About Us

Information to Help You Use our Website

Welcome to our website. On this site, you can download information on teacher assistant related legal requirements and effective practice, register for various training opportunities, access resources including training materials, PowerPoint presentations and our quarterly teacher assistant newsletter, get on our Newsletter Master Email List, link to other websites, and much more.

For a shortcut to finding out about all of the resources on our website, download RI Teacher Assistant Website At-A-Glance (92KB/2 pages). If you have comments or questions about our website, please email us.

Most of our downloads are PDF documents. To view these documents you need Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free.

RI's Policy and Professional Development Infrastructure for Teacher Assistants

Beginning in the mid-1990’s, the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) began a multi-faceted approach to supporting teacher assistant quality and effective use. Learn more about RI’s teacher assistant requirements and resources using the handout and PowerPoint presentation listed below. They are available for individual use and training others.

Statewide Data on RI Teacher Assistant Qualifications, Use, Policy and Practice

Since 2003, the RI Department of Education has annually surveyed districts, educational collaboratives, charter schools, state operated programs and non-public schools for students with special needs. Two types of data have been collected.

  • For a copy of the Report of Teacher Assistant Assignments and Qualifications In RI School Districts and Other Educational Programs, click here.
  • For a copy of the Report of Teacher Assistant Local Policy and Practice In RI School Districts and Other Educational Programs, click here.

    • Guidance For People Interested in Becoming a Teacher Assistant in RI

    The RI Department of Education (RIDE) does not CERTIFY Teacher Assistants (TAs) at the state level. Rather, there are state level qualifications for TAs that school districts then follow in hiring TAs. School districts can have hiring requirements that are stricter than these minimum state qualifications.
    Click here for more information.

    Teacher Assistant Logo

    Our logo conveys a theme of teacher assistants working with teachers to help students star in educational settings. In the logo, the teacher is responsible for the "big picture" (the box framing the logo) including providing direction and supervision for teacher assistants. The teacher assistant is a reflection of the teacher, with a role different from and complementary to the teacher. Working as an instructional team, the star of their focus is the student whom they support in achieving at high levels.