Educational Aide Certification

All educational aides employed in Texas school districts must be certified according to requirements established by the State Board for Educator Certification (SBEC).

School districts have the authority and responsibility to determine the number of educational aides to employ and for preparing accurate job descriptions for each assignment. There are three certification levels of educational aides. Role descriptions for each level can be found in Title 19 Texas Administrative Code (TAC) §230.61. It’s important to note that an Educational Aide III certificate is required if an aide is assigned to a Grades 9–12 in-school suspension class for students assigned less than six weeks (19 TAC §231.95).

Several model job descriptions can be found in the HR Services’ Model Job Descriptions (member login required) including classroom instructional aide, computer lab aide, in-school suspension aide, library aide, and special needs aide.

An individual who holds a valid Texas classroom teaching certificate may serve as an educational aide without obtaining an educational aide certificate.

Certification Requirements

To be issued an educational aide certificate an individual must be employed by a school district, meet certification requirements for an educational aide I, II, or III, and pay the designated fee (19 TAC §230.53). The employing district submits a completed application and recommendation to Texas Education Agency (TEA) staff. The requirements for each level of certification are detailed below.

Educational aide I:

• must be a high school graduate or hold a General Education Development (GED) certificate or higher; and
• have experience working with students or parents as approved by the employing superintendent (e.g., church-related schools, day camps, youth groups, private schools, licensed daycare centers); or
• be a high school student 18 years of age or older; and
• have a final grade of 70 or better in two or more education courses including at least one of the specific training courses described in 19 TAC §130.164 and 19 TAC §130.165.

Educational aide II:

• must be a high school graduate or hold a General Education Development (GED) certificate or higher; and
• have satisfied one of the following requirements:
  • have two creditable years of experience as an educational aide I;
  • have a minimum of 15 semester credit hours of college credit with some emphasis on child growth and development or related subject areas; or
  • have demonstrated proficiency in a specialized skill area as determined by the school district; and
• have experience working with students or parents as approved by the employing superintendent.

Educational aide III:

• must be a high school graduate or hold a General Education Development (GED) certificate or higher; and
• have satisfied one of the following requirements:
  • have three creditable years of experience as either an educational aide I or II; or
  • have 30 semester hours of college credit with some emphasis on child growth and development or related subject areas; and
• have experience working with students or parents as approved by the employing superintendent.

Certificate Maintenance

Educational aide certificates are not eligible for renewal. Educational aide certificates issued prior to September 1, 2017, are valid for five years and expire at the end of their validity period. Certificates issued after August 31, 2017, are valid for two years. By September 1, 2022, all educational aides will be on the two-year reissuance cycle simplifying the maintenance of these types of certificates.

When a certificate expires a candidate must submit a new online application with payment and be recommended by the employing school district for reissuance of an educational aide certificate. A school district may recommend a higher level of educational aide certificate if requirements stated above have been met.

The reissuance of an educational aide certificate is a collaborative effort between the educational aide and the school district. This provides an opportunity for the school district to recommend educational aides for a higher level of certificate more frequently.