posted on
Governor Murphy recently signed S2826/A4594, a measure supported by JerseyCAN, which grants flexibility to schools facing teacher shortages by establishing a five-year pilot program for issuance of a limited certificate for newly trained teachers through both the alternate and traditional routes of preparation. The aim of the legislation is to provide schools with a critical tool to address shortages, as well as a way to create a more diverse teacher workforce.
According to this legislation, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) will establish a pilot program where districts can apply to NJDOE to permit them to hire up to 10% of staff with flexibility in one area of certification — GPA, praxis test requirements, or subject matter credit requirements — in exchange for increased teacher development support from the school administration. To be eligible, districts must demonstrate a need to fill longstanding shortages, a demographic disparity between the districts’ student population and the teaching staff and/or bilingual teachers. The school must also demonstrate that it has the capacity or track record to support and mentor new teachers and the NJDOE is required to study the impact of these changes to evaluate future rulemaking…