The person behind ParaPathways Practice

Why I built this ETS 5757 prep tool: the information paraeducators needed did not exist

My sister worked as a paraeducator. So did close friends. When ETS replaced ParaPro with ParaPathways, I watched the internet fill up with misinformation and couldn't leave it at that.

How it started

Jen knew my sister was a paraeducator. When she decided to leave sales and get certified, she came over looking for advice.

She'd spent weeks trying to figure it out on her own. Practice apps that didn't match the real exam. Even the official ETS prep page only listed math materials, no reading or writing section at all. No clear answer on whether Colorado (we're all in Aurora) had switched from ParaPro to ParaPathways yet. She showed up not knowing which test she was supposed to take.

The two of them went looking for answers together. That's when I pulled up my laptop and joined in. An hour later I understood the problem.

What I found when I looked

Wrong information everywhere, confidently written and widely shared. Paid products with "pass guarantees" and no methodology. Communities full of people asking the same questions and getting different wrong answers every single time.

What I was reading in 2025: real posts, no answers

r/paraprofessional · u/Apprehensive_Pool667 · 105 comments

"I'm freaking out about taking the parapro test I have tried all the practice test and did not do well on them. I've tried studying and still struggling. I don't know what to do. I haven't taking the test yet bur not sure if I should."

105 comments. Not one pointed to a practice resource that matched the real exam. Most suggestions were general study tips or moral support, nothing actionable.

Read the thread →

Paraprofessionals and Friends · Alisha DeLong · March 2025

"Hey hey curious to know how you felt the ParaPathways exam compare to the ParaPro? Was it more challenging? Or less complicated? What did you find help you pass the ParaPathways exam? Trying to decide if the $100 study guide is worth it or not?"

One reply. Someone promoting a $20 paid product with a "pass guarantee" and no ETS source. That was the entire thread. A paraeducator trying to make a $100 decision, getting a sales pitch.

See the post →

Paraprofessionals and Friends · Sabrina Garcia · April 2025

"I'm going to be taking my paraprofessional assessment soon. Have any pointers or websites to help with studying?"

8 comments, none with a reliable resource. Sabrina's own follow-up said it all: "For San Antonio TX is the test called ETS ParaPro Assessment (1755)?" She didn't even know which exam she was supposed to take. Nobody in the thread corrected her. The answer is no. Texas requires ParaPathways (ETS 5757), not ParaPro.

See the post →

These aren't edge cases. Across dozens of threads and hundreds of comments, the pattern was identical: real questions, wrong answers, paid promotions, nothing anyone could actually verify against an ETS source.

Nobody was trying to mislead anyone. The problem was simpler: no one had done the work. And the cost of that gap isn't abstract. The exam is $55 at a Prometric center, $85 for at-home proctoring, not counting study materials, time off work, and childcare. For a lot of paraeducators, failing because they prepared for the wrong material means paying again for something they couldn't afford to fail the first time.

What I did about it

I'm not an educator. No testing background. What I have is an obsessive streak when I see a problem that clearly needs solving, and 15 years of understanding what makes a source trustworthy.

I got the official ETS ParaPathways Study Companion (5757). Read every state DOE document I could find. Cross-referenced every passing score against primary sources. Built the question bank question by question to match the real exam's format, topic distribution, and classroom-application weighting. Nobody paid me to do any of it.

Where this is going

Free, accurate practice. That's the baseline and it's not changing. What's coming next: topic drills, cross-session progress tracking, weak-area analytics. Tools that help people close specific gaps instead of just taking a test and hoping for the best.

Lee Trieu

Founder, ParaPathways Practice · Aurora, Colorado

Important Disclaimer

ParaPathways Practice is an independent test preparation resource. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Educational Testing Service (ETS), Prometric, or any state education department. "ParaPathways," "ParaPro," and "ETS" are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service. Passing scores and exam formats are subject to change, so always verify current requirements with ETS and your state's Department of Education.