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25-9043.00 · Task explorer

Teaching Assistants, Special Education: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Assist a preschool, elementary, middle, or secondary school teacher to provide academic, social, or life skills to students who have learning, emotional, or physical disabilities. Serve in a position for which a teacher has primary responsibility for the design and implementation of educational programs and services.

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This source lists 30 tasks, including 20 marked Core and 10 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2025.

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30 tasks shown

Core · Task 22506 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Provide assistance to students with special needs.

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Core · Task 22511 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Teach socially acceptable behavior, employing techniques such as behavior modification or positive reinforcement.

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Core · Task 22509 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Supervise students in classrooms, halls, cafeterias, school yards, and gymnasiums, or on field trips.

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Core · Task 22507 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Provide students with disabilities with assistive devices, supportive technology, and assistance accessing facilities, such as restrooms.

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Core · Task 22487 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Carry out therapeutic regimens, such as behavior modification and personal development programs, under the supervision of special education instructors, psychologists, or speech-language pathologists.

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Core · Task 22512 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Tutor and assist children individually or in small groups to help them master assignments and to reinforce learning concepts presented by teachers.

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Core · Task 22491 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Employ special educational strategies or techniques during instruction to improve the development of sensory- and perceptual-motor skills, language, cognition, or memory.

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Core · Task 22492 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Enforce administration policies and rules governing students.

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Core · Task 22498 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Observe students' performance, and record relevant data to assess progress.

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Core · Task 22494 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Instruct and monitor students in the use and care of equipment and materials to prevent injuries and damage.

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Core · Task 22505 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Present subject matter to students under the direction and guidance of teachers, using lectures, discussions, supervised role-playing methods, or by reading aloud.

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Core · Task 22489 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Discuss assigned duties with classroom teachers to coordinate instructional efforts.

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Core · Task 22495 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Instruct students in daily living skills required for independent maintenance and self-sufficiency, such as hygiene, safety, or food preparation.

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Core · Task 22502 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Prepare classrooms with a variety of materials or resources for children to explore, manipulate, or use in learning activities or imaginative play.

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Core · Task 22490 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Distribute teaching materials, such as textbooks, workbooks, papers, and pencils, to students.

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Core · Task 22500 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Organize and supervise games and other recreational activities to promote physical, mental, and social development.

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Core · Task 22513 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Use computers, audio-visual aids, and other equipment and materials to supplement presentations.

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Core · Task 22488 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Clean classrooms.

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Core · Task 22499 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Organize and label materials and display students' work in a manner appropriate for their eye levels and perceptual skills.

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Core · Task 22503 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Prepare lesson materials, bulletin board displays, exhibits, equipment, and demonstrations.

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Supplemental · Task 22493 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Grade homework and tests, and compute and record results, using answer sheets or electronic marking devices.

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Supplemental · Task 22484 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Assist in bus loading and unloading.

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Supplemental · Task 22510 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Take class attendance and maintain attendance records.

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Supplemental · Task 22497 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Maintain computers in classrooms and laboratories, and assist students with hardware and software use.

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Supplemental · Task 22504 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Prepare lesson outlines and plans in assigned subject areas and submit outlines to teachers for review.

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Supplemental · Task 22501 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Participate in teacher-parent conferences regarding students' progress or problems.

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Supplemental · Task 22485 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Assist librarians in school libraries.

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Supplemental · Task 22508 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Requisition and stock teaching materials and supplies.

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Supplemental · Task 22486 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Attend staff meetings and serve on committees, as required.

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Supplemental · Task 22496 · 08/2025 · Incumbent

Laminate teaching materials to increase their durability under repeated use.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.

Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.