Dive Brief:
- New Jersey teacher candidates can now skip a basic skills test on the way to a full-time education career, as Gov. Phil Murphy signed a bill into law Monday waiving the requirement for taking the Praxis core exams.
- If teacher candidates forgo the basic skills test, they will earn an alternative certification. They can then earn a permanent, standard teaching certification after teaching four consecutive years at an eligible New Jersey school.
- The law takes effect immediately, but authorization for alternative certifications will sunset in five years. Advocates of the measure tout it as an effective solution for creating more accessible pathways into the teaching profession.
Dive Insight:
Opponents of certification exams have long viewed these tests as daunting obstacles for teacher candidates, especially for candidates of color.
The National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, has also come out against the Praxis and other licensure exams being the only reason for keeping a teacher candidate from entering into the profession.
“Regardless of the education or training path candidates take on the way to becoming a teacher, Praxis and other licensure tests can create barriers to entering the profession,” NEA says in a statement on its website. “This is particularly true for candidates of color.” NEA added that it has been "largely documented" that standardized tests contain cultural biases.
In a February statement submitted to the New Jersey Assembly Education Committee considering the legislation, the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association said dropping requirements for basic skills testing “strikes an important balance” by providing flexibility and removing “unnecessary barriers” for teacher certification. The organization noted, however, the importance of still requiring Praxis II subject tests.
The Praxis exams are one of a multitude of teacher certification tests created and administered by the Educational Testing Service. The Praxis core tests measure a teacher candidate’s skills in reading, writing and math while the Praxis subject tests gauge subject-specific knowledge measuring a variety of skills in over 90 different tests ranging from agriculture to world languages.
“We are ready to take the time to fill in the gaps in areas of effective teaching styles, classroom management and the like but we cannot fill in gaps in the content teacher candidates should have learned in college,” the association said.
The organization added that the New Jersey legislation comes amid a slowing supply of both educators and teaching candidates.
Teachers who receive an alternative certification and teach at a New Jersey public school, charter school, or an approved private school for students with disabilities are eligible for standard certification. Teaching at one of the state’s renaissance school projects — which are institutions formed in partnership between a school district and a nonprofit organization — can also qualify a teacher for full certification.
Enactment of this law comes amid signs showing no letup in nationwide teacher shortages. Heading into the 2023-24 school year, 86% of public schools reported difficulties hiring teachers, according to data released in October by the National Center for Education Statistics.
In 2019, Illinois passed a similar law that eliminated the need for teacher candidates to complete a basic skills test to earn an educator licensure. Pennsylvania also passed a law removing assessments of teacher candidates’ basic skills in 2022 through July 2025.
