NEW JERSEY QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING

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NEW JERSEY QUALITY TEACHING AND LEARNING

• CTQ TEAM

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The Way We WereProfessional Teacher Policy
Then (Pre 1999)

• No accreditation requirements
• Program approval (paper only)
• No re-licensure or professional
• development requirement
• No Teacher Standards
• Not INTASC state

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The Way We WereProfessional Teacher Policy Then
(Pre 1999)

• Alternate route (no preservice requirement)
• One year mentoring requirementmentor stipend
  paid largely by teacher
  
• No district state funding for teacher continuum
  of practice support except mentoring

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New Jerseys Alternate Route

• First initiated in nation
• 40 50 of our teachers certified through
  alternate route
  
• Major pool for high needs districts
• Concept was Bring in high level professionals,
  particularly for high school

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New Jerseys Alternate Route (Continued)

• Result is Sometimes those avoiding
  credentialing requirements for traditional route
  

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Now In New Jersey

• Effort to take systemic approach to
  standards-based preparation and practice
  
• New Licensure Code made Teacher Standards
  foundation of Continuum of Professional Practice

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Preservice Reform

• Grants to colleges for alignment of programs
• Accreditation requirement
• Program approval standards
• New preservice component for alternative
  programs
  
• Special education alternate route

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Future Plans For Preservice Reform

• NCATE, TEAC strengthen partnership s
• Examination of ways to encourage colleges of
  arts/science and education to work in alignment
  in preparing teachers STEP examination
  
• Community of Learners for preservice program

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Future Plans For Preservice Reform (Continued)

• Current evaluation study of alternate route
• Critical Friends Review of alternate route
  programs based on evaluation and standards

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Induction

• Pilot 3 year mentoring program via TQE
  Recruitment Grant
  
• Toolkit supports Local Committee Plan development
  and board approval
  
• Plan for mentoring by district
• Federal TQE Grant-based funding of mentor training

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Future Plans

• Redesign with Charlotte Danielsons support the
  Alternate Route Curriculum (standards-based)
  
• Critical Friends Review
• Recommendation of Teacher Quality and Learning
  Task Force on lengthening mentoring

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Now Licensures

• Provisional licensure based on standards-based
  assessment
  
• New requirements aligned to NCLB
• New middle school and special education
  requirements aligned to HQT

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Future

• Examination of subject specific standards to
  support improved content-based instruction
  
• Standards-based evaluation

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Current Professional Development

• Professional Development Standards
• 100 hours
• District Plan
• State evaluation of initiative
• Partnership with NJEA on initiative
• Professional Standards Board created
• Standard-based approval of plan
• Grass roots governance

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New Teacher Quality Taskforce Recommendations

• School level professional development
• Defined content regarding CCCCs
• 150 hours
• PLCs
• Team-based learning toolkits and training
• Special work with high need districts

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How HQT Applies ToSpecial Education Teachers

• Teachers in resource settings (K-5), in
  self-contained settings (K-8), and in
  self-contained settings above grade 8 where the
  content/curriculum is elementary and students are
  assessed against alternate proficiency standards
  qualify as elementary generalists.
• Teachers in resource settings above grade 5 and
  self-contained settings above grade 8 must
  qualify in each core academic subject they teach.
  

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Direct Instruction Vs. Support And Consultation

• Teachers who provide in-class or pull-out support
  and consultation but are never a childs only
  teacher of a core academic area satisfy the HQT
  requirement by having special education
  certification.
• Teachers who provide direct instruction in core
  academic subjects in self-contained,
  resource/replacement or inclusion settings must
  also demonstrate content expertise in the
  subject(s) they teach in order to satisfy the HQT
  requirement.

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The Impact Of The IDEA Reauthorization

• New special education teachers who teach multiple
  content areas in middle or secondary grades, and
  who demonstrate content expertise in math,
  language arts or science using the federal
  criteria, have up to two years from their date of
  hire to qualify in the remaining core academic
  subject(s) they teach. They may use a states
  HOUSE standard to do so.

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An Unintended Consequence?

