Rhode Island Law (RIGL 16-11.2) establishes requirements related to the employment, training, and use of teacher assistants. As required by this law, the R. I. Department of Education has established State standards that identify pre-employment requirements related to preparation required for all entry-level teacher assistants. In addition, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) also establish requirements for the qualifications of teacher assistants in certain roles. For more information on the legal requirements for teacher assistants, along with resources, networking, and training opportunities, please refer to the following website: www.ritap.org/ta.
(RIDE Teacher Assistant Network Session - January 2009 - "Teacher Assistant Role in Data Collection" presented by Amy Grattan. If interested, register with Shirley.Medeiros@ride.ri.gov by December 16).
One of the requirements to become a Teacher Assistant is participation in an approved Teacher Assistant Training Program. The Northern Rhode Island Collaborative is a R.I. Department of Education approved training site for Teacher Assistant Training. The program is held at NRIC's Main Office and consists of 15 classroom hours (7 sessions) and a 6-hour NRIC classroom field experience. The topics include:
- Roles and responsibilities of teacher assistants, school policies & procedures
- Developing instructional skills, utilizing a plan book, teaching to learner objectives, testing and evaluative materials, technology in the classroom
- Behavior and classroom management and instructional strategies
- Health, safety and emergency procedures including basic first aid awareness, universal precautions, recognizing and reporting child abuse/neglect, safe lifting techniques
The cost for NRIC's training program is $270.00. Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-serve basis (a minimum of 10 participants, maximum of 25).
NRIC Teacher Assistant Training Program scheduled for January 2009!
Please see the attached flyer for more details or contact Debbie Jannetta at (401) 658-5790, Ext. 223.
(Please note that you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to read and/or print this form).
