Teacher aides face new hurdles to keep jobs

After 25 years of working with special-needs students in the Cape Girardeau School District, paraprofessional Nancy Smithey found herself facing a difficult decision: Go back to college, pass a lengthy state test or quit the job she loves.

"I didn't really think it was fair, but all laws change and we either have to go along with it or get out," Smithey said. "And I wasn't ready to get out."

Paraprofessionals, commonly called teacher aides, have three years to obtain 60 credit hours of college or pass a state test under a new federal law aimed at upping the qualifications of anyone working directly with students.

Some educators believe the new requirements may lead to a shortage of people willing to work in those positions.

"If they're reliable and get along with the kids, what more do you need?" said Central Junior High teacher Mary Gray. "And unless the district pays paraprofessionals more, they're going to take their associate's degrees and go elsewhere."

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, paraprofessionals employed before January 2002 have until 2006 to obtain 60 hours of college credit or pass a state assessment. Paraprofessionals hired after January 2002 must have 60 college hours or pass the test.

The new requirements only apply to Title I schoolwide buildings -- those that use funds for all students instead of just individuals identified as needing assistance.

Some exempt

Only paraprofessionals involved in instruction must meet the requirements; translators, student companions and parent liaisons are excluded.

"I know how to do my job. If I take a test, does that mean I'll do my job better? I don't think so," said Christy Mott, a special-education paraprofessional at Central Junior High.

Although the junior high is not currently a Title I school, the district is considering accepting that designation for the 2004-05 school year, which means paraprofessionals like Mott would have to pass the test or lose their jobs.

Before No Child Left Behind, paraprofessionals who were paid with Title I funds were already required to have at least 60 hours of college, but those who weren't paid with federal money, such as special-education paraprofessionals, were only required to have a high school diploma or GED. Under the new law, the requirement applies to all employees in a Title I building, whether they're paid with federal or local dollars.

Educational Testing Service, a private educational testing and measurement organization based in Princeton, N.J., has developed a test dubbed ParaPro that Missouri and several other states are using for paraprofessionals.

The pass/fail cutoff point for ParaPro has been established, and Mike Alexander, director of federal instructional improvement with the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, expects the test to be available later this summer.

The multiple-choice test, which covers basic communication arts and mathematics, can be administered with paper and pencil or online. Alexander said he doesn't think the test is difficult, but it can be taken more than once if it isn't passed the first time.

"I think it's a good thing," Alexander said. "If you're working with children, you should have some level of expertise."

Test anxiety

The Missouri National Education Association conducted a survey last year of paraprofessionals from throughout the state asking how they felt about the change in requirements.

DeeAnn Aull, teaching and learning director with MNEA, said one of the biggest concerns voiced by paraprofessionals who participated in the survey was the difficulty of the test.

"Some of the paraprofessionals have been out of school for a long time and they have test anxiety," Aull said.

Once the ETS assessment has been officially approved by the state, Aull said MNEA has plans to offer workshops around the state to help prepare paraprofessionals.

The cost involved in taking the test or returning to college was also a widespread concern among survey participants.

"These people are not highly paid," Aull said. "Although many would like to return to school, to put requirements on them that require money is difficult for them."

Aull said districts can use Title I funds to assist paraprofessionals with college expenses or the cost of the state assessment, and she hopes many will consider doing so.

The Cape Girardeau School District has pledged to pay the cost of the initial test for current employees, but any future paraprofessionals will have to come up with the $40 test fee on their own.

Some took pilot test

Last year, Smithey and 11 other special-education paraprofessionals employed in Cape Girardeau's schoolwide Title I buildings participated in a ParaPro pilot test. Those who passed do not have to retake the official test.

The fear of failing made some paraprofessionals, like Barbara Morse, balk at the idea of taking the pilot test.

Morse, who works at Central Middle School, had been out of school 33 years when she was hired as a paraprofessional last summer and then found out she would be required to take a test.

"I was in a panic at first, because I didn't know what it was going to be about," said Morse. "But after taking it, I saw the benefits. It was all stuff you should know if you're going to be in a teaching situation."

The New Orleans Times-Picayune contributed to this report.

cclark@semissourian.com

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