Prior to gaining approval to operate an EPP designed to lead to New Jersey certification, all institutions looking to offer credit-bearing programs need authorization from Office of the Secretary of Higher Education (OSHE) to operate an institution of higher education. EPPs within existing authorized institutions will skip this step. Additional information on how to initiate this process can be found at the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education.

*Certificate of Eligibility (CE)-EPPs that are non-credit bearing and are housed outside of institutes of higher education do not need to seek OSHE authorization to gain approval.
*Out-of-state providers, including online providers, cannot gain program approval without a physical presence in New Jersey.

Application Submission to the Department

Applications for new preparation programs will be reviewed in 2 windows each year:

• Fall window:
• Providers must submit a program application by November 1 to be reviewed in the fall review window.  Programs reviewed during the fall window will receive approval notification by March 31.
• Spring window:
• Providers must submit a program application by April 1 to be reviewed in the spring review window.  Programs reviewed during the spring window will receive approval notification by August 31.
• Providers may access the online application at any point in the year to input information.
• Applications received after the cut-off date will not be reviewed until the next open window.

The New Jersey Department of Education Review

• The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) completes initial scan to ensure application is complete and all regulatory requirements have been met
• If application is not complete and/or requirements are not met, the review process is on hold until the provider makes revisions

Content Expert Review

• The NJDOE program office and/or external subject-matter experts review the application to check for content alignment to standards (regulatory standards for applicable endorsement; national content standards) and, if necessary, provides feedback on areas for improvement
• Provider may be contacted for revisions

State Program Approval Council (SPAC) Review

• SPAC reviews application and all New Jersey Department of Education feedback
• Provider may be contacted for revisions

Commissioner Review

• Commissioner reviews all NJDOE and SPAC feedback on program application, and determines final approval status
• Final approval decision sent to provider electronically

Upon satisfactory completion of the program application review, providers receive approval to operate the proposed EPP.  Approval will be granted for the duration of the provider's current accreditation cycle.  In the event that the provider has not yet gained accreditation, the approval may be granted for a period of no more than 5 years while the provider seeks and gains accreditation.

Upon successful completion of the periodic review, EPPs are issued approval to continue operating for the duration of the new accreditation cycle.  One possible outcome of the periodic review is continued approval to operate educator preparation programs in New Jersey.

The list of approved language acquisition courses will be updated on the Department’s website by June 31^st and December 31^st of each year.

Approval Process for Language Acquisition Courses:

• Approved New Jersey Educator Preparation Programs (EPPs)
  • Language acquisition courses existing within approved EPPs leading to a World Language endorsement meet the requirements of N.J.A.C. 6A:9B-10.5(a)2 and, therefore, are automatically added to the list of approved language acquisition courses.
  • No action is needed for approved EPPs leading to a world language endorsement.
  • The review and approval timeline to amend or add language acquisition courses existing within an approved EPP will follow the Department EPP Approval Process.
• All Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs)
  • To submit an amendment to an approved language acquisition course or a new language acquisition course for Department approval, New Jersey and out-of-state IHEs must email eppapproval@doe.nj.gov. The email must:
    • Be sent by or carbon copy the dean or director of the EPP; and
    • Include the course description and syllabus.
  • Submissions to amend or add language acquisition courses may be emailed on a rolling basis.

The Department will review submissions and send an approval letter. If the Department finds a course ineligible, a meeting will be held with the IHE to provide feedback and determine the potential next steps in the process.