Division of Certification and Preparation
Teacher Aides/Paraprofessionals
Tuition Exemption/Stipend Program for Teacher Aides & Paraprofessionals
The State of Louisiana provides for a Tuition Exemption and Stipend Program that is designed to assist teacher aides and other paraprofessionals who work in state-approved elementary and secondary schools to meet the qualifications for certification as a teacher. To be eligible for tuition exemption an individual must:
• Be employed full-time in a school as a teacher aide or paraprofessional.
• Be enrolled in a college/university program that leads to certification.
• Have earned passing scores on Praxis I, the teacher testing battery for reading, writing, and mathematics skills. An ACT composite score of 22 or an SAT combined verbal and math score of 1030 can substitute for this requirement.
On behalf of eligible participants in the program, the Department of Education pays the building use fee and the academic registration fee per credit hour for approved courses successfully completed each semester or quarter. The amount paid for any tuition imposed by a nonpublic university shall not be greater than the highest tuition charged by a public university for that current semester or quarter. Eligible participants must pay all other mandated fees.
In addition to tuition exemption, each eligible participant shall receive a stipend at the end of the semester or quarter in which the participant performs his/her student teaching, if funds are available. This stipend will be an amount equal to the salary that would otherwise have been paid by the employing school system if the individual were not participating in the program.
Eligible participants must agree to practice his/her profession in the public elementary or secondary schools of Louisiana for at least two consecutive years after completion of all required courses for certification and upon becoming certified as a teacher.
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