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Academic assistant vs special education assistant

The differences between academic assistants and special education assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an academic assistant has an average salary of $40,904, which is higher than the $32,149 average annual salary of a special education assistant.

The top three skills for an academic assistant include academic support, mathematics and student athletes. The most important skills for a special education assistant are paraprofessional, behavior management, and IEP.

Academic assistant vs special education assistant overview

Academic AssistantSpecial Education Assistant
Yearly salary$40,904$32,149
Hourly rate$19.67$15.46
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs9,18562,239
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

Academic assistant vs special education assistant salary

Academic assistants and special education assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Academic AssistantSpecial Education Assistant
Average salary$40,904$32,149
Salary rangeBetween $27,000 And $60,000Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying CityFairbanks, AKNew York, NY
Highest paying stateAlaskaRhode Island
Best paying companyStaten Island AcademyBenicia Unified School District
Best paying industryEducationEducation

Differences between academic assistant and special education assistant education

There are a few differences between an academic assistant and a special education assistant in terms of educational background:

Academic AssistantSpecial Education Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorBusinessPsychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Academic assistant vs special education assistant demographics

Here are the differences between academic assistants' and special education assistants' demographics:

Academic AssistantSpecial Education Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 30.0% Female, 70.0%Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.4% Asian, 8.6% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between academic assistant and special education assistant duties and responsibilities

Academic assistant example responsibilities.

  • Help troubleshoot public computers according to directions and also manage database of library.
  • Grade papers for remedial mathematics courses.
  • Serve as liaison to colleges, universities and vendors.
  • Strengthen students' academic weaknesses within science and mathematics fields at their request.
  • Used overhead projectors, Powerpoint and blackboards to demonstrate mathematical processes to students.
  • Assist in maintaining students' GPA'S, ensuring their performance in championship meets.
  • Show more

Special education assistant example responsibilities.

  • Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
  • Implement behavioral plans design by IEP team for students with behavior disorders or other learning disabilities
  • Accompany students to special classes (art, music, PE) and on field trips.
  • Complete Medicaid forms on a daily basis.
  • Assist special needs children with independent skills and work tasks, fill out Medicaid paperwork.
  • Provide one on one attention to pre-k partner child with multiple activities while promoting language and developmental skills.
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Academic assistant vs special education assistant skills

Common academic assistant skills
  • Academic Support, 14%
  • Mathematics, 10%
  • Student Athletes, 6%
  • Course Materials, 5%
  • Administrative Tasks, 5%
  • Travel Arrangements, 4%
Common special education assistant skills
  • Paraprofessional, 15%
  • Behavior Management, 10%
  • IEP, 9%
  • CPR, 7%
  • Adaptive, 7%
  • Behavioral Issues, 6%

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