ASSEMBLY, No. 6000

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

INTRODUCED NOVEMBER 8, 2021

 


 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblywoman  PAMELA R. LAMPITT

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Assemblywoman  LINDA S. CARTER

District 22 (Middlesex, Somerset and Union)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Jasey, Reynolds-Jackson and Assemblyman Freiman

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Allows alternative evaluation in place of basic skills testing requirements for certain teacher certification.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As introduced.

  


An Act concerning teacher certification and supplementing chapter 26 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

     Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

     1.    a.  Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the State Board of Education shall not require a candidate for or the holder of a certificate of eligibility in a career and technical education endorsement or a certificate of eligibility with advance standing in a career and technical education endorsement to complete a Commissioner-approved test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills in order to obtain a standard certificate, including, but not limited to, the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test, if the candidate can demonstrate proficiency in the use of English language  and mathematics  through an alternate measure.

     b.    As used in this section:

     “Alternate measure” means any demonstration of basic skills proficiency, other than a test, that is approved by the Department of Education, including, but not limited to: a portfolio of work products as approved by the superintendent of a candidate’s employing school district; obtainment of an occupational license or certification; or an industry certificate or registration.

     “Certificate of eligibility” means a certificate with lifetime validity issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet degree, academic, and applicable test requirements for teacher certification.

     “Certificate of eligibility with advanced standing” means a certificate with lifetime validity issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet degree, academic, and test requirements for teacher certification and complete an educator preparation program.

 

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill eliminates the requirement to pass a basic skills test as a condition of eligibility for a standard instructional certificate in a career and technical education (CTE) endorsement.  Under this bill, provisional CTE teacher candidates will be permitted to demonstrate basic skills proficiency through an alternate measure approved by the Department of Education, instead of taking the basic skills test.

     Under current State Board of Education regulations, a provisional CTE teacher candidate seeking a standard instructional certificate in a career and technical education endorsement is required to demonstrate basic skills proficiency; the Department of Education currently uses the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test as the sole measure of basic skills proficiency.  Candidates for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing (CEAS), prior to their admission into a CEAS educator preparation program, are generally required to demonstrate basic skills proficiency through the achievement of a minimum score on a Commissioner-approved test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics.  Alternatively, candidates for a CEAS may meet the basic skills testing requirement by demonstrating a score on the SAT, ACT, or GRE at or above the cut score for the year in which the exam was taken.

     This bill allows all CE and CEAS candidates in a CTE endorsement to obtain a CE, CEAS, or a standard instructional certificate through alternate measures instead of completing the basic skills test.  The bill defines “alternate measure” as any demonstration of basic skills proficiency, other than a test, that is approved by the Department of Education, including, but not limited to: work product portfolios; obtainment of an occupational license or certification; or an industry certificate or registration.