New Jersey Department of Education

NJDOE News

DOE FACT SHEET

New Rules for Professional Licensure & Standards
Adopted December 17, 2003

OVERVIEW

The State Board of Education has repealed teacher certification regulations in NJAC 6:11, Professional Licensure and has adopted a new chapter, NJAC 6A:9, also entitled Professional Licensure and Standards. The new rules are part of a comprehensive review of all chapters of the state administrative code to identify rules that were overly prescriptive, outdated or creating high cost and low benefit to those affected by these regulations. For this chapter, a decision was made to advance new code rather than revise the existing regulations.

Changes from the existing code are extensive and take into account critical improvements made in the last several years, including introduction of the Core Curriculum Content Standards. They also look ahead to meet the need to create better connections between certification and teaching and learning, and address licensing in standards-based reform. The new regulations are intended to be structured in a more coherent, practical manner.

HIGHLIGHTS

The new chapter:

IMPLEMENTATION TIMELINE

Code development is a public process in which input is solicited from educators and interested citizens on items for consideration before the State Board of Education. The department received approximately 450 written comments on the proposed new rules which resulted in several changes being made to the proposed rules prior to adoption level.

The adopted code will become effective upon publication in the New Jersey Register on January 5, 2004.

DETAILS

More details, including actual code language, appear in the State Board of Education agenda for January 20, 2004.