• Credentials review is an opportunity for an applicant to address before the State Board of Examiners (Board) an adverse evaluation of credentials by the Office of Recruitment, Preparation, and Certification. An "adverse evaluation" does not involve questions of conduct, but, rather, of licensure deficiencies or noncompliance with regulations.
• Opportunity for credentials review includes, but is not limited to, the following circumstances:
  1. An applicant appeals the decision of the examiner and, in the alternative, seeks the review of education and/or experience he/she believes is equivalent to the area(s) of deficiency. Please note that the Board does not waive requirements.
  2. An applicant appeals the decision of the examiner who does not accept his/her grade point average (GPA), New Jersey state test requirement results, non-accredited university coursework/program, junior college coursework (rather than four-year study), verification of program completion and/or other requirements stated in the regulations.
  3. An applicant under provisional licensure appeals the recommendation indicated on the final summative evaluation prepared by a building principal or does not dispute the principal's recommendation, but, rather, seeks another opportunity to complete a provisional year to earn issuance of a standard certificate.

An appeal must be requested within 60 days of receipt of an adverse evaluation or denial of certification by sending an email to the Credentials Appeals Coordinator for the Board at credentials.review@doe.nj.gov.

Provide the following information in your email:

• Name of certificate sought;
• Nature of the appeal (review the information in the previous section);
• Tracking number; and
• Current home address and preferred email address for further communication regarding the appeal.

Please note that this email does not constitute an appeal. There are additional procedures that must be followed and documentation which must be provided, as set forth below, for the appeal to be presented to the Board.

• Upon receipt of a request by an applicant for appeal before the Board, the case is forwarded to the chief examiner to review and update, if necessary, the original evaluation of an applicant's credentials.
• Should the request be appropriate for credentials review, an information packet is emailed to the applicant with instructions and necessary forms;
• The applicant emails the necessary documentation and other appropriate information to the Credentials Appeals Coordinator (credentials.review@doe.nj.gov);
• After receipt and review of the documentation submitted to ensure it is complete, the Credentials Appeals Coordinator places the applicant on the agenda for the earliest available monthly Board meeting and notifies the applicant;
• Once the petition is placed before the Board, the Credentials Review Committee makes a recommendation (i.e., issuance, denial, partial credit) to the entire Board; and
• The decision is rendered and voted upon by the entire Board at the next or a future meeting.

The entire process takes approximately three to four months depending on the volume of cases and availability of space on the Board's agenda.