STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman WILLIAM F. MOEN, JR.
District 5 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Stanley, Assemblywomen Carter and Reynolds-Jackson
SYNOPSIS
Requires State Board of Education to reduce clinical practice requirements for certain teacher candidates.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
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. As used in P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill):
"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.
“Clinical practice” means a field-based experience or internship in a kindergarten through grade 12 environment where a teacher candidate demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be an effective educator.
b. Notwithstanding any law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the State Board of Education shall reduce the two semester and 175-hour clinical practice requirements for a candidate for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.
c. The Commissioner of Education shall develop recommendations for reducing the clinical practice requirements pursuant to subsection b. of this section and shall submit the recommendations to the State Board of Education. In developing the recommendations, the commissioner shall consult with representatives of the education community including, but not limited to, the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.
2. This act shall take effect immediately and shall first apply to the first full academic year following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the State Board of Education to reduce certain clinical practice requirements for a teacher candidate to be eligible for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.
A “certificate of eligibility with advanced standing” is defined as 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. The bill defines “clinical practice” as a field-based experience or internship in a kindergarten through grade 12 environment where a teacher candidate demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to be an effective educator.
Under current State Board of Education regulations, a teacher candidate seeking a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing is required to complete clinical practice that (1) occurs during at least two semesters; and (2) includes the completion of at least 175 hours prior to one full-time semester, of which at least 100 of the 175 hours are to be completed in the semester immediately preceding the semester of full-time clinical practice.
This bill authorizes the State Board of Education to reduce these clinical practice requirements. This bill requires the Commissioner of Education to develop recommendations for reducing the clinical practice requirements and those recommendations are required to be submitted to the State board. In developing the recommendations, the commissioner is required to consult with representatives of the education community including, but not limited to, the New Jersey Education Association, the New Jersey School Boards Association, the New Jersey Association of School Administrators, and the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association.
It is the intent of this bill to reduce the 175 hours of clinical practice in order for a teacher candidate to fulfill the clinical practice requirements in only one semester. Reducing the amount of clinical practice hours will help eliminate the burden of a costly and redundant second semester of clinical practice.