Bill Text: NJ S3100 | 2022-2023 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes Teacher Residency Program.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2022-09-29 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Education Committee [S3100 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2022-S3100-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes Teacher Residency Program.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act establishing a Teacher Residency Program and supplementing chapter 6 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. As used in this act:
"Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Education.
"Field experience" means observing and assisting with student learning which may include, but is not limited to, providing operational support to public schools; assisting instructional staff with data entry, grading, lesson planning, parental communication, and assessment development; and conducting classroom instruction.
"Non-certificated staff member" means a member of the staff, including a paraprofessional, of any public school holding office, position, or employment of such character that the qualifications, for such office, position, or employment, do not require the staff member to hold a valid and effective standard, provisional, or emergency certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners.
"Paraprofessional" means an individual who is employed in a public school as a school aide or classroom aide who assists a teaching staff member with the supervision of pupil activities.
"Program" means the Teacher Residency Program established pursuant to section 2 of this act.
"Program participant" means a public high school student entering grade 12 who has been accepted into the Teacher Residency Program, or a non-certificated staff member who has obtained a minimum of 60 college credits or an associate degree who has been accepted into the Teacher Residency Program.
"Public school" means a school district, charter school, and renaissance school in the State.
"Secretary" means the Secretary of Higher Education.
2. The Commissioner of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Higher Education, shall establish a Teacher Residency Program, the purpose of which shall be to offer stipends and provide program participants with the education and field experience necessary to obtain a New Jersey certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.
3. a. A public school and an accredited institution of higher education with a Department of Education approved educator preparation program that wish to offer the Teacher Residency Program shall jointly apply to the Department of Education in such manner as determined by the commissioner in consultation with the secretary. The application shall include, but not be limited to:
(1) a dual enrollment agreement between the public school and institution of higher education;
(2) the number of teachers in the public school and faculty at the institution of higher education available to provide college level instruction in connection with the program; and
(3) a program implementation plan which includes information on the types of services in place to support students enrolled in the program.
b. A public school and institution of higher education selected to offer the program shall jointly enter into an agreement with the department in which the public school and institution of higher education agree to provide program participants with the education and field experience necessary to obtain a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.
4. The Teacher Residency Program shall be comprised of three stages during which a program participant shall complete the coursework and field experience necessary to obtain a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.
a. Stage one of the program shall be open to high school students entering grade 12. A program participant who completes stage one of the program shall be awarded a Teacher Trainee credential. In order to complete stage one, a program participant shall:
(1) earn a minimum of 15 college credits in accordance with State Board of Education regulations;
(2) author a literature review on a topic approved by the program participant's academic advisor; and
(3) perform 200 hours of field experience.
b. Stage two of the program shall be open to individuals with a Teacher Trainee credential and non-certificated staff members who have obtained a minimum of 60 college credits or an associate degree. A program participant enrolled in an educator preparation program who completes stage two of the program shall be awarded a Teacher Resident I credential. In order to complete stage two, a program participant shall:
(1) earn a cumulative total of 90 college credits in accordance with State Board of Education regulations;
(2) perform a minimum of 720 hours of field experience; and
(3) pass an appropriate State test of subject matter knowledge.
c. Stage three of the program shall be open to individuals with a Teacher Resident I credential. A program participant who completes stage three of the program shall be awarded a Teacher Resident II credential. In order to complete stage three, the program participant shall:
(1) earn a cumulative total of 120 college credits in accordance with State Board of Education regulations;
(2) perform a minimum of 1000 hours of field experience;
(3) complete an educator preparation program and all necessary requirements for and obtain a bachelor's degree; and
(4) pass a commissioner-approved performance-based assessment.
d. An individual who possesses a Teacher Resident II credential awarded pursuant to the provisions of this act and meets the general certification requirements including, but not limited to, citizenship, age, and examination requirements, established by the State Board of Education shall be eligible for a certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.
5. To be eligible to participate in the program, an applicant shall:
a. be a resident of New Jersey;
b. if a high school student:
(1) pass a background check administered by the Department of Education; and
(2) have a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent, at the time of application to the program; and
c. if a non-certificated staff member who has obtained a minimum of 60 college credits or an associate degree, have maintained a minimum cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent while enrolled in or upon graduation from an institution of higher education, as applicable.
