TRENTON, NJ – Most professions in New Jersey require basic skills testing. Whether you want to become a plumber, electrician, barber, and, yes, even a teacher, you must meet a basic skill requirement before you can become officially licensed and certified in New Jersey.
Now, the New Jersey Education Association (NJEA), the state’s biggest teachers union, wants to end that requirement.
The NJEA is advocating for the elimination of the basic skills test requirement for teacher certification in New Jersey. This move follows the recent removal of the edTPA, another certification hurdle.
Prospective teachers in New Jersey must currently pass the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators test in Reading, Writing, and Math or present SAT, ACT, or GRE scores in the top third percentile of the year taken. The NJEA argues that this requirement poses an unnecessary barrier to entering the teaching profession.
The association urges the public to contact Governor Murphy’s office to support the passing of S1553, a bill aimed at abolishing this testing requirement.