LICENSING CODE READOPTION

1
LICENSING CODE READOPTION

• N.J.A.C. 6A9
• Sunset Date January 20, 2009

2

• The department proposes to readopt the
  Licensing Code with amendments in four critical
  areas

3
FOUR AMENDMENT AREAS

1. Higher Education program approval and
   content-specific professional standards
2. Alternate route to teacher certification
3. Career and Technical Education / Educational
   Technology
4. Professional Responsibility

4
1. Higher Education Program Approval and
Content-Specific Professional Standards

• The new program approval process involves
• College pre-service program alignment to
  content-specific professional standards within
  each licensure area and
• A two-stage peer review process with final
  approval by the department.

5
Examples of Content-Based Professional Standards

• Candidates understand how elementary age children
  develop and learn to read, write, speak, view,
  and listen effectively.
• Candidates teach children to read through a
  program that includes the use of letter / sound
  relationships (phonics), context (semantics and
  syntax), and text that has meaning for students.

6
Higher Education Program Approval

• Scheduled adoption phase-in for content-specific
  professional standards
• K-5 by January 20, 2009
• P-3 by March 1, 2009
• Middle school by June 1, 2009
• K-12 instructional certificates by September 1,
  2009
• School leader certificates by September 1, 2009
• Educational services certificates by December 1,
  2009

7
Higher Education Program Approval

• Steps in the program approval process will
  include
• An initial review by certificate-specific peer
  committees staffed by experts
• A second review by an 11-member State Program
  Approval Council which will
• Include six members from institutions of higher
  education
• Include five members from the K-12 schools
• Have authority to decide disputes raised at the
  peer committee level and
• Recommend programs to the NJ Department of
  Education.
• A final decision by the Commissioner.

8
Higher Education Program Approval

• The review process will be
• Based on program documentation including
• Alignment to content-specific professional
  standards
• Performance assessment of students and
• Field experience for students.
• Required for new and substantially-revised
  programs and
• Required for re-approval of existing programs
  every seven years at least six months prior to
  the programs NCATE or TEAC review.

9
2. Alternate Route

• Our proposed amendments represent only the first
  step in a comprehensive process to improve the
  alternate route which is being developed as a
  result of the evaluation study by The College of
  New Jersey (TCNJ).
• The ongoing process will involve a task force
  facilitated by a national expert which will lead
  the work of
• Reforming the approval process for alternate
  route provider programs
• Redesigning the duration and scope of study for
  alternate route teachers
• Strengthening the mentoring process and
• Improving district recruiting and hiring
  procedures.

10
Alternate Route

• Proposed code amendments
• Before entering a classroom, all candidates will
  be required to complete 24 hours of training
  center study or equivalent coursework introducing
  them to the teaching profession, including
  instruction in classroom management and
  discipline, lesson planning, the New Jersey Core
  Curriculum Content Standards, and student
  assessment.

11
Alternate Route

• Proposed code amendments (cont.)
• To receive a certificate of eligibility, all K-5
  and P-3 applicants, will also be required to
• Complete 45 hours of training center study or
  equivalent coursework in the content-based
  pedagogy of math appropriate to their
  certificate and
• Complete 45 hours of training center study or
  equivalent coursework in the content-based
  pedagogy of language arts / literacy appropriate
  to their certification.

12
3. Career and Technical Education,and
Educational Technology

• Career and Technical Education proposed
  amendments
• Change the name of vocational-technical education
  to career and technical education
• Remove redundant language relating to career
  clusters and
• Clarify the requirements for experience-based
  alternate route certificates.

13
Career and Technical Education,and Educational
Technology

• Educational Technology proposed amendment to
  support the integration of educational technology
  throughout the curriculum
• Update the authorization to teach computer
  literacy to include competency in legal and
  ethical issues relating to educational
  technology and
• Clarify the difference between educational
  technology (computer literacy), for which there
  is no endorsement, and technology education
  (pre-engineering), for which there is an
  endorsement.

14
4. Professional Responsibility

• The department will propose a new Professional
  Teaching Standard on Professional Responsibility
  
• This amendment draws on national and other
  states codes of ethics that understand the
  importance of and the obligation to protect
  students from harmful or potentially harmful
  conduct, and to maintain professional
  relationships with students, parents, staff
  members, and community members.

15

• QUESTIONS
• AND
• ANSWERS