This fall, the administrative code for NJDOE educator preparation (Chapters 9, 9A, 9B, and 9C) is sunsetting. This means we have an opportunity to provide feedback and suggestions for revisions. A group of interested NJACTE members formed our Code Committee to take on this task.
The Code Committee met during the 2021-22 academic year to prepare our “asks” for the NJDOE for Chapters 9, 9A, 9B, and 9C: basic skills flexibility on entry, more discretion for EPPs during clinical work for preservice candidates, and adding the performance assessment to the flex rule on program exit. However, the draft regulations reflect mostly mandatory legislative changes, and only one modest regulatory change on entry (earning SAT/ACT from top 1/2 instead of top 1/3 of state scores or holding a Master’s degree with 3.0 GPA to waive Core) that the Board heard at its August 3 meeting. See slides 31-32 and 56-57 in the PowerPoint presentation for more information.
Citing the ongoing COVID public emergency, the State Board will ONLY accept written comments on rulemaking, no public testimony is scheduled. The Department has responded to comments from first discussion and will respond to the second discussion 9/14, third discussion 10/12, and will then release Proposal Level Code on 11/9 with public comment ending 2/17/23.
The Code Committee will work asynchronously on draft testimony templates for all members to customize and for NJACTE to submit on the public comment page so that the Department and the Board see the strength in our consensus, and won’t exploit minor differences in our own institutional settings. More information on how NJACTE member institutions can help will be forthcoming at our full membership meetings this fall.
Submitted by Claudine Keenan and Linda Amerigo on behalf of the NJACTE Code Committee