N.J. teachers are ready, able, and properly certified

Jan. 15, 2025, 7:00 a.m.

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New Jersey just took a giant step to strengthen our teacher workforce and knock down barriers to recruiting and retaining necessary talent.

A new law that waives the Basic Skills Praxis exam for some aspiring teachers has been welcomed with disparaging headlines and social media posts intended to create controversy. A closer look, however, reveals a thoughtful effort to address teacher shortages and the redundancies of outdated certification practices while maintaining high standards for educator readiness.

Though the Basic Skills Praxis exam has been a long-standing requirement, there is no evidence linking it to improved teacher quality or student learning outcomes. While many teachers have passed the test, the United States continues to lag behind other nations in academic achievement, demonstrating that this test is not a panacea for educational success.

Instead, it has served as a gatekeeper, disproportionately blocking underrepresented candidates from entering the teaching profession and exacerbating teacher shortages without clear evidence of its ability to indicate teacher effectiveness.

Teacher shortages are not simply a function of certification requirements; they result from systemic barriers across the teacher pipeline. Between 2012 and 2020, New Jersey saw a 38% decrease in candidates entering teacher preparation programs and a 54% decrease in program completions. Furthermore, many certified teachers leave the profession within 5 years, with school districts incurring an average cost of between $11,860 and $24,930 per person for recruitment, hiring, training, and separation, according to a 2017 Learning Policy Institute study.

While these trends reveal a declining interest in traditional pathways to teaching, a significant number of people still aspire to join the profession, but face overwhelming and costly barriers. By refining certification pathways, New Jersey is making a strategic move to ease entry into the profession without sacrificing quality. By removing unnecessary and unproven barriers and focusing on holistic, evidence-based measures of readiness, the state ensures that capable candidates with strong academic preparation are not unnecessarily filtered out.

It is essential to clarify that the waiver of the Basic Skills test is not a carte blanche removal for all aspiring teachers. The updated certification requirements focus on multiple measures of readiness.

Candidates must demonstrate competency by completing college-level coursework in the content area they wish to teach, achieving a 3.0 GPA in their studies, and passing a certification exam specific to their teaching content area.

This approach ensures that aspiring teachers have demonstrated proficiency through rigorous academic preparation. Requiring a redundant test – akin to asking college graduates to take the SAT to validate their bachelor’s degrees – adds an unnecessary barrier without providing meaningful insights into teacher quality or effectiveness.

Rather than focus narrowly on the merits of a single test, we should embrace this moment as an opportunity to rethink how we approach teacher preparation and certification. This is our chance to redefine what it means for someone to be eligible to enter an educator preparation program (EPP).

What qualities actually make a good potential teacher? What knowledge and support do they need to succeed? These are the critical questions we must address to build a more inclusive, effective teacher pipeline.

One proven approach to this challenge is teacher apprenticeship programs. Registered apprenticeship programs offer a practical, supportive pathway into the profession by combining rigorous academic preparation with hands-on experience in the classroom. Candidates receive mentorship, real-world training, and the support necessary to develop the skills they need to succeed as educators.

This approach not only removes barriers to entry but also ensures that teachers are well-prepared and more likely to stay in the profession. These programs provide a scalable, sustainable solution to the challenges facing our teacher workforce, and New Jersey is well-positioned to lead the way in adopting these innovative models.

By focusing on multiple measures of readiness, removing unnecessary barriers, and investing in practical, supportive pathways like apprenticeships, we can address the teacher shortage without sacrificing quality.

This policy shift is a necessary step toward strengthening the teaching profession and ensuring that every student has access to a highly qualified, committed educator. Let’s seize this opportunity to build a teacher pipeline that meets the needs of today’s schools and students, while preparing educators for long, impactful careers in the classroom.

Kwamé Floyd is Founder and Executive Director of the Teacher Apprenticeship Network.

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Published on https://www.nj.com/opinion/2025/01/nj-reachers-are-ready-able-and-properly-certified-opinion.html