Teacher Assistant

Teacher Assistant Employment Criteria

It is important to note that a paraprofessional (teacher assistant) only needs to meet one of the criteria options. The federal legislation states that a paraprofessional who performs instructional duties must either have two years of study, which is 48 semester hours, at an Institution of Higher Education or have an associate’s degree from a higher education institution. The federal legislation also allows the States to develop a rigorous assessment that may meet the employment criteria. The NC State Board of Education approved our assessment options in the spring of 2002. These were outlined in the Consolidated Plan submitted to the US Department of Education in May 2002.

Assessment Options

Option 1:  A four-year degree from an accredited college/university (must have a copy of official transcripts confirming the degree uploaded into Applitrack)
Option 2:  A two-year degree from an accredited college/university (must have a copy of official transcripts confirming the degree uploaded into Applitrack)
Option 3:  48 Semester hour credits from an accredited college/university: If earned quarter credits, determine the semester value by multiplying the number of credits by .67 (must have a copy of official transcripts confirming the degree uploaded into Applitrack)
Option 4:  6 semester hours and passing WorkKeys assessment scores in Workplace Documents, Business Writing, and Applied Mathematics. Passing scores are a 4 in reading and math and a 3 in writing. All this information must be confirmed by official documentation.

WorkKeys Testing Information

Harnett County Schools no longer administers the WorkKeys test. Please contact your local community college to request an appointment to take the test.

Links to Testing Information

TA's in a PreK setting will require current PreSchool CPR certification (or willingness to be certified immediately upon hire) and an additional fingerprint background check through the Harnett County Partnership for Children.