North Dakota high school students who are interested in education can now earn a “general education paraprofessional certificate” by taking a few classes in high school. State School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler says in as little as a year, a student could be qualified to work as an aide to a classroom teacher.
"It's interesting because high schools have historically prepared students and provided opportunities for students to get certified in other industry sectors and other career options, but we'd really never looked at our own. So, we took some time, we stepped back and reflected on how we might be able to use multiple prongs, multiple strategies to assist in and ease the teacher shortage that we have in our state, and this is one path that we felt was a good step to take. So, we're very excited about it."
Students across the state can earn their certificate by taking a combination of two general education or career and technical education classes that offer instruction in classroom teaching theory, methods, and practices.
Baesler says the certificate can give them a head start on a full teaching license or get them a job right out of high school. She says she’s already seeing a lot of interest in schools across the state.
"I'm feeling more confident than I have in the last five to 10 years about the pipeline
that we are creating for the paraprofessionals that are needed in our schools and then that paraprofessional certificate leading to license teachers."