Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Bilingual Language Paraprofessional Credential
The bilingual language paraprofessional credential may be utilized for individuals who provide bilingual instructional support services in preschool through grade 12.
To be eligible for the Bilingual Language Paraprofessional credential, you will need to complete one of the following:
Credit Requirements
- Complete 60 semester-hour credits at an accredited college or university.
- Complete a minimum of six semester-hour credits of professional education coursework that includes study below. Such studies may be part of, or in addition to, a degree program and may be completed at an accredited two- or four-year college.
Coursework
- Language acquisition
- Developing literacy skills for a language learner
- Methods of teaching content in bilingual education
- Theory and practice of teaching bilingual education
Degree Requirement
An associate or higher degree from an accredited college or university.
Credit Requirements
Complete a minimum of six semester-hour credits of professional education coursework that includes study below. Such studies may be part of, or in addition to, a degree program and may be completed at an accredited two- or four-year college.
Coursework
- Language acquisition
- Developing literacy skills for a language learner
- Methods of teaching content in bilingual education
- Theory and practice of teaching bilingual education
Testing Requirement
- Demonstrate oral and writing competence in English by one of the following:
- Pass the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPI) and Written Proficiency Test (WPT) for English.
- Establish yourself as a speaker of English by presenting official transcripts noting a bachelor’s degree or higher from an English-speaking country.
- Demonstrate oral and writing competence in the target language by one of the following:
- Pass the OPI and WPT in the target language.
- Establish yourself as a speaker of the target language by presenting official transcripts noting a bachelor’s degree or higher from the country in which the language was spoken.
Information regarding the OPI and WPT may be found at the Language Testing International.