Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
For paraprofessional certification Texas uses the Educational Aide certificate under 19 TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter E. Aide II needs 15 semester credit hours (or two years as Aide I), Aide III needs 30 (or three years), both with child growth and development coursework. Title I aides need 48 hours, an associate degree or a local test. Your district recommends you; college hours count via a college transcript.
Under 19 TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter E, a Texas Educational Aide II needs at least 15 semester credit hours of college coursework and an Educational Aide III at least 30, in each case including coursework related to child growth and development, unless the aide qualifies by years of experience instead.
The rule asks for 15 semester credit hours (Aide II), 30 (Aide III); 48 for the federal Title I standard. The legal source is 19 TAC Chapter 230, Subchapter E.
| Requirement | What the rule says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Aide I | High school diploma or equivalent, plus experience with students or parents approved by the superintendent (or the high school course pathway). | [1] |
| Educational Aide II | Two creditable years as Aide I, or at least 15 semester credit hours including child growth and development, or a specialized skill the district confirms. | [1] |
| Educational Aide III | Three creditable years as Aide I or II, or at least 30 semester credit hours including child growth and development. | [1] |
| Title I paraprofessional | Diploma plus 48 semester hours (or the college's two-year figure if lower), an associate degree, or a local academic assessment; aide certificate within one year of hire. | [2] |
| Who applies | The employing district must recommend you; you apply and pay in TEA's online system. | [1] |
Texas Education Agency (TEA), educator certification, under the State Board for Educator Certification rules; the employing school district recommends the aide decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Texas Education Agency (TEA), educator certification, under the State Board for Educator Certification rules; the employing school district recommends the aide.
Learning and development in school settings; ask your district if it counts toward the child growth and development part.
Self-paced online Educational Psychology course (Psychology 120). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
A common first college course that sits beside child development work in most aide plans.
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Working with students from many backgrounds, useful in Texas classrooms.
Self-paced online Psychology of Diversity course (Psychology 112). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
General education hours toward the 15, 30 or 48 total.
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Math hours that also prepare you for a local assessment in mathematics.
Self-paced online College Algebra course (Math 111). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Social science hours toward the total.
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; start with their own transfer pages, then any other college you already attend.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Austin Community College (in-district) | $85 per credit hour with fees, 2026-27 | 15 hours = about $1,275 in-district; out-of-district adds a $201 per hour fee | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning | $99 a month (or $299 per 4 months) | Monthly plan; up to two courses at a time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine | $99 a month plus $79 or more per course | 15 hours = 5 courses at $79 or more each, plus the monthly fee | 15 Nov 2026 |
Prices checked 15 Nov 2026 on each provider's own page. The college that posts outside credit may charge its own fees; ask it first. TEA's certificate fee is paid in its online system.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask your school district's certification or HR office in writing which college courses it will count toward Educational Aide II or III, before you enrol.
Texas calls its paraprofessional credential the Educational Aide certificate, and it comes in three levels. Aide I is the entry level: a high school diploma or equivalent and some experience working with students or parents that your superintendent approves. High school students can also qualify through a set of education and training courses their district verifies.
Aide II and Aide III are where college hours matter. An aide can move up by time on the job (two creditable years for Aide II, three for Aide III) or by college coursework: 15 semester credit hours for Aide II and 30 for Aide III. In both cases TEA's page says the coursework must include work related to child growth and development. Aide II has a third route, a specialized skill the district confirms, which some districts use for interpreters or technology aides.
The district, not TEA, decides which level you are. Your employer recommends you, and only then do you apply and pay in TEA's online certification system.
If you work as an instructional aide in a Title I school, a federal standard applies on top of the state certificate. TEA's Title I page lists three ways to meet it, after a high school diploma: two years of college study, which TEA counts as 48 semester hours or the college's own two-year figure if that is lower; an associate degree or higher; or a local academic assessment that shows you can help teach reading, writing and math.
In a schoolwide Title I campus this applies to every instructional aide, whoever pays the salary. In a targeted assistance programme it applies when Title I money pays part of the salary. Aides whose only job is translation or family engagement are outside it. TEA adds that a Title I aide must hold the Educational Aide certificate within one year of being hired.
Searches for an online paraprofessional certificate usually mean one of two things. The certificate itself is not a course; it is issued by TEA after your district recommends you, and the application is online. The college hours behind Aide II, Aide III and the Title I standard can be earned online, as long as they end up on a college transcript your district can read.
That is the part UPI Study helps with. Our courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended, and a partner college can review them and post the hours via a college transcript. Plan the child growth and development part first, because that is the piece a district looks for and the piece we do not offer as a titled course.
Many Texas aides use the same hours twice. Thirty hours that lift you to Aide III are also a quarter of a 120-hour bachelor's degree, and a bachelor's degree is what a Texas educator preparation programme asks for before teacher certification. If you plan to teach, choose general education courses (English, math, psychology, sociology) that a degree plan will also use, and ask the college that posts your credit how it fits its own degree.
Get hired by a Texas school district or charter, then have the district recommend you for an Educational Aide certificate and apply in TEA's online system. Aide I needs a diploma and approved experience. Aide II and III need years on the job or 15 and 30 college hours with child growth and development coursework.
You do not need a degree. Aide I needs a high school diploma or equivalent plus experience your superintendent approves. To move up, you can count years of aide work or college hours. In a Title I school you also need 48 college hours, an associate degree, or a pass on the district's local assessment.
Pay is set by each district's own salary schedule, and many schedules place Aide II and Aide III on higher steps than Aide I. Check your district's published pay schedule or ask HR. College hours that lift you to a higher aide level can matter for pay, but the district decides the step.
The rule asks for semester credit hours of college coursework, and TEA does not say they must be taken in person. What matters is a college transcript that lists the hours and a district that agrees the coursework fits. Ask your district in writing before you enrol in any online course.
TEA's page says the 15 or 30 hours must include coursework related to child growth and development but does not list course titles. Your district decides. Child development, developmental psychology and educational psychology courses are the usual candidates; ask your district which of your courses it will count.
No. Aide III is a state certificate level that needs 30 hours with child growth and development coursework or three years' experience. The Title I standard is federal: 48 semester hours of any college study, an associate degree, or a local assessment. A Title I aide needs both the standard and the state certificate.
Every course in one plan; plan your 15 or 30 hours with the district's answer in hand.