Section 1111 (g) (2) (J) of the Every Student Succeeds Act requires that the state educational agency will ensure that all instructional paraprofessionals working in a program supported with funds under Title I, Part A meet applicable State certification requirements. Additionally, Section 1111 (g)(2)(M) requires that the state has professional standards in place for instructional paraprofessionals. These may be consistent with those previously in place under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Massachusetts will not be changing its requirements for the hiring of paraprofessionals at this time. Local Educational Agencies LEAs are required to have all instructional paraprofessionals in Title I schoolwide buildings, and all instructional paraprofessionals who are funded by Title I or working in a Title I Targeted Assistance program, meet hiring requirements.
Note: Title I paraprofessionals must also work under the direct supervision of a teacher.
The ParaPro measures skills and knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics, as well as the ability to apply those skills and knowledge to assist in classroom instruction. As previously, a scaled score of 464 must be achieved in order to meet Massachusetts hiring requirements. Educational Testing Service ETS will report a single score for the ParaPro and will not give a score for each sub-category. Therefore, banking of subscores will not be possible. There will be, however, some information to the candidate on the score report as to his/her performance on each subcategory.
Massachusetts school districts and charter schools may enroll as an internet-based ParaPro testing site thereby allowing paraprofessionals to take the assessment in a computer lab designated by the district/school. Information for school districts and charter schools that are interested in becoming testing sites can be found at: ParaPro Assessment Application .
General questions regarding the ParaPro can be sent to parapro@ets.org . You can also visit the ParaPro website, located at: ParaPro Assessment .
Pearson's Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction (FOCSI) assesses key skills in Literacy, Language Arts, Numeracy, and Instructional Strategies. The Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction FOCSI assessment provides valuable information to help guide staffing choices and professional development planning. A candidate must achieve a scaled score of 220 to meet Massachusetts hiring requirement.
Feedback will be given to the candidate on each domain/subarea and competency to provide information on their strengths and any support needed. Additionally, there is a Right Start course for Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction. For more information or to purchase the Right Start course for this assessment please visit the National Evaluation Series Right Start page . The Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction FOCSI assessment is currently available at Pearson testing centers worldwide and through online proctoring.
Additional information about the Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction FOCSI assessment, including preparation resources is available on the National Evaluation Series: Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction website. Please send any questions regarding the Foundations of Classroom Support and Instruction FOCSI assessment to: ES_NES@pearson.com .
Preparation to Employment Pipeline: Department of Elementary and Secondary Education DESE District Advisory
Paraprofessional Teacher Preparation Grant Program
1 Note: Massachusetts public school districts may also choose to require their paraprofessionals to meet additional requirements.
Last Updated: October 16, 2026