Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

No Child Left Behind and Paraprofessionals: Are They Perceived To Be Highly Qualified?

Heather G. Nelson, Betty Y. Ashbaker, Shannon Coetzee, Jill Morgan
  • Heather G. Nelson (Author) Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department Brigham Young University image/svg+xml
  • Betty Y. Ashbaker (Author) Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department Brigham Young University
  • Shannon Coetzee (Author) Counseling Psychology and Special Education Department Brigham Young University
  • Jill Morgan (Author) Swansea Institute of Higher Education Swansea, Wales, UK
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.29
Abstract
The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001 introduced new requirements for paraprofessionals, specifying criteria for them to achieve "highly qualified" status. This article describes a study which explored the perceptions of teachers and paraprofessional teams as to whether the paraprofessionals would be considered "highly qualified" and more specifically whether they were trained for and competent in carrying out various instructional duties. The results of the study suggest that the NCLB requirements may be poorly understood; even by some of those who already meet the requirements. Furthermore, results indicate that teacher-paraprofessional pairs do not necessarily agree on the extent to which the paraprofessionals are considered trained and competent.
Keywords
Secondary School Teachers, Educational Legislation, Federal Legislation, Special Education, At Risk Students, Elementary School Teachers
References

Ashbaker B., & Minney, R. B. (2005). A Complete Guide to Employing, Training and Supervising Paraprofessionals. New York, NY: Brownstone Publishing, Inc. Council for Exceptional Children Performance-Based Standards for Paraeducators. Retrieved from: http://www.cec.sped.org/Content/NavigationMenu/ProfessionalDevelopment/ProfessionalStandards/EthicsPracticeStandards/Professional_Standards__CEC_Performance_Based_Standards_Paraeducators.htm

Executive summary—Twenty-First Annual Report to Congress on the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Retrieved from: http://www.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/osep/1999/index.html

Morgan, J., Ashbaker, B., & Allred, D. (2000). Providing training for paraeducators: What motivates them to attend? The Researcher 15 (1), 50-55.

Morgan J. & Hofmeister A.M. (1997) Staff Development Curricula for the Paraeducator: Observations from the Research. CASE in Point 10 (2), 37-41.

Magnuson, P. (2003) The new “paras.” Communicator (January 2003, pp 1-4). National Association of elementary School Principals. Retrieved from: http://www.naesp.org/ContentLoad.do?contentld=199

No Child Left Behind (2001). Retrieved from: http://www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml

There are 6 references in total.
How to Cite
Nelson, H. G., Ashbaker, B. Y., Coetzee, S., & Morgan, J. (2007). No Child Left Behind and Paraprofessionals: Are They Perceived To Be Highly Qualified?. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 2(2), 45-69. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.29

Spring 2007

Article Information

  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted April 13, 2007
  • Published June 15, 2007
  • Issue Spring 2007
  • Section Articles
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