Most Aides Eligible to Return to Duty This School Year

Teachers may have another year to pass muster, but the deadline is past for the nation’s paraprofessionals.

A large proportion of classroom paraprofessionals appear to have acquired at least the minimum qualifications necessary under the No Child Left Behind Act, but the few who did not meet the June 30 deadline could find themselves out of their jobs in this new school year.

The federal government has not yet compiled data on how many academic aides have fulfilled the guidelines set when the law was passed in 2001. Past reports, however, show the number of qualified paraprofessionals varies widely...