Bring your passion into the classroom as a paraeducator/teacher assistant! Join Austin ISD and Austin Community College for the Pathway to Paraeducator/Teacher Assistant Certification Program.

This free certification program is a pathway to a career supporting AISD students as a paraeducator/teacher assistant. This is an exclusive opportunity for families with children enrolled in AISD where participants may earn 21 to 28 hours of learning, tuition-free, through support from the district’s talent acquisition team. The program is completely free for participants.

The goal of this partnership is to provide possible opportunities for career development for family members, caregivers and community members interested in this opportunity. At the same time, we hope to increase the number of candidates ready to serve as paraeducators/teacher assistants within our district.

Teacher assistants serving in Texas schools are required to have paraeducator certification, which includes additional training and preparation. Austin Community College offers a Paraeducator Training Program that leads to instructional aide/paraeducator certification. Per the requirements for paraeducator certification in Texas, identified candidates will have a high school diploma/GED and an associate degree or an official college transcript reflecting 42 hours of coursework. 

Services will be provided through a virtual process during COVID-19. This partnership will allow AISD to recruit and create a pool of 150 course seats for applicants to complete the ACC ParaEducator Certification Programs for future employment with AISD. Candidates will have the option to enroll in the special education certification course that requires 28 hours or the general certification course requiring 21 hours of instruction. 

Austin ISD has a continual goal of recruiting, hiring and retaining instructional paraeducators/teacher assistants to serve our students and our schools. Paraeducators/teacher assistants are a valuable and integral part of AISD’s instructional program. 

Interested candidates must complete the interest form by Nov. 20 to be considered. 

For additional information, please contact your campus Parent Support Specialist, or the Austin ISD Parent Engagement Support Office at 512-414-0726.