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Reading assistant vs special education instructional assistant

The differences between reading assistants 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 $25,809 average annual salary of a reading assistant.

The top three skills for a reading assistant include radiology, data entry and patient reports. The most important skills for a special education instructional assistant are CPR, instructional materials, and autism.

Reading assistant vs special education instructional assistant overview

Reading AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Yearly salary$25,809$32,025
Hourly rate$12.41$15.40
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs7,39660,974
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Average age4444
Years of experience--

Reading assistant vs special education instructional assistant salary

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

Reading AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Average salary$25,809$32,025
Salary rangeBetween $13,000 And $50,000Between $25,000 And $40,000
Highest paying City-Redwood City, CA
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Goleta Union School District
Best paying industry-Education

Differences between reading assistant and special education instructional assistant education

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

Reading AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 60%
Most common majorElementary EducationPsychology
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Reading assistant vs special education instructional assistant demographics

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

Reading AssistantSpecial Education Instructional Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 20.9% Female, 79.1%Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 8.4% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%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 Percentage6%6%

Differences between reading assistant and special education instructional assistant duties and responsibilities

Reading assistant example responsibilities.

  • Manage a phonetic/whole language curriculum for middle/high school students with various learning differences.
  • Maintain knowledge of SSA organizational structure.
  • Attend IEP meetings per parental request.
  • Work with ESL students to improve learning English.
  • Maintain statistics, organize literature, assist students with research and references.
  • Assist in the classroom with attendance, grading, and constructing PowerPoint lectures.
  • Show more

Special education instructional assistant example responsibilities.

  • Help to manage activities and assist with projects for autistic and ADHD diagnose preschoolers enroll in the special education summer program.
  • Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
  • Have taught math and done individualize instruction with modifications and adaptations for other students with learning disabilities.
  • Provide individual instruction in math and reading for kindergarten and first grade students identify as having learning and/or developmental disabilities.
  • Familiarize myself with ABA teaching and behavior techniques.
  • Support and assist in implementation of ABA and behavior plans.
  • Show more

Reading assistant vs special education instructional assistant skills

Common reading assistant skills
  • Radiology, 38%
  • Data Entry, 17%
  • Patient Reports, 8%
  • CDS, 6%
  • Mathematics, 5%
  • Elementary Schools, 4%
Common special education instructional assistant skills
  • CPR, 14%
  • Instructional Materials, 7%
  • Autism, 7%
  • Behavior Management, 6%
  • Math, 6%
  • Behavioral Problems, 5%

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