NJACTE is pleased to have supported the removal of the basic skills (Praxis Core) requirement for many individuals who wish to become teachers in New Jersey and serve our state’s school children, which took effect on January 1, 2025. Not only is there no evidence linking performance on this assessment with teacher performance or student learning, but it also disproportionately kept individuals from underrepresented groups from joining the teacher workforce. As Kwame Floyd of the Teacher Apprenticeship Network delineated clearly in nj.com, this is “a giant step to strengthen our teacher workforce and knock down barriers to recruiting and retaining necessary talent.”
Submitted by the NJACTE Executive Committee