Paraeducator Renewal

How do I Renew My Paraeducator Generalist Certification and/or Add an Area of Concentration?

Paraeducator Certification Renewal

The Paraeducator Generalist Certificate is valid for five years and expires five years from the date of issuance by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners. Application fees are paid to the BOEE during the application process.

Required Documents for Renewal

Official Transcript(s) showing completion of coursework totaling three (3) credits. Courses should be completed between the issue date and the expiration date of your certificate, or be no more than five years old.
Valid Certificates of Completion for the Mandatory Reporter: Child Abuse training and Mandatory Reporter: Dependent Adult Abuse training.

New Law Effective July 1, 2023: HF672 eliminates the renewal credit requirement for licensed educators (including certified paraeducators) who have completed a master’s degree or higher and have at least 10 years of licensed experience in education. However, you must still apply to renew your paraeducator certificate and include valid Mandatory Reporter for Child Abuse and Dependent Adult Abuse certificates, verification of master’s degree, and verification of 10 years or more of education experience (letters on school letterhead from current/previous school districts).

Coursework to Obtain Credits

You may use classes from any Iowa AEA or accredited college or university. Coursework should be related to education or duties performed and can be taken in any combination of the following areas:

Area of Concentration not currently held (see below)
Content that will assist a paraeducator in supporting students in reading, writing, or mathematics
Content that supports either the building’s or district’s career development plan
College credit earned for each semester hour
Substitute Authorization course (see below)

For a list of Heartland AEA classes and to register, visit:

Heartland AEA Quick Search Catalog

Paraeducator Generalist Certification – Level II: Adding an Area of Concentration

Prerequisite

You must have been issued your Paraeducator Generalist Certificate by the BoEE prior to completing an Area of Concentration course in order to receive a Level II certification (Area of Concentration) or use the credit from that course to renew your Paraeducator Generalist Certificate.

Paraeducator Area of Concentration Courses

Area of Concentration courses are 3 credits each. Any of these courses can be used to receive a Level II certification (Area of Concentration) and you can use the 3 credits to renew your Paraeducator Generalist Certificate.

HL – Paraeducator Area of Concentration: Special Needs

Participants will gain an understanding of the nature of serving students with special needs.

HL – Paraeducator Area of Concentration: Early Childhood

Participants will gain knowledge, skills and strategies to assist, support and maintain the positive social, emotional and behavioral development of early childhood students and early childhood students with special needs (birth to grade 3 with an emphasis on ages 3-5).

HL – Paraeducator Area of Concentration: English as a Second Language (ESL)

Participants will gain knowledge, skills and strategies to assist and support ESL students.

HL – Paraeducator Area of Concentration: Library, Media & Technology

Participants will gain knowledge, skills and strategies in library, media and technology to support the K-12 school teacher-librarian in the operation of the school library.

For a list of Heartland AEA classes and to register, visit:

Paraeducator Quick Search Catalog

Substitute Authorization

This is a 1-credit course. You will need to take an additional course(s) to obtain your 3 credits needed to renew.

A Substitute Authorization will authorize an individual who holds a Paraeducator Generalist Certificate, without an associate’s degree or 60 semester hours of credit from a regionally-accredited institution, to substitute ONLY in the special education classroom in which the individual paraeducator is employed for no more than five consecutive days. A school administrator may request permission through the BOEE for a certified paraeducator to substitute outside their special education classroom.

The Substitute Authorization will be added as an Area of Concentration and will automatically renew with the Paraeducator Generalist Certificate.

HL – Substitute Authorization Course

This is a 1-credit course that meets for 20 hours and addresses the four components required by the Iowa Board of Educational Examiners: Classroom Management, Strategies for Learning, Diversity, and Ethics.

For a list of Heartland AEA classes and to register, visit:

Substitute Authorization Quick Search Catalog

Mandatory Reporter Training

The AEA Online Learning System provides employees of participating Iowa school districts the Mandatory Reporter: Child Abuse and Mandatory Reporter: Dependent Adult Abuse trainings at no charge.

AEA Learning Online Learning System