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Payroll and Personnel » Instructional Aide - Proficiency Exam

Instructional Aide - Proficiency Exam

Join SHJUSD in preparing today's students for tomorrow's world.
 
Paraprofessionals, also known as paraeducators, teacher aides, or instructional aides, are an important component of California’s education system. A paraprofessional includes an instructional aide as defined in subdivision (a) of California Education Code (EC) Section 45343 and a teacher aide as described in EC Section 45360.

Requirements for all Instructional Aide positions:

Instructional Aide applicants are required to provide one of the following documents with their application (attach document to application in EdJoin):

  • Proof of passage of CBEST
  • Proof of 48 units or an AA degree or higher from an accredited institution in the US
  • SHJUSD Proficiency Exam with passing scores (if none of the above are available)
 
The exam may take up to 3 hours and can be scheduled by requesting an appointment with the Director of Payroll and Personnel, Kayla Hansen. Click the link on the left-hand side of this webpage.
 
Photo ID is required to take the exam.
 
Applicants may not be hired unless the requirements are met.

As an Instructional Aide working in a public school, you must have a high school diploma or equivalent and meet a rigorous standard of quality through local assessment, as required by the Federal K-12 education law of the United States.

 

ESSA was signed into law in 2015 and replaced the previous education law called "No Child Left Behind". ESSA extended more flexibility to States in education and laid out expectations of transparency for parents and communities.

 

ESSA requires individual districts to qualify their Instructional Aides. SHJUSD provides a proficiency exam for their Instructional Aides to meet this requirement. This exam is comprehensive and may ask questions that have little relevance to an Instructional Aide’s current position.

 

For example, how much algebra do you need to know to work with elementary students?

SHJUSD has a commitment to our students to hire Instructional Aides who are ESSA qualified, which includes being knowledgeable in all core academic subjects. Even though some knowledge may not be directly relevant to his/her current position, the Instructional Aide’s assignment may change while employed by the District.

 

If you have a minimum of 48 units from an accredited college or university, an Associate's Degree, or a Bachelor's Degree you meet the requirements and do not need to take the proficiency exam.

ESSA includes provisions that will help to ensure success for students and schools. Below are just a few. The law:
  • Advances equity by upholding critical protections for America's disadvantaged and high-need students.
  • Requires—for the first time—that all students in America be taught to high academic standards that will prepare them to succeed in college and careers.
  • Ensures that vital information is provided to educators, families, students, and communities through annual statewide assessments that measure students' progress toward those high standards.
  • Helps to support and grow local innovations—including evidence-based and place-based interventions developed by local leaders and educators.
  • Sustains and expands this administration's historic investments in increasing access to high-quality preschool.
  • Maintains an expectation that there will be accountability and action to effect positive change in our lowest-performing schools, where groups of students are not making progress, and where graduation rates are low over extended periods of time.

The exam contains 100 multiple-choice questions which assess knowledge in the core academic subjects.

The main components of the SHJUSD Proficiency Exam include:

  • Reading comprehension
  • Language expression
  • Study skills
  • Pre-Algebra and Algebra
  • Geometry
  • Writing sample

The test passpoint is 75% for each individual test. The time allowed for the exam is approximately 3 hours. Calculators cannot be used during the test.

You may access various free tutorials online for assistance. You do not need to join to be able to access all of their information. You will find tutorials on the following websites:
 
Math:

Reading:

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