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Since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), an associate of arts (AA) degree, or the equivalent of two years of postsecondary education, is a basic requirement for employment as a paraprofessional in schools receiving federal funds. The requirement can be waived if the candidate successfully demonstrates -- in a formal assessment -- knowledge and skills equivalent to the completion of two years of college. Paraprofessionals who were employed prior to the passage of NCLB have until January 2006 to fulfill this requirement.

While the stated purpose of the NCLB requirement is to increase the qualifications of all those who work with students in the classroom, there is also increasing interest in encouraging paraprofessionals to earn an AA degree as a major step toward becoming a certified teacher. Over the next decade, the nation faces the challenging of hiring an estimated 2.5 million new teachers, and most states are facing critical shortfalls in the number of students coming through the educational pipeline with the goal of becoming teachers. Interest in encouraging paraprofessionals to become teachers stems from the fact that paraprofessionals have demonstrated their commitment to working with students in the classroom, and because a high percentage of paraprofessionals reflect the multicultural makeup of their communities, a diversity that is increasingly valued in the teaching workforce.

Many current and prospective paraprofessionals are turning to their local community colleges for classes that will enable them to meet the new NCLB requirements. A primary mission of the community college is to offer instruction at the freshman and sophomore levels equal in rigor and breadth to a university and to do so in a setting of small classes with close faculty-student interaction. Students who complete a prescribed sequence of general education classes (typically 48-60 semester hours) with an emphasis in the liberal arts receive an AA degree, while those who pursue general education courses in the natural and physical sciences receive an associate of science (AS) degree. A more recent development, the associate of applied science degree (AAS) features discipline-specific vocational courses, with less emphasis on traditional general education courses.

Both the AA and AS degrees are considered transfer degrees that typically fulfill lower-division general education requirements in preparation for a four-year baccalaureate, and usually do not include many hands-on courses specifically related to teacher preparation. In contrast, the AAS degree is not generally considered a transfer degree, but rather a terminal degree with a heavy emphasis on applied courses in the major field and some added general education. If a paraprofessional has no intention of pursuing a bachelor’s degree, an AAS degree would provide more classes with a specific focus on paraprofessional preparation.

While every community college in the country offers a range of associate degrees, the National Resource Center for Paraprofessionals (NRCP) has found that 200 community colleges offer either two-year associate degrees or one-year certificate programs specifically designed to train paraprofessionals interested in working in inclusive special and general education, bilingual/ESL, Title I and early childhood programs.