Teacher Assistant Program

Molloy's Teaching Assistant certificate provides you with the foundation to work as a teaching assistant in public and private schools. The program is designed to meet New York State academic requirements for teaching assistants within the schools of New York State. All the courses in the program may be applied to a bachelor's degree in education at Molloy College.

Who Should Attend?
The program is designed for individuals who wish to begin a career in education as well as for individuals presently employed in area school districts who wish to or need to upgrade their professional credentials to meet New York State and/or local district guidelines.

What does a teacher's assistant do?
A teacher's assistant, also commonly known as a teacher's aide, provides support to the lead classroom teacher, allowing the teacher to spend more time focusing on classroom instruction. The role of a teaching assistant is a very rewarding one; offering a positive impact on the lives of students and their educational future. The everyday duties of an assistant teacher include performing clerical duties like taking attendance, grading tests and homework, and other record-keeping and instruction tasks. They help monitor students' behavior in the classroom, hallways, cafeteria, playground, and on school trips. They also commonly provide additional instructional assistance to students with special needs and students who need extra help in completing classwork.

What attributes should a teacher's assistant possess?
Teacher's assistants should possess patience, a joy for working with children, a willingness to follow instructions and work in a support role and excellent communication skills - both oral and written.

What is the job outlook for Teacher's Assistants?
Although a teacher's assistant can typically expect a lower salary than a certified lead teacher, the job outlook is good for these professionals. Private and public schools, daycare centers, and religious institutions hire teacher assistants. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of teacher assistants is projected to grow 9 percent from 2020 to 2030. About 136,400 openings for teacher assistants are projected each year, on average, over the decade. According to Indeed.com there are currently close to 500 TA jobs posted for openings on Long Island. The average Teacher Aide salary in New York, NY is $28,364 as of October 29, 2021, according to Salary.com.

What is required to become a Teacher's Assistant in New York?
The Teaching Assistant (TA) certification in New York State authorizes individuals to provide direct instructional services to students under the general supervision of a certified teacher. There are four certificate levels issued: Level I, Level II, Level III, and Pre-Professional. The Level 1 certificate requires that a person have a high school diploma, pass three required workshops, be fingerprinted and pass the Teacher Assistant Certification Exam (ATAS). Click here for information on the ATAS exam and how to prepare for it with our free ATAS test prep workshop. It is valid for 3 years. After that, a TA must complete 9 credit hours of college and have at least 1 year of licensed Teaching Assistant experience before applying for the Level 2 certificate. In order to qualify for Level 3, you must have a total of 18 credit hours of college and at least 1 year licensed experience as a Teaching Assistant. Click here for the Specific NYS Requirements for Levels I, II and III.

Plans of Study and Schedule of Classes

Level I TA
To become a Level I TA you will need the following three mandatory workshops (in addition to the other requirement as outlined by clicking here):   

* School Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop (3 hours, Tuition:$50)  Training in the Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect (3 hours, Tuition: $50)
* Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Workshop (6 hours, Tuition:$110)  

The workshops listed above are offered in the evenings and on Saturdays throughout the year and are currently offered online through Zoom. All of the workshops are offered at a discount to students enrolled in the TA program (select the "Molloy Student" tuition rate when registering. It will not be necessary for you to have a Molloy email). The workshops can be taken in any order. Click on the workshop titles for the schedule of classes, workshop descriptions and to register online. Registration and payment for the workshops can be done online. Click here for information on how to register.

Level II TA
To become a Level II TA you will not to take the 3 mandatory workshops again. However, you will need 9 credits of undergraduate college coursework (in addition to the other requirement as outlined by clicking here). Each 3 credit course is offered at the reduced rate of $945 per course. The courses are offered days, evenings and on Saturdays throughout the year. The courses can be taken in any order. Click here for the schedule of classes and information on how to register.

Level III TA
To become a Level III TA you will not to take the 3 mandatory workshops again. You will need a total of 18 credits of undergraduate college coursework (in addition to the other requirement as outlined by clicking here). If you already have 9 credits from Level II certification, you will only need 9 additional credits. Each 3 credit course is offered at the reduced rate of $945 per course. The courses are offered days, evenings and on Saturdays throughout the year. The courses can be taken in any order. Click here for the schedule of classes and information on how to register.

Tuition
Tuition in the program is at a reduced rate of tuition.

Workshops- Both the School Violence Prevention and Intervention Workshop and the Training in the Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect  workshop are at the reduced rate of tuition of $45. The Dignity for All Students Act (DASA) Workshop is offered at the reduced tuition of $90.

Undergraduate courses- each course in the program is offered at $945 per 3-credit undergraduate course. There are no application or course fees. This is a discounted tuition rate. Tuition is normally about $3,900 per 3-credit undergraduate course. There are no other discounts given.

Application and Registration
Level I - there is no application needed for Level I. You would simply register for the workshops as indicated in the Plan of Study above. Payment for tuition is due at the time of registration.

Levels II and III- There is an online application that you need to complete for Level II and III TA, but that is for information purposes only. Everyone is accepted as long as you have a high school diploma or GED. There is no application fee. The program does not have traditional application deadline dates because courses are offered throughout the year and they do not always follow a semester schedule. There are no defined overall start and end dates for the program. Therefore, you can start the program at any time. The registration process is rather simple because you are not applying for a Molloy degree. If you are enrolling in the program for the first time, it will take a few days to process your application/registration form online.  Once you register for the first time you will be sent an email within one to two business days with your username to login your student account to access the system for future registrations and to access Canvas, our online learning platform.   You should register at least a week before the course start date at the latest in order to register for the first time. After that you can register up until the day before the class, but then you run the risk that a course could be full- our courses do close.  Click here for Application and Registration Instructions for undergraduate courses.

Questions?
Email Krista Lombardo at klombardo@molloy.edu