What does an instructional paraprofessional do?
Instructional paraprofessional responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real instructional paraprofessional resumes:
- Help ESL students achieve their academic goals while they learn a new language and adapt to a new community and culture.
- Assist students with their educational needs in language arts, mathematics, social students and science.
- Carry out behavior intervention techniques and ABA.
- Provide administration and care of ABA and discrete trial training.
- Verify the appropriate process and procedures that are necessary to fulfill IEP objectives.
- Create a sensory chair to encourage a pre-k scholar to remain seat during the day.
- Assist teacher with assign student, complying with the child's IEP and teacher's goals.
- Translate international baccalaureate, math and science instructional material from English into French for 3rd , 4th, and 5th grades.
- Work closely with teachers, children and parents and teach small groups in subject areas of reading, writing and math.
- Encourage children with development of adequate adaptive behavior skills.
- Collaborate with teacher to design and carry out engaging, level-appropriate activities for him in coordination with greater kindergarten curriculum.
- Accompany and assist LD, OHD, and ADHD students with daily class participation and homework.
- Work with ADHD and autistic children while assisting in the instruction of reading and arithmetic lessons.
- Assist classroom teacher in various capacities and provide individual instruction to visually impair students.
- Job duties range from filling teaching positions to supplementing regular classroom curriculum with additional enrichment activities for students.
Instructional paraprofessional skills and personality traits
We calculated that 9% of Instructional Paraprofessionals are proficient in Mathematics, Instructional Materials, and IEP. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Instructional Paraprofessionals that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Mathematics, 9%
Supported Special Education Mathematics teacher by co-teaching classes, lesson planning, worksheet test creation and grading
- Instructional Materials, 7%
Prepared instructional materials, lesson plans, and provided both one-on-one and group tutoring for students.
- IEP, 7%
Assisted with personal care, academics, community participation and family training, Administered intervention to help reach IEP goals.
- English Language, 6%
Used technology, picture cards and creative methods to facilitate English language acquisition with remarkable outcomes for native Spanish-speaking student.
- Direct Supervision, 5%
Provide instructional support services under the direct supervision of a teacher 7.
- Educational Materials, 5%
Prepare and distribute educational materials in accordance to the decided lesson plans.
"mathematics," "instructional materials," and "iep" are among the most common skills that instructional paraprofessionals use at work. You can find even more instructional paraprofessional responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for an instructional paraprofessional to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "teacher assistants need to be clear and concise in discussing student progress with teachers and parents." Additionally, an instructional paraprofessional resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "work with students with learning disabilities, communication issues, emotionally disturbed, and behavioral problems. "
Interpersonal skills. Many instructional paraprofessional duties rely on interpersonal skills. "teacher assistants must be able to develop relationships with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators.," so an instructional paraprofessional will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways instructional paraprofessional responsibilities rely on interpersonal skills: "addressed student issues dealing with behavior management and interpersonal skills. "
Patience. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of instructional paraprofessionals is patience. This skill is critical to many everyday instructional paraprofessional duties, as "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds may be difficult." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "exhibited patience, ability, and desire to work with children who have special needs.assisted classroom teacher with lessons and activities. "
Resourcefulness. instructional paraprofessional responsibilities often require "resourcefulness." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "teacher assistants must find ways to explain information to students who have different learning styles." This resume example shows what instructional paraprofessionals do with resourcefulness on a typical day: "showed resourcefulness and effectiveness in meeting the needs of students with limited english language proficiency as well as learning disabilities. "
The three companies that hire the most instructional paraprofessionals are:
- Denver Public Schools38 instructional paraprofessionals jobs
- The Menta Group21 instructional paraprofessionals jobs
- Pocatello/Chubbuck School District 2514 instructional paraprofessionals jobs
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Compare different instructional paraprofessionals
Instructional paraprofessional vs. Teacher aide
Teacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities. Teacher aides are also responsible for maintaining classroom cleanliness and helping clean up after the children. They also help manage the students during breaks and during classes. They help the lead teacher keep the students'students' attention. They also assist the students in any other tasks that they may need.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, instructional paraprofessional responsibilities require skills like "english language," "direct supervision," "educational materials," and "student performance." Meanwhile a typical teacher aide has skills in areas such as "child care," "cpr," "art projects," and "administration policies." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Teacher aides tend to make the most money working in the finance industry, where they earn an average salary of $35,388. In contrast, instructional paraprofessionals make the biggest average salary, $30,881, in the health care industry.The education levels that teacher aides earn slightly differ from instructional paraprofessionals. In particular, teacher aides are 8.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an instructional paraprofessional. Additionally, they're 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Instructional paraprofessional vs. Assistant daycare teacher
An assistant daycare teacher is responsible for performing support tasks in a daycare center. Most of the duties primarily revolve around maintaining a safe and healthy environment for children, preparing meals and learning materials, assisting children during bathroom or hygiene-related activities, and keeping the classroom clean and sanitized. Furthermore, there are instances when an assistant daycare teacher must come up with recreational activities, maintain student records, and help children improve their motor skills and basic knowledge in concepts such as recognizing the alphabet or coloring.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, instructional paraprofessional responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "mathematics," "instructional materials," "iep," and "english language." Meanwhile, an assistant daycare teacher has duties that require skills in areas such as "child care," "kids," "cpr," and "child development." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Average education levels between the two professions vary. Assistant daycare teachers tend to reach lower levels of education than instructional paraprofessionals. In fact, they're 10.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Instructional paraprofessional vs. Substitute teachers aide
A substitute teacher's aide assists classroom teachers in executing their tasks such as evaluating the progress and needs of students. Substitute teachers' aides ensure education's progress by providing assistance to lead classroom teachers. To work effectively, they apply dynamic strategic planning, project management skills, and prioritization to meet deadlines. They work in paraprofessional positions providing the behavior and academic needs of the students. Also, they are always there to help students in any way possible.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from instructional paraprofessional resumes include skills like "english language," "direct supervision," "educational materials," and "student performance," whereas a substitute teachers aide is more likely to list skills in "cpr," "k-12," "teacher aides," and "student learning. "
Substitute teachers aides earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $27,274. Instructional paraprofessionals earn the highest pay from the health care industry, with an average salary of $30,881.When it comes to education, substitute teachers aides tend to earn lower degree levels compared to instructional paraprofessionals. In fact, they're 7.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.0% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Instructional paraprofessional vs. Teacher internship
Teaching interns are individuals who assist teachers and educators in the classroom. The interns are instructed to fulfill the tasks set out and provided by the supervisors for them. They take part in meetings and jot down their minutes. It is part of their job to conduct research at the request of the supervisor. They make updates to social media platforms and make posts. Also, they create images to be used in posts through different social media platforms.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between instructional paraprofessionals and teacher interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, an instructional paraprofessional might have more use for skills like "english language," "direct supervision," "educational materials," and "behavior management." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of teacher interns require skills like "classroom management strategies," "professional development," "learning styles," and "student learning. "
The education industry tends to pay the highest salaries for teacher interns, with average annual pay of $47,436. Comparatively, the highest instructional paraprofessional annual salary comes from the health care industry.teacher interns reach similar levels of education compared to instructional paraprofessionals, in general. The difference is that they're 1.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of instructional paraprofessional
Updated January 8, 2025
