On Nov. 30, the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) adopted a temporary rule modification affecting certification requirements for completion of performance assessments. The flexibility applies to New Jersey certification candidates who have or will have met all other requirements before the flexibility expires. The rule modification will expire at the end of the semester in which the public health emergency ends.
Full details about the rule modification may be found by visiting bit.ly/edtparulenj1130.
Before the rule modification, candidates for a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) and candidates for Standard Certification who hold a Certificate of Eligibility (CE), were required to complete and pass edTPA, the state-approved performance assessment. The Nov. 30 rule modification provides for flexibility for some candidates to meet performance assessment requirements using alternative measures as detailed below.
• Candidates applying for a CEAS who are able to complete the edTPA in the usual manner with national scoring shall be required to do so. If a candidate is enrolled in a state-approved educator preparation program as of Sept. 1, 2020, and the program provider determines, on a case-by-case basis, that a teacher candidate is unable to complete the edTPA but has met all other requirements for the CEAS, the provider may submit to the NJDOE for approval an alternative measure to demonstrate readiness to teach.
• CE provisional teachers applying for a standard certificate who are able to complete the edTPA in the usual manner with national scoring shall be required to do so. If a candidate is enrolled in a state-approved educator preparation program as of Sept. 1, 2020, and the program provider determines, on a case-by-case basis, that a teacher candidate is unable to complete the edTPA but has met all other requirements for the standard certificate, the provider may submit to the NJDOE for approval an alternative measure to demonstrate readiness to teach.
• Certificate of Eligibility through Reciprocity (CE-R) teachers applying for a standard certificate who meet all other standard certification requirements shall be exempt from the performance assessment requirement during the COVID-19 public health emergency and must demonstrate readiness to teach via teacher evaluations completed pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-8.6.
Candidates who are unable to complete the edTPA in the usual manner should contact their educator preparation program to discuss alternative options.
Candidates who wish to withdraw their edTPA registration, should carefully check Pearson’s withdrawal and refund policies found by visiting edtpa.com, clicking on “Candidates,” and selecting “Candidate Policies.”
This rule modification also allows state-approved teacher leader preparation programs to alternatively assess candidates for the teacher leader endorsement in lieu of a commissioner-approved teacher leader performance assessment.
NJDOE Contact Information
For certification questions, contact licensing.requests@doe.nj.gov.
For performance assessment questions and preparation program questions, contact rpr@doe.nj.gov.