K/2 Instructional Teaching Assistant - 1st Grade

Decatur Public Schools District #61; Decatur (IL); On-site; USD 17,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Decatur Public Schools District #61 is hiring K/2 Instructional Teaching Assistants for 1st Grade to support teachers and directly work with students. The role emphasizes assisting with daily academics, supervision, and maintaining student records in a bustling elementary setting.

Position requires meeting paraprofessional license options, and eligibility through multiple state pathways. The assignment supports student learning and safety during school hours, with duties varying by instructional

Qualifications

• Must be at least 19 years of age to serve students in grades 12 and below.
• Qualify for the ELS-Paraprofessional license under listed options.
• One of the listed education routes is required for eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Assists all students in their assigned daily academics as instructed by teachers.
• Assists in grading work and assigning students individual academic work.
• Helps maintain individual records for each student.
• Distributes and collects workbooks, papers, and other materials for instruction.
• Alerts the teacher to special needs of individual students.
• Provides escorts and assistance to students as necessary.
• Implements changes as needed to meet the individual needs of students.

Education

Associate's degree or higher

60 semester hours of coursework

High School Diploma or GED and a score of 460 or higher on the ETS Parapro

High School Diploma or GED and ACT Workkeys scores (Applied Mathematics 4; Reading for information 4)

Job description

K/2 Instructional Teaching Assistant - 1st Grade JobID: 10377

• Position Type: Teaching Assistant
• Date Posted: 10/21/2026
• Location: Dennis Lab School
• Date Available: ASAP

TITLE: GRADES K, 1, 2 INSTRUCTIONAL TEACHING ASSISTANTS

QUALIFICATIONS:

• At least 19 years of age to serve students in prekindergarten through grade 12.
• Beginning January 1, 2023, you may qualify for the ELS-Paraprofessional license by meeting the requirements outlined below at age 18 but only may serve in prekindergarten through grade 8.
• Oneof the following required:
  • Associate's degree or higher
  • 60 semester hours of coursework
  • High School Diploma or GEDanda score of 460 or higher on the ETS Parapro
  • High School Diploma or GEDandthe following scores on the ACT Workkeys? :
    • Applied Mathematics/Applied Math (with a score of 4)
    • Reading for information/Workplace Documents (with a score of 4)

REPORTS TO: Building Administrator

JOB GOAL: To assist the teacher and work directly with students in order to increase student learning and to provide student supervision during student lunch period.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

(The following are the essential fundamentals to include but not limited to the following job duties.)

• Assists all students in their assigned daily academics as instructed by teachers.
• Assists in grading work and assigning students individual academic work.
• Helps maintain individual records for each student.
• Distributes and collects workbooks, papers, and other materials for instruction.
• Alerts the teacher to special needs of individual students.
• Provides escorts and assistance to students as necessary.
• Implements changes as needed to meet the individual needs of students.
• Takes responsibility for student safety education and accident prevention.
• Reports all unsafe conditions to the school principal promptly.
• Reports all accidents or injuries to the principal as soon as possible.
• Supervises and intervenes to regulate student behavior so as to alleviate the risk that inappropriate behaviors will place students or staff at risk of harm.
• Assists with toileting after proper training.
• Performs other job related duties as assigned.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT:

Wages, hours, terms, and conditions of employment pursuant to negotiated agreement. FSLA: Non-Exempt

EVALUATION:

Performance in the position will be evaluated once every two years in accordance with District's plan for evaluation.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk, hear, and see.
• The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit; use hands to handle or feel; reach with hands and arms; and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl.
• The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Specific vision requirements include the ability to see at close range.
• Fine hand manipulation (keyboarding).
• Transportation time spent commuting between sites for meetings, trainings, in-services and home visits.
• The employee may be required to work at multiple District locations if necessary.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Internal office space and classroom.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate to high.

Mental Functions

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate, instruct, compare, analyze, coordinate, synthesize, evaluate, compute, copy, compile, use interpersonal skills, negotiate and maintain emotional control under stress.

The foregoing statements describe the general purpose and responsibilities assigned to this job and are not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills that may be required.

Decatur Public Schools is an equal employment opportunity employer with an affirmative action plan.

This position falls under the Decatur Federation of Teaching Assistants - July 1, 2025 - June 30, 202 8

The Salary Schedule is attached above. Benefit information can be found HERE .