News Brief

09/17/13

New Jersey Pushing Plan to Require Better College Grades From Incoming Teachers

NorthJersey.com (09/17/13) Brody, Leslie

New Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf submitted a package of proposals to lawmakers to require college graduates to have a "B" average in order to become teachers. Public comments on the proposals will be accepted through Nov. 15, after which the education board would vote on whether to approve it. Applicants now need a 2.5 grade-point average (GPA) to get into a traditional preparation program in the state, and a 2.75 GPA for a provisional license after completing training. The proposal increases the minimum to a 3.0 GPA in both stages, but permits exceptions when a candidate has a particularly strong mastery of content. The proposal also requires that the pool of applicants in a college-based teacher-prep program have a 3.0 GPA in high school. Cerf also wants to add a new performance test to require teachers to demonstrate their effectiveness before heading to a classroom. If passed, the rule would impact teachers graduating after September 2015.
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