The ParaPro Assessment was developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS) and is given to individuals in the United States and Canada to assess their academic knowledge and classroom management skills. Teacher’s aids, instructional assistants, and other paraprofessionals must receive a passing score on the ParaPro exam to work in an elementary or secondary school classroom.
ParaPro Test Format
The exam is computer-based and can be taken at home or by appointment in your local school district. There is an $85 fee to register for the exam and a $42.50 fee if you need to reschedule your exam.
The ParaPro assessment consists of 90 multiple-choice questions divided evenly across three subject areas: reading, writing, and mathematics. Each test section is divided into two subsections:
Skills and Knowledge: This section will assess the test taker’s knowledge of the subject presented.
Application: This section will determine the test-taker’s ability to assist students with learning the subject matter.
You will have a two-and-a-half-hour time limit to complete the entire exam.
ParaPro Reading Section
The Reading Skills and Knowledge subsection will assess your ability to read, analyze, and interpret written text. There will be several questions based on passages, charts, tables, and graphs. There are seven critical abilities that this subsection examines:
Identify supporting ideas
Determine the meanings of words and phrases using the surrounding context
Identify the main idea
Identify how a selection is organized
Draw inferences from the text
Identify the difference between facts and opinions
Interpret information from diagrams, tables, graphs, and charts
The Application subsection questions will be based on actual classroom scenarios. They will focus on the foundations of reading and the test taker’s ability to help students in the following areas:
Alphabetize words
Count out words
Break words down into parts
Distinguish between synonyms, antonyms, and homonyms
Decipher words using context clues
Skim text
Make predictions
Use a dictionary
The test will also assess the paraprofessional’s ability to help students understand a selection by asking questions and making accurate predictions about students’ abilities to understand and interpret the text.
ParaPro Writing Section
The Writing Skills and Knowledge subsection will focus on the examinee’s understanding of the written English language. The six main areas that this subsection will focus on are:
Parts of speech (nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, etc.)
The Application portion of this section is based on classroom scenarios when students are composing and editing their own writing. The questions will assess the test taker’s ability to help students:
Identify and use reference materials
Prewrite to organize ideas
Draft and revise
Edit text for grammar, clarity, spelling, word usage, etc.
Recognize and write in different mods (descriptive essays, letters, narratives, persuasive essays)
Write for different audiences and purposes
ParaPro Mathematics Section
The mathematics skills and knowledge subsection will test your understanding of fundamental mathematical concepts. You will not need an advanced knowledge of mathematics to do well on this test. However, you will not be able to use a calculator.
Here are the three main categories that are tested in this section:
Number sense and basic algebra: You will need to perform basic calculations, understand basic mathematical terminology, interpret mathematical symbols, and recognize equivalent number forms to solve equations and word problems.
Geometry and measurement: You will need to identify geometric shapes, graph data on an XY-plane, perform geometric computations, and convert between measurements within the same system.
Data analysis: You will need to interpret data and trends, as well as create tables and graphs and compute mean, median, and mode.
The second subsection, Application, will assess your ability to apply these three categories in the classroom. The questions in this section will focus on your competencies in teaching these concepts.
How Is the ParaPro Test Scored?
Within an hour of completing the test, you will receive an unofficial score report in your email. Official scores will be mailed to you and one recipient of your choice. Additional score reports will cost $50 each.
Knowing that wrong answers do not count against you on the ParaPro exam is essential. The test will only count correct answers. If you are unsure of a response, it is better to guess than leave the question blank. There may also be a few “pre-test questions” that do not count toward your score. However, you will not know which questions these are, so it is best to try to answer each question correctly.
The exact score you will need to be considered “passing” will vary depending on your state and school district. However, scores that are at least 455 are typically considered passing. The official score report you receive will give more information on the requirements for the states you identified as recipients.
If you fail the ParaPro test, you may retake the test after 28 days.
How to Prepare for the ParaPro Assessment?
Doing well on the ParaPro assessment is essential for any educational professional who wants to teach in a classroom setting. Those who do not receive a passing score on the exam will not be licensed to teach.
To ensure you receive a passing score on the exam, you will need to give yourself adequate time to study. There are excellent online resources, such as practice tests and study guides, to help you prepare.
The practice tests will present sample questions to allow you to practice the types of questions you will see on the exam and see what you got right and wrong. Additionally, practice tests will give solutions to show you how to approach the question next time.
Study guides are also a great resource for your test preparation. The teaching field has several best practices that you will want to be aware of before taking the Application subsections of the exam.
Test-takers who prepare for the exam score significantly higher than those who do not. Therefore, give yourself enough time to prepare properly for the ParaPro assessment.
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