N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2 — Certificates required; exception

18A:26-2. Certificates required; exception No teaching staff member shall be employed in the public schools by any board of education unless he is the holder of a valid certificate to teach, administer, direct or supervise the teaching, instruction, or educational guidance of, or to render or administer, direct or supervise the rendering of nursing service to, pupils in such public schools and of such other certificate, if any, as may be required by law. Notwithstanding the foregoing certification requirement, boards of education shall be permitted to enter into contracts with properly licensed commercial drivers' schools for the purpose of providing behind-the-wheel instruction as a part of a regular curriculum driver education course, provided that classroom instruction in driver education is conducted by a certified teaching staff member. When classroom instruction in driver education is conducted by a certified teaching staff member, persons providing behind-the-wheel instruction need not be certified teachers but shall be properly licensed driving instructors under rules and regulations of the Division of Motor Vehicles. L.1967, c.271; amended by L.1983, c. 281, s. 4, eff. July 29, 1983. 18A:26-2a Definitions relative to employment of novice teachers; registration with DOE. 1. a. As used in this section: "Certificate of eligibility" means a certificate with lifetime validity issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet degree, academic, and applicable test requirements for teacher certification; "Certificate of eligibility with advanced standing" means a certificate with lifetime validity issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet degree, academic and test requirements for teacher certification and complete a State-approved college professional education preparation program; "Novice teacher" means any teacher working under a valid certificate of eligibility, certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, or provisional certificate who has not yet been issued a standard instructional certificate; "Provisional certificate" means a certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who hold either a certificate of eligibility or a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing and are employed as part of a State-approved district training program or residency leading to standard certification; "Provisional teacher program" means the school-based training and evaluation program provided to all novice teachers during the first year of teaching in the State; "Standard instructional certificate" means a permanent certificate issued to a person who has met all teacher certification requirements. b. A board of education may employ a person who holds a valid certificate of eligibility or certificate of eligibility with advanced standing to teach as a novice teacher in the public schools of the district. Upon the employment of a novice teacher, the board of education shall immediately register the employment with the Department of Education and request issuance of a provisional certificate. When the provisional certificate is issued by the department, its effective date for all purposes shall be the date on which the novice teacher began employment with the board of education. The board of education shall also enroll the novice teacher in the provisional teacher program and comply with all responsibilities assigned to the district by the department. L.2005,c.144,s.1. 18A:26-2b Definitions relative to teacher certification. 1. As used in this act: "Limited certificate of eligibility" means a certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet the criteria established pursuant to section 4 of this act. "Limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing" means a certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners to candidates who meet the criteria established pursuant to section 3 of this act and complete a State-approved college professional educator preparation program. L.2021, c.224, s.1. 18A:26-2c Limited certificate of eligibility pilot program. 2. There is established in the Department of Education a five-year pilot program under which the State Board of Education shall authorize the issuance of a limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing pursuant to section 3 of this act and a limited certificate of eligibility pursuant to section 4 of this act. L.2021, c.224, s.2. 18A:26-2d Issuance of limited certificate of eligibility, advanced standing. 3. a. For the purposes of the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of this act, no later than three months following the date of enactment, the State Board of Education shall authorize the issuance of a limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing to a teacher candidate who meets all other eligibility requirements for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing, except any one of the following: (1) the minimum grade point average requirement and all other alternative grade point average requirements or exceptions; or (2) the requirement to achieve a minimum passing score on an appropriate State test of subject matter knowledge and all other alternative requirements or exceptions to achieving a passing score on an appropriate State test of subject matter knowledge. b. The limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing authorized pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall only be used for employment in a school district, charter school, or renaissance school approved to hire individuals who hold the certificate pursuant to section 5 of this act. L.2021, c.224, s.3. 18A:26-2e Issuance of limited certificate of eligibility. 