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Special education teaching assistant vs special education teacher

The differences between special education teaching assistants and special education teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a special education teacher has an average salary of $54,290, which is higher than the $33,060 average annual salary of a special education teaching assistant.

The top three skills for a special education teaching assistant include autism, IEP and CPR. The most important skills for a special education teacher are classroom management, autism, and behavior management.

Special education teaching assistant vs special education teacher overview

Special Education Teaching AssistantSpecial Education Teacher
Yearly salary$33,060$54,290
Hourly rate$15.89$26.10
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs58,59067,699
Job satisfaction-4.33
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Average age4443
Years of experience--

Special education teaching assistant vs special education teacher salary

Special education teaching assistants and special education teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Special Education Teaching AssistantSpecial Education Teacher
Average salary$33,060$54,290
Salary rangeBetween $25,000 And $42,000Between $39,000 And $73,000
Highest paying CitySpring Valley, NYBaltimore, MD
Highest paying stateHawaiiMaryland
Best paying companyAstor ServicesBaltimore City Public Schools
Best paying industryEducationGovernment

Differences between special education teaching assistant and special education teacher education

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

Special Education Teaching AssistantSpecial Education Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 66%
Most common majorPsychologySpecial Education
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityNorthwestern University

Special education teaching assistant vs special education teacher demographics

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

Special Education Teaching AssistantSpecial Education Teacher
Average age4443
Gender ratioMale, 23.9% Female, 76.1%Male, 24.6% Female, 75.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 8.7% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.6% Asian, 3.6% White, 71.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%8%

Differences between special education teaching assistant and special education teacher duties and responsibilities

Special education teaching assistant example responsibilities.

  • Lead small group and one-to-one lessons in science and mathematics which are tailored to individual student needs and learning styles.
  • Perform responsible human support and paraprofessional work assisting classroom teacher or other professionals, achieve institution objectives.
  • Experience in working with children with disabilities including autism, Down's-Syndrome, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
  • Train in CPI restraints for combative children.
  • Attend all trainings and conferences including CPR infant and child certification.
  • Assist in reading, language arts, mathematics, and science classrooms.
  • Show more

Special education teacher example responsibilities.

  • Lead a DIBELS intervention group.
  • Lead the data team with interpreting results, including NWEA and other benchmark assessments.
  • Design a unique and differentiate curriculum that addressed state standards for both mathematics and special education.
  • Educate special needs kids with mental and physical disabilities using proven conventional and improvise teaching/learning methods.
  • Plan appropriate lessons align to NYS CCSS.
  • Instruct and create ELA lessons through Fountas and Pinnell and Fundations.
  • Show more

Special education teaching assistant vs special education teacher skills

Common special education teaching assistant skills
  • Autism, 21%
  • IEP, 8%
  • CPR, 8%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Classroom Management, 5%
  • Applied Behavior Analysis, 5%
Common special education teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 11%
  • Autism, 10%
  • Behavior Management, 6%
  • IEPs, 6%
  • Professional Development, 6%
  • Student Learning, 6%

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