The Best Interview Questions For K-12 Paraprofessionals

Paraprofessionals provide invaluable support to teachers and students, ensuring that every child receives the attention and guidance they need to succeed. However, finding the right paraprofessionals for your school district can be a daunting task.

As with teachers, the candidate pool for K-12 paras is shrinking, which makes it more important than ever to look beyond traditional hiring methods and ask the best interview questions to recruit the best candidates. Here are some questions we’ve seen our K-12 clients ask and some questions generated by interviewstream’s AI Question Assist (a time saving feature that helps you ask the right questions, everytime).

Questions To Ask Paraprofessionals About Past Experience

• Please describe your previous experience working in a K-12 setting.
• What do you do to support students with diverse learning needs?
• Tell me about a time when you successfully assisted a teacher in implementing an educational program or lesson plan.
• What techniques do you use to establish rapport with students, teachers, and parents?
• What is your approach to collaborating with classroom teachers and other paraprofessionals?
• Tell us about a challenging situation you encountered with a student or parent and how you resolved it.

Interview Questions For Paraprofessionals On Using Technology

• What role do you believe technology should play in K-12 education, and how comfortable are you with technology use in the classroom?
• What level is your knowledge of K-12 curriculum standards and how do you align your support with them?
• How do you stay updated on best practices and technology trends in K-12 education?
• What technology systems have you used in school settings in the past? And how would you grade your experience level with them (beginning, intermediate, advanced)?
• How do you ensure students are technologically literate? How does technology play into your plans for students?

Classroom Management And Student Behavior Interview Questions

• How do you handle classroom management and student behavior issues?
• How would you handle a situation where a student is struggling academically or emotionally?
• What methods do you use to motivate and engage students who may be disinterested or struggling academically?
• What steps would you take to ensure the physical safety of students during classroom activities?
• How do you communicate effectively with parents or guardians regarding a student’s progress or concerns?
• Please describe any experience you have with students who have special needs or disabilities.

Questions About Culture And Motivation For Paraprofessionals 

• What motivated you to pursue a career as a paraprofessional in K-12 education?
• How do you foster a positive and inclusive school culture that values diversity and equity?
• What are your long-term career goals as a paraprofessional in K-12 education?
• Please give an example of a successful team project or initiative you’ve been a part of in a school setting.
• What do you believe is the most challenging part of being a paraprofessional at our school?

Ask The Right Questions Every Time With interviewstream

Paraprofessionals play a pivotal role in shaping the educational journey of our students, and the first step towards finding the best candidates is refining your interview questions. Ask the right questions the first time with interviewstream. And, learn how you can save time by asking those questions with a one way video interview. 

K-12 districts and school boards are getting creative with their interviewing process, see how you can too.

About The Author

Caroline Chessia is the Marketing Operations Specialist at interviewstream. She loves color-coordinated graphs, hiking in the mountains, and every dog she meets—especially the Golden Retrievers.