Instructional Assistants

LWSD is currently hiring instructional assistants

Make a huge difference in the school and the lives of students as an Instructional Assistant.

Why become an instructional assistant?

• Support and coach students, and make a lasting difference in their lives.
• Form strong relationships with students, teachers and families.
• Work in a supportive team environment.
• Earn competitive pay, excellent benefits (for positions anticipated to work 630 hours during the school year or approximately a minimum of 4 hours a day) and participate in Washington State’s retirement system.

Instructional Assistant responsibilities include:

• Assist teaching staff with student supervision in suspension room.
• Support students in completing instructional tasks .
• Support with maintaining and orderly instructional environment within this space.
• Assist teaching staff by administering alternate assessments to students and compiling and analyzing behavior data. 
• Support with classroom, lunchroom, library, before or after school academic programs, or office, as needed.
• Additional guidelines for working with students receiving special education services.

What qualifications are required to become an instructional assistant

To qualify as an instructional assistant for Lake Washington School District, we require the same minimum qualifications that are needed for paraeducators in Washington.  Candidates must meet one of the following minimum requirements:

1. Education requirement: Hold an associate degree (AA) or higher from an accredited college or university. Refer to information below if your degree was earned outside of the United States. 
2. College credit requirement: Have completed 72 quarter credits or 48 semester credits at the 100 level or above.
3. Assessment requirements: Have graduated from high school and passed one of the following:
   • ETS ParaPro Assessment with a score of 455 or higher, or 
   • Pearson Paraprofessional (ParaProfessional/WEST) Assessment with a score of 220 or higher.

Tip: If you don’t meet these educational requirements but still want to support our schools, you may consider applying to be a substitute paraeducator or instructional assistant. See our Careers page for more information.  

Foreign Transcript Evaluation 

If your degree was earned outside the United States, you’ll need to complete a foreign transcript evaluation to confirm U.S. degree equivalency before it can be accepted for hiring purposes. You will have the option to submit a course-by-course evaluation or document by document evaluation.  

Steps: 

1. Choose a NACES-approved evaluation agency. LWSD requires evaluations from agencies that are members of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) at www.naces.org. 
2. Submit your transcripts, diplomas, and translations (if required). 
3. Request an electronic copy of your evaluation. 
4. Upload a copy of your evaluation report to your applicant profile: https://www.applitrack.com/lakewashington/onlineapp/default.aspx 

Cost and timeline: Evaluations typically cost $100–$275 and take 1–2 weeks to process, depending on the agency.

Alternatives to a Degree 

If you don’t have a college degree or credits, you can still qualify by passing the ETS ParaPro or Pearson Paraprofessional (WEST) assessment, which measures reading, writing and math skills necessary to support instruction in schools.