reading. However, reading alone is not enough to get you through the difficult huddle of passing a Paraeducator assessment test. If you are preparing for this assessment, you’ll probably wonder how you can prepare for it. Like every other exam, the right preparatory steps will make the exam easier for you.
Typically, you’ll need to take a lot of factors into consideration when preparing for your exams. However, irrespective of what your goals are, you’ll need to start preparations early enough. Starting early gives you enough time to cover as many materials as possible and get yourself mentally prepared for the test. Here are some tips to help you prepare better for the Paraeducator assessment.
Research the Best Paraeducator Online Resources
The official website of the Paraeducator board contains several resources that you can use to prepare for the Paraeducator test. Most of these resources are encompassing, covering the different aspects of the test. However, if you do not want the resources on the board’s website, you can opt for other online resources. Fortunately, there are so many of them today, and you can choose the one that best suits your study style. Most of these materials have practice questions to help you familiarize yourself with the exam structure beforehand.
Memorize the Paraeducator Math Formulas
Maths is an integral part of the Paraeducator test. Unfortunately, it’s the most challenging part for most people because of the time limitation and stereotype of math being a difficult subject. However, it’s a section that can guarantee you easy points if you do what’s right. The math questions are not as difficult as many people make them seem, so you shouldn’t go into the hall with any fear. The next step to doing well in the test is memorizing mathematical formulas and concepts beforehand. This step can help you derive the answers to questions within seconds. Check the Paraeducator test guide to see the list of likely math topics that make up your Paraeducator test.
Enroll for an Online Paraeducator Mock Exam
Another helpful tip for preparing for the PTCB exams is enrolling and taking mock exams. As with any standardized test, the difficulty level of the Paraeducator test varies depending on how prepared you are for the exams. One of the best preparation methods available is enrolling for an online Paraeducator mock test. These tests help you figure out which areas you need to work more on and which area you’ve perfected work in. They also help to improve your confidence since you already know what the test consists of. There are several available online resources featuring mock tests for the Paraeducator test, but perhaps the best option is the one you’ll get from the exam body’s official website.
Plan Your Exam DayÂ
Yes, we’ve talked so much about pre-exam preparations and how it’s essential to study hard before the exams. However, beyond that, it is also vital to get everything you’ll need for the exams ready before the exam. Don’t wait until the day before suddenly realizing you don’t know the way or what you should bring to the venue. Check all the rules and requirements for the exam, plan your route, and buy every material you’ll need beforehand. If you’ve never been to the venue before, write down clear directions for the trip.
Inquire how long it’ll take to move from your house to the venue – then add some extra time. The last thing you want is to arrive late at the venue because of unforeseen delays. If you know classmates or acquaintances that are preparing for the same exams, you can make plans to travel with them, as long as they won’t slow you down.
What is the Passing Score on a Paraeducator Test?
One of the benefits of adequately preparing for your Paraeducator exams with the right materials and sources is its impact on your test grades. Your Parapro test results are essential, and so is your grade. But why is the grade score important? The grade score is vital as there’s a stipulated passing score that would qualify one to become a Paraeducator. In the United States, there is no static passing grade score for a Paraeducator as the passing score differs from state to state. On this note, it is difficult to decide the general passing score for the test. However, to give yourself an edge in the race to becoming a Paraeducator in the United States, you should work towards earning a score of 460 and above. Scoring below 460 is considered a failure in many states, and that’s why you are typically advised to aim for above.
This is where adequate preparation comes into play. If you must earn enough scores to qualify you for the certification, then you must give enough time to adequate preparation.
Wrapping Things Up: What is on the Paraeducator Test?
Now you know what the Paraeducator test is and how to prepare for it. If you fancy the teaching profession but do not have the needed resources to pursue a full teaching degree, the Paraeducator route is just right for you. However, you’ll need to write a compulsory test to qualify you for the position. Most people that have taken the Paraeducator assessment believe that it’s a complicated exam. However, with the right level of preparation, you should ace the assessment easily. Throughout this article, we’ve reviewed what’s in the test and how you can prepare better.
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