4. a. For the purposes of the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of this act, no later than three months following the date of enactment, the State Board of Education shall authorize the issuance of a limited certificate of eligibility to a teacher candidate who meets all other eligibility requirements to receive a certificate of eligibility, except any one of the following: (1) the requirement to complete a minimum number of subject area course credits and all other related alternative requirements or exceptions, except that a candidate applying for a limited certificate of eligibility shall hold a bachelor's degree at a minimum; (2) the minimum grade point average requirement and all other alternative grade point average requirements or exceptions; (3) the requirement to achieve a minimum score on a Commissioner of Education-approved test of basic reading, writing, and mathematical skills and all other alternative basic skills requirements or exceptions; or (4) the requirement to achieve a minimum passing score on an appropriate State test of subject matter knowledge and all other alternative requirements or exceptions to achieving a passing score on an appropriate State test of subject matter knowledge. b. The limited certificate of eligibility authorized pursuant to subsection a. of this section shall only be used for employment in a school district, charter school, or renaissance school approved to hire individuals who hold the certificate pursuant to section 5 of this act. L.2021, c.224, s.4. 18A:26-2f Approval of schools hiring individuals issued limited certificates of eligibility; qualifications. 5. a. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school seeking to hire individuals who are issued limited certificates of eligibility with advanced standing or limited certificates of eligibility under the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of this act shall be approved by the Commissioner of Education to do so. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school shall apply to the commissioner in a manner and form to be prescribed by the commissioner. To be considered for approval to hire individuals who hold limited certificates of eligibility with advanced standing or limited certificates of eligibility, an applicant shall demonstrate a sufficient capability to provide support to new teachers and: (1) a demographic disparity between the district's or school's student population and teachers; or (2) a shortage of bilingual education teachers; or (3) a critical need to fill teacher vacancies or a hardship caused by teacher vacancies. b. During the first year of implementation of the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of this act, the commissioner shall approve no less than 10 school districts, charter schools, or renaissance schools to hire individuals who hold limited certificates of eligibility with advanced standing or limited certificates of eligibility. c. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school approved to hire individuals who hold limited certificates of eligibility with advanced standing or limited certificates of eligibility shall only hire up to 10 percent of its total teachers pursuant to this act. d. A school district, charter school, or renaissance school approved to hire individuals who hold limited certificates of eligibility with advanced standing or limited certificates of eligibility shall, during the period of the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of this act, annually submit a report to the commissioner evaluating the impact of hiring such individuals. The report shall contain the following information: (1) the number of teachers who were issued a limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing or a limited certificate of eligibility; (2) the subject areas in which the individuals teach and the courses they teach; (3) how the hiring of individuals who were issued the limited certificates has impacted the district's or school's demographic disparity between its student population and teachers as well as the effect the hiring of those individuals has had on the district's or school's ability to fill teacher vacancies; (4) student achievement data for students taught by the teachers who were issued the limited certificates, as determined by the commissioner; and (5) any other information the commissioner deems necessary. e. The commissioner shall, during the period of the pilot program established pursuant to section 2 of this act, annually submit to the State Board of Education a report summarizing the information submitted by school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools pursuant to subsection d. of this section. L.2021, c.224, s.5. 18A:26-2g Receipt of standard instructional certificate, requirements. 6. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law, rule, or regulation related to the evaluation of a provisional teacher for a standard instructional certificate to the contrary, an individual who is issued a limited certificate of eligibility with advanced standing pursuant to section 3 of this act or a limited certificate of eligibility pursuant to section 4 of this act, is hired by a school district, charter school, or renaissance school approved to hire such an individual pursuant to section 5 of this act, and is teaching in the district or school under a provisional instructional certificate, shall earn a standard instructional certificate upon receipt of at least two summative evaluation ratings of effective or highly effective earned within three consecutive years of teaching. This requirement shall be in addition to all other requirements for a standard instructional certificate established pursuant to State Board of Education regulations. L.2021, c.224, s.6. 18A:26-2h Rules, regulations. 7. The State Board of Education shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), necessary to effectuate the purposes of this act. L.2021, c.224, s.7.

This is the verbatim text of N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2, retrieved from the New Jersey Legislature's public statute corpus. Statutes are amended periodically — for the most current version, check the external source link above. Kyzer is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice.