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The differences between instructional aides and special education instructional assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special education instructional assistant has an average salary of $32,025, which is higher than the $30,993 average annual salary of an instructional aide.
The top three skills for an instructional aide include work ethic, CPR and math. The most important skills for a special education instructional assistant are CPR, instructional materials, and autism.
| Instructional Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $30,993 | $32,025 |
| Hourly rate | $14.90 | $15.40 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 60,846 | 60,974 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An instructional aide focuses on performing support-related tasks for a teacher or faculty member. They are primarily responsible for helping teachers maintain a safe and healthy learning environment, recording attendance, creating visual aids or presentations, participating in the preparation of lesson plans and tests, and assisting students who are having difficulties in a particular task or lesson. An instructional aide may also take part in counseling and supervising students' behavior during class activities, all while adhering to the school's policies and regulations.
Special education instructional assistant does work under the supervision of the principal and other administrative workers, especially in school and college. They prepare the material aids which are helping to teach in the classroom. Moreover, they are more inclined upon the progress of students. Conducting the exams, preparing the notes, preparing the result and giving the instruction to the students about their life career and course books etc are the main duties of the special education instructional assistant. They preach, instruct, command and come up with the idea about making the school environment more friendly and viable.
Instructional aides and special education instructional assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Average salary | $30,993 | $32,025 |
| Salary range | Between $24,000 And $38,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | Columbus, OH | Redwood City, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Boston Public Schools | Goleta Union School District |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between an instructional aide and a special education instructional assistant in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between instructional aides' and special education instructional assistants' demographics:
| Instructional Aide | Special Education Instructional Assistant | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.9% Female, 75.1% | Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 25.2% Asian, 7.1% White, 53.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 24.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 54.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |