Becoming a Paraprofessional
To become a Paraprofessional in the state of Illinois, the following are requirements set forth by the Illinois State Board of Education:
- At least 19 years of age
- Must have earned one of the following:
- Associate's degree or higher
- 60 semester hours of coursework (100-level or higher)
- High School Diploma or GED and score of 460 or higher on the ETS Parapro
- High School Diplomas or GED and the following on the ACT Workkeys:
- Applied Math (with a score of 4)
- Workplace Documents (with a score of 4)
Notes:
- Paraprofessional Licenses are valid for 5 years and may be renewed with payment and registration fees.
- If you hold a Paraprofessional License and have a Bachelor's Degree on file, you are qualified to be a substitute teacher.
- Coursework must be at the 100-level or higher from a regionally accredited college or university.
STEP 1: Obtain a Paraprofessional License from the State of Illinois
If you already hold a valid PEL, skip ahead to step 2.
- Submit an online application on the Illinois State Board of Education ELIS site. There is a $100 fee.
If you do not already have an ELIS (Educator License Information System) account:
- Go to the Illinois State Board of Education ELIS Log in page
- Click CLICK HERE FOR FIRST TIME ACCESS TO THE ELIS SYSTEM. This will direct you to create an ELIS for
Educators account to access ELIS and view your credentials. After creating your account, you will be able to log in to ELIS anytime to access your
information.
- Send official college transcripts* to the ROE at nkoch@roe45.net or mail to:
Regional Office of Education #45
107 East Mill Street
Waterloo, Illinois 62298
*College transcripts:
- If emailed, all transcripts need to come directly from the University or a Clearinghouse designated by the respective University.
- If mailed, all transcripts must be in a sealed envelope directly from the University.
- You will receive email confirmation from the ROE once transcripts are loaded into your ELIS account.
Once your application is approved or denied (for any reason), updates will be posted in your ELIS account.
STEP 2: Register your License with Region #45
Upon issuance of the License by Illinois State Board of Education, your license must be registered with the our #45 region. This can be done once your License is Issued on your ELIS account and no longer Pending Review. There is a $30 fee to register your License.
- In your ELIS account, select the Registration tab.
- Choose Region 45 Monroe-Randolph.
If your License is already registered with another region, you will not need to pay an additional fee to register with region #45.
STEP 3: Contact the School District you are interested in working as a Paraprofessional in.
To view all school districts in Monroe and Randolph Counties, click here.
To become a Paraprofessional in the state of Illinois, the following are requirements set forth by the Illinois State Board of Education:
- At least 19 years of age
- Must have earned one of the following:
- Associate's degree or higher
- 60 semester hours of coursework (100-level or higher)
- High School Diploma or GED and score of 460 or higher on the ETS Parapro
- High School Diplomas or GED and the following on the ACT Workkeys:
- Applied Math (with a score of 4)
- Workplace Documents (with a score of 4)
Notes:
- Paraprofessional Licenses are valid for 5 years and may be renewed with payment and registration fees.
- If you hold a Paraprofessional License and have a Bachelor's Degree on file, you are qualified to be a substitute teacher.
- Coursework must be at the 100-level or higher from a regionally accredited college or university.
STEP 1: Obtain a Paraprofessional License from the State of Illinois
If you already hold a valid PEL, skip ahead to step 2.
- Submit an online application on the Illinois State Board of Education ELIS site. There is a $100 fee.
If you do not already have an ELIS (Educator License Information System) account:
- Go to the Illinois State Board of Education ELIS Log in page
- Click CLICK HERE FOR FIRST TIME ACCESS TO THE ELIS SYSTEM. This will direct you to create an ELIS for
Educators account to access ELIS and view your credentials. After creating your account, you will be able to log in to ELIS anytime to access your
information.
- Send official college transcripts* to the ROE at nkoch@roe45.net or mail to:
Regional Office of Education #45
107 East Mill Street
Waterloo, Illinois 62298
*College transcripts:
- If emailed, all transcripts need to come directly from the University or a Clearinghouse designated by the respective University.
- If mailed, all transcripts must be in a sealed envelope directly from the University.
- You will receive email confirmation from the ROE once transcripts are loaded into your ELIS account.
Once your application is approved or denied (for any reason), updates will be posted in your ELIS account.
STEP 2: Register your License with Region #45
Upon issuance of the License by Illinois State Board of Education, your license must be registered with the our #45 region. This can be done once your License is Issued on your ELIS account and no longer Pending Review. There is a $30 fee to register your License.
- In your ELIS account, select the Registration tab.
- Choose Region 45 Monroe-Randolph.
If your License is already registered with another region, you will not need to pay an additional fee to register with region #45.
STEP 3: Contact the School District you are interested in working as a Paraprofessional in.
To view all school districts in Monroe and Randolph Counties, click here.
