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Career overview · SOC 25-9043

Teaching Assistants, Special Education

Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

Also called: Assistant Instructor · Co-Teacher · Educational Assistant · Paraeducator · Paraprofessional (Para) · SPED Aide (Special Education Aide)

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags Microsoft Office software as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Active Listening
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Learning Strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing
  • Active Learning
  • Mathematics
  • Science

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

  • Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.
  • Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.
  • Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.
  • Provide assistance to students with special needs.
  • Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.
  • Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.
  • Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.
  • Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.
  • Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud.
  • Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts.

Tools & technology

  • Microsoft Office software
  • Appletree
  • Automate the Schools ATS
  • Blackboard software
  • Children's educational software
  • ClassDojo
  • Flipgrid
  • Google Classroom
  • Google Meet
  • Hand held spell checkers
  • High School Scheduling and Transcript HSST
  • Kahoot!
  • Loom
  • Padlet
  • ParentSquare
  • Quizlet

Knowledge areas

  • English Language
  • Psychology
  • Education and Training
  • Customer and Personal Service
  • Mathematics
  • Public Safety and Security
  • History and Archeology
  • Geography