ASSEMBLY EDUCATION COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 4074

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 9, 2021

      The Assembly Education Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 4074.

     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.