The Paraeducator Certificate Program offers statewide standards-based training for all instructional paraeducators to enhance their practice and career as a paraeducator.

The foundation of the Paraeducator Certificate Program is the Standards of Practice. These standards define the knowledge and skill competencies required for an instructional paraprofessional.

The five standards are:

1. Support instructional opportunities
2. Demonstrate professionalism and ethical practices
3. Support a positive and safe learning environment
4. Communicate effectively and participate in the team process
5. Demonstrate cultural competence

To meet the requirements of this program paraeducators must receive training in the knowledge and skill competencies of each standard.

More information about the Paraeducator Certificate Program can be found on the Professional Educator Standards Board website.

The first step of the Paraeducator Certificate Program is the Fundamental Course of Study (FCS). 

The FCS is packaged in 12 units and is designed to be provided to paraeducators in 28-hours. 

Who is Required to Take the Fundamental Course of Study?

School districts are required to provide FCS training to all instructional paraeducators each year. All instructional paraeducators are required to complete 14 hours of FCS training per year until they reach 28 hours.

Classified staff who fall under the definition of an instructional paraeducator must complete training requirements of the program. An instructional paraeducator is defined as a classified public school district employee who works under the supervision of a certificated or licensed staff member, from grades kindergarten to grade 12, to support and assist in providing instructional and other services to students and their families, including library assistants, and excluding bus monitors, lunchroom aides, and community service aides.

Note: Preschool paraeducators are excluded from the above definition.

Accessing Your Record of Completed Courses

A record of the Fundamental Course of Study (FCS) courses that you have completed can be found in Employee Access. Once in Employee Access, click on the Employee Information tab at the top left of the screen. That will open a menu. Select “Personal Information” in that menu.

Once you click “Personal Information,” scroll towards the bottom of the list of links and select “Employee Letters” and then “FCS Courses.”

The FCS courses is a list of courses that you have completed. If you believe that your record is missing a course, please contact Mike VanOrden @ mike.vanorden@ssd412.org

Checking which courses you still need to complete for the Fundamental Course of Study.

The table below shows the required Fundamental Course of Study courses and the number of hours required for each. You can compare your record of completed courses (that you accessed in Employee Access) to the required courses below to see which courses and how many hours you still need to complete.

We are partnering with the Washington Education Association to provide some of the required FCS classes for paraeducators who have not completed them. We are also developing additional FCS courses to be available in the spring. A list of available classes can be found here. We will update this list as classes become available, so check regularly for updates.

You can register for WEA Fundamental Course of Study classes using the registration link(s) provided on the course list. Following registration for these classes, you will receive a confirmation email. If you do not receive an automated confirmation email you will be contacted by Lama (lemə) Chikh at WEA with further instructions. 

These classes are free for WEA members and are also available to Shoreline paraeducators who are not WEA members.