Certificate in Education Assistant

Graduates work with Kindergarten through Grade 12 students and assist teachers in providing personal care and behavioural and learning support to a variety of students in public and independent schools.

There is a high demand for Education Assistants and they are employed by every school district throughout the province. The graduates work in a variety of settings, including regular classrooms, resource rooms, work experience sites, and in life-skills activities.

To integrate the knowledge and skills learned in the program, all students complete two four-week, full-time practicums in the schools over the course of their studies, one in an elementary school and one in a secondary school. During this time, a student will observe, assist, and work with children and adolescents with diverse needs under the guidance and supervision of professional staff. This certificate allows for progression into BA programs at KPU. Contact Arts Degree Advising for details.

In addition to the Faculty's Admission Requirements, which consist of KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, the following program admission requirements apply:

Approximately 100 hours of successful experience volunteering or working with children or youth, preferably in the schools. (Applicants must submit two letters from employers or responsible persons in the community, indicating the hours of experience completed.)
Attendance at an information session (for further information, see kpu.ca/arts/edas)
Criminal Record review issued by the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. To be requested once an offer of admission has been made.
High School Courses
Completion of BC English Studies 12, English First Peoples 12 or Literary Studies 12 with a minimum grade of C+ (or equivalents)
As part of the Adult Dogwood Diploma, completion of English Studies 12 with a minimum grade of C+
Completion of IB (International Baccalaureate) English A (HL or SL) with a minimum grade of 3 (or C+)
Completion of AP (Advanced Placement) English Language and Composition or AP English Literature and Composition with a minimum grade of 2 (or C+)
For English 12 and all other provincially examinable courses, KPU will accept the blended grade (classroom grade + provincial examination grade) OR the classroom grade whichever is higher for the purposes of Faculty and program admission, and for satisfying course prerequisites, where applicable. Current students wishing to use a higher classroom mark for the purposes of satisfying prerequisites should request to have an official copy of their high school transcript sent to Admissions should they wish to have their academic record updated to include the classroom mark for any provincially examinable courses.
International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Test: overall band of 6.5 or higher, with a minimum 6.0 in each band, taken within the last two years from the term of admission
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): iBT 88 or higher, with no sub score less than 20, taken within the last two years from the term of admission
Duolingo English Test: Score of 110 or higher, taken within the last two years from the term of admission.
Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): Score of 70 or higher with no sub score less than 60, taken within the last two years from the term of admission