A Response to the No Child Left Behind Act

WorkKeys^® Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants

The No Child Left Behind Act, which President Bush signed into law early in 2002, requires that Title I-funded teacher assistants have one of the following:

• an associate's (two-year) degree
• two years of college completed
• demonstrated knowledge, through a formal state or local academic assessment, of reading/language arts, writing and mathematics

The law states that any assessment used to certify teacher assistants must be valid, reliable, and documented.

WorkKeys fits these criteria. It is a legally defensible, U.S. Department of Labor-compliant testing system that contains assessments in all three subject areas required by No Child Left Behind, as well as a rating scale for teaching skills to be completed by a knowledgeable observer.

The real advantage to using this system is that it includes both skills testing and skills training. If job applicants earn WorkKeys scores that are below the passing level, they can train to improve their skills.

• Training targeted for specific WorkKeys skill levels has been developed by several training companies, including KeyTrain and Worldwide Interactive Network (WIN).
• Writing training from other e-learning providers is available through our nationwide ACT Center™ network.
• Training is available for all three WorkKeys tests included in the teacher assistant proficiency certificate program.

ACT's WorkKeys Proficiency Certificate for Teacher Assistants also contains an Instructional Support Inventory that school districts can use to observe the teaching skills (pedagogical skills) of a teacher assistant. In this way, a teacher assistant can demonstrate competence in classroom skills.

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