• By providing flexibility to permit new special
  education teachers with multiple content area
  teaching responsibilities additional time to
  demonstrate content expertise, are we
  inadvertently perpetuating the misuse of special
  education teachers, requiring them to do a job
  none of us would accept?

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NJDOE Response To NCLB

• Changes in Licensing Regulations
• Middle school teachers
• Special education teachers
• National accreditation for preparation programs
• Professional standards for teachers and school
  leaders
  
• Content-focused professional learning
• Praxis II middle grades content exams
• NBPTS certification support program

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Major Revisions Of NJs Licensing Requirements

• Adoption of professional standards for teachers
  and school leaders as the platform for all policy
  reforms from preparation and licensure through
  induction and professional development
• Dual certification required for all new special
  education teachers
  
• Alternate route for special education teachers
  instead of emergency certification
  

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Major Revisions Of NJs Licensing Requirements
(Continued)

• In 2003, NJ revised its licensing code to require
  dual certification for new special education
  teachers. Special education is no longer a
  stand-alone certificate but, like bilingual
  certificates, requires possession of a standard
  instructional certificate as an elementary
  teacher or in an academic content area.

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Major Revision Of NJs Licensing Requirements
(Continued)

• Emergency licensure for special education has
  been eliminated and an alternate route to prepare
  special education teachers opened.
  
• Alternate route preparation programs must be
  aligned with the professional standards for
  teachers.
  

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Major Revision Of NJs Licensing Requirements
(Continued)

• The Office of Special Education has provided
  grants to NJ colleges with both general education
  and special education teacher preparation
  programs to help them work collaboratively to
  align their programs with state-adopted
  professional standards for teachers. Additional
  funding has been made available to colleges to
  design a standards-based alternate route
  preparation program for special education
  teachers.

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NJ House Standard Content Knowledge Matrix

• Provides an alternate means for veteran teachers
  to show content expertise by accruing a total of
  ten points for
  
• college coursework
• professional learning
• teaching experience
• The HOUSE Standard is not available to first-year
  teachers in Title I schools -except as noted
  above
  

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Special Education Teachers in the HOUSE

• Veteran special education teachers may also use
  in-class support assignments to accrue and
  demonstrate content expertise in academic areas
  
• One point per year per academic area in-class
  support assignment
  
• Four year recency limit

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Key Issues For Colleges In New Jersey Related To
Special Education Reforms And Needs

• Positive Movement in New Jersey
• Required revision of coursework based on
  standards, made colleges look at curriculum and
  sequence
  
• New Jersey provided funding in form of
  restructuring grants (but grants were for
  planning, not implementation
  
• Curriculum now based on standards vs 3 content
  areas-more aligned with effective and current
  practices

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Key Issues For Colleges In New Jersey Related To
Special Education Reforms And Needs

• Obstacles
• Overall 30 credit limitation on professional
  education courses-does not allow enough
  coursework in critical areas
  
• The need to focus on special education knowledge
  and skills for general educators-standards not
  enough

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Key Issues For Colleges In New Jersey Related To
Special Education Reforms And Needs

• Obstacle (Continued)
• The need for more connection between general
  education and special education with professional
  development for general education faculty
  
• Complexity of implementation of new alternate
  route program in special education
  
• Are teachers being prepared for all service
  delivery options? NCLB?
  
• NJPST are not aligned with CEC Standards-we have
  to meet NCATE CEC and NJPST

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NJEAs Support of Professional Development and
Other Teacher Quality Initiatives

• Initiatives
• Provides support in the dissemination of
  information to members
  
• Provides and brokers professional development
  programs
  
• Is a resource in determining professional
  development needs in various parts of the state,
  district, and school
  
• Provides seed money for specific programs offered
  through local affiliates sponsoring professional
  development programs

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Professional Development

• Instrumental in the initial formation of the
  PTSB
  
• All stakeholders represented
• Involved in the development of the structure,
  operating procedures, and norms of the PTSB
  
• Collaborated with DOE and PTSB to develop a Best
  Practices Forum

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Professional Development (Continued)

• NCLB HQ Teachers
• Provided input into the development of the NJ
  HOUSE
  
• Disseminate information to members
• Serve on DOE state-wide committees
• Serve as a resource for the DOE
• Lend expertise to DOE staff and policy makers