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The differences between special education instructional assistants and special educators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special educator has an average salary of $53,565, which is higher than the $32,025 average annual salary of a special education instructional assistant.
The top three skills for a special education instructional assistant include CPR, instructional materials and autism. The most important skills for a special educator are autism, student learning, and math.
| Special Education Instructional Assistant | Special Educator | |
| Yearly salary | $32,025 | $53,565 |
| Hourly rate | $15.40 | $25.75 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 60,974 | 62,545 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A special education teacher's role is to facilitate learning for students with disabilities. The responsibilities of a special education teacher typically revolve around identifying the needs of students, devising lesson plans and strategies to meet their needs, developing test structure to assess their learning, and assisting them in areas of difficulties. It is also essential to coordinate with families and guardians, reporting to them should there be any problems. Furthermore, as a special education teacher, it is necessary to monitor the students' progress and behavior, maintaining a safe and healthy learning environment for them.
Special education instructional assistants and special educators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Special Education Instructional Assistant | Special Educator | |
| Average salary | $32,025 | $53,565 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $40,000 | Between $38,000 And $75,000 |
| Highest paying City | Redwood City, CA | Oceanside, NY |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New York |
| Best paying company | Goleta Union School District | Capistrano Unified |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a special education instructional assistant and a special educator in terms of educational background:
| Special Education Instructional Assistant | Special Educator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Special Education |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between special education instructional assistants' and special educators' demographics:
| Special Education Instructional Assistant | Special Educator | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.3% Female, 80.7% | Male, 21.3% Female, 78.7% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 9.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |