Para to Teacher Program

The Para to Teacher Program is a teacher preparation pathway created to support current and new paraprofessionals who are interested in completing a teaching degree.

The program allows candidates to continue working as paraprofessionals while taking coursework.

With the current shortage of teachers, this program helps to fill the gap. Candidates will need to apply and be accepted in the Teacher Education program first, before applying to the Para to Teacher Program.

100% online coursework
Earn College Credits
Field Placement within your school
Two year program
Leads to GA certification
Classes start in the fall semester

Who should apply?

● Current paras who want to pursue a teaching program
● Juniors and seniors in the education program
● Anyone with an associate degree and is pursuing a para job

Para to Teacher Program Application

How & When to Apply?

Application Due Dates:

Spring Semester Application Deadline (no later than 30 days prior to Spring Semester Drop/Add)
Fall Semester Application Deadline (no later than 30 days prior to Fall Semester Drop/Add)
Late applications may be considered. Contact the Para-to-Teacher Program at annmarie.wright@ung.edu

Application Expectations:

Teacher candidates applying to the Para-to-Teacher Program who are already in the COE- Elementary-SPED program
Teacher candidates in the program with a GPA under 3.0 will need to be on an academic plan to best support them through the program

Application Review Process:

Once the teacher candidate’s application has been submitted, a committee will review the application.
Teacher candidates will be notified of the committee’s decision within 28 days of submitting the application.

Program Courses
Teacher candidates interested in applying to the Para-to-Teacher Program should
register for online courses ONLY.

Teacher candidates’ course schedules and format cannot be changed after the
drop/add period ends.

If a teacher candidate plans on applying for the program, the teacher candidate
should reach out to the Para-to-Teacher Program Coordinator directly.

Applying for Para Positions in School Districts
The Para-to-Teacher Program Coordinator must be informed of the teacher
candidate’s interest in applying to the program before the teacher candidate seeks
a teaching position.

Teacher candidates must inform the Field Placement Director, Ms. Raquel
Johnson, once they have selected the school districts of interest.

Email the Field Experience Office for information to determine if the school district of interest will
require the development of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). An MOU
must be in place prior to the teacher candidate being hired.

Para-to-Teacher Program candidates must inform their potential employers of
UNG’s Para-to-Teacher Program Guidelines.

Note: Teacher candidates who are applying to a paraprofessional role should not sign a contract for a paraprofessional position before sharing UNG’s Para-to-Teacher Program Guidelines with the future employer. This is necessary so that administrators understand and agree with the guidelines of the program relating to flexibility in meeting the various placements.

ELE-SPED Field Placement Expectations
Teacher candidates in the Para-to-Teacher Program are expected to complete all
program requirements. This includes:

PreK-K placement (minimum of 48 hours)

1st-3rd placement (minimum of 48 hours)

4th-5th placement (minimum of 48 hours

(3) SPED placements (minimum of 48 per placement)

Note: While 48 hours is the minimum, if at all possible, the teachercandidate should continue to collect as many hours as possible in the targeted placement. This will allow the teacher candidate to attain additional knowledge and skills for that setting.

Teacher candidates must be assigned to mentor teachers who meet the GaPS mentor teacher requirements.

Teacher candidates will be assigned a university supervisor by the COE.

Teacher candidates will need to be in good standing throughout their time in the ELE-SPED program.

Meeting Grade Band Requirements
Teacher candidates in the Para-to-Teacher Program may meet the 48 hours for
each grade band in any of the following creative ways:

Completing grade band requirements in the classrooms in which they are working

Switching with another para to meet grade band hours requirement

Meeting and working with students during their planning period per grade band

Meeting and working with students during students’ specials per grade band.

Special Education Field Placement Requirements
○ Working in an Adapted Curriculum Setting:

If teacher candidates are hired as a para in an adapted curriculum setting,
there will need to be specific considerations, including the following:

The school should be willing to release teacher candidates to satisfy the grade band requirements per the program.

Teacher candidates cannot complete their final internship requirement for student teaching (15 weeks or 600 hours) in an adapted curriculum setting.

An adapted curriculum cannot be used to satisfy the general education placement hours.

Satisfying Special Education Requirements
Teacher candidates can satisfy their SPED placement requirement in the
following settings:

■ Resource

■ Self-Contained

■ Push-In SPED

■ Co-Teaching

■ EIP (Juniors ONLY)

■ IRR

■ Skills Based Autism

■ Inclusion

■ The Futures Program

Final Internship

If the teacher candidate is using an adapted curriculum in their classroom, the
teacher candidate cannot use this setting for final internship/student teaching
placement.

The teacher candidate can only complete their final
internship/student teaching in a setting using a general curriculum.

ELE-SPED Course Expectations

○ Teacher candidates are expected to successfully complete all program courses as
listed in the ELE/SPED Plan of Study. If a teacher candidate cannot complete course requirements, they may need to be placed on a modified schedule that will allow for scheduling changes to the typical course sequence.

Note: If a teacher candidate is placed on a modified schedule, a Professional Development
Plan (PDP) will be developed.

○ Teacher candidates of the ELE-SPED Paraprofessional to Teacher Program will
be administratively registered for online ELE-SPED courses.

○ Teacher candidates can register for face-to-face courses, if the courses do not
conflict with work hours.