6. a. A high school student who wishes to participate in the program shall submit an application to the public school in which the student is enrolled and to the institution of higher education that has partnered with the public school to offer the program. The application, which shall be submitted by the end of the fall semester of the applicant's junior year of high school, shall include:
(1) an official high school transcript;
(2) a personal statement detailing the applicant's reasons for applying to the program;
(3) two letters of recommendation; and
(4) any other information the commissioner and secretary deem appropriate.
b. A non-certificated staff member who has obtained a minimum of 60 college credits or an associate degree who wishes to participate in the program shall submit an application to the public school in which the non-certificated staff member is employed or to a public school offering the Teacher Residency Program and to the institution of higher education that has partnered with the public school to offer the program. An application shall be accepted in a manner determined by the partnering public school and institution of higher education. The application shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) official transcripts from each institution of higher education the non-certificated staff member has attended;
(2) a personal statement detailing the applicant's reasons for applying to the program;
(3) three letters of recommendation, one of which shall be from a current supervisor, principal, or employing public school's human resource officer; and
(4) any other information the commissioner and secretary deem appropriate.
c. The public school and the institution of higher education that has partnered with the public school shall jointly select the applicants for participation in the program.
d. As a condition of acceptance into the program, a program participant shall enter into an agreement with the Department of Education to maintain employment as a teaching staff member in the State for four years following completion of the program. A program participant who is unable to obtain employment as a teaching staff member in the State following completion of the program may seek a waiver from the department exempting the program participant from the provisions of this paragraph. The department shall establish guidelines governing the provisions of this subsection.
7. a. A program participant shall receive stipend awards which shall be distributed in such manner as determined by the commissioner and secretary. The total amounts awarded shall be:
(1) $2,000 during stage one of the program;
(2) $10,000 during stage two of the program; and
(3) $15,000 during stage three of the program.
b. In order to receive the full amount of the stipend award during stages two and three of the program, a program participant shall be enrolled full-time in a course of study at the institution of higher education that has partnered with the public school under the program and complete all required hours of field experience.
c. The commissioner and secretary may determine to provide additional stipend awards to a program participant whose course of study while enrolled in the program may lead to a subject area endorsement in any subject area in which there is a shortage of teachers in the State as determined by the commissioner.
8. A program participant, as a condition of participation, shall be required to adhere to performance standards established by the commissioner in coordination with the secretary. The standards shall include, but not be limited to, requirements that a program participant:
a. maintain residency in the State;
b. maintain a cumulative grade point average of a 3.0 or higher on a scale of 4.0, or its equivalent, while enrolled in the program; and
c. maintain satisfactory performance of field experience services rendered during the program.
9. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Office of the Secretary of Higher Education, shall adopt, in accordance with the "Administrative Procedures Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), rules and regulations as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this act.
10. This act shall take effect on the first day of the 13th month next following the date of enactment, except the Commissioner of Education, in consultation with the Secretary of Higher Education, may take any anticipatory administrative action in advance as shall be necessary for the timely implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes a Teacher Residency Program, the purpose of which is to offer stipends and provide program participants with the education and field experience necessary to obtain a New Jersey certificate of eligibility with advanced standing (CEAS), a credential that allows an individual to seek and accept employment as a teacher in a public school. The Teacher Residency Program is open to public high school students entering grade 12 and non-certificated staff members who have obtained a minimum of 60 college credits or an associate degree and who meet certain eligibility criteria. Under the bill, a non-certificated staff member is defined to mean a member of the staff, including a paraprofessional, of any public school holding office, position, or employment of such character that the qualifications, for such office, position, or employment, do not require the staff member to hold a valid and effective standard, provisional, or emergency certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners.
Under the bill, a public school and institution of higher education chosen by the Department of Education to offer the Teacher Residency Program will jointly enter into an agreement with the department in which the public school and institution of higher education agree to provide program participants with the education and field experience necessary to obtain a CEAS.
Under this bill, the Teacher Residency program will be comprised of three stages. Stage one of the program is open to high school students entering grade 12, stage two of the program is open to individuals who have completed stage one of the program and non-certificated staff members who have obtained a minimum of 60 college credits or an associate degree, and stage three of the program is open to individuals who have completed stage two of the program. Individuals who complete stage three of the program will be awarded a Teacher Resident II credential. Individuals with a Teacher Resident II credential who meet the general certification requirements established by the State Board of Education will be eligible for a CEAS.
As a condition of acceptance into the program, the bill requires a program participant to enter into an agreement with the Department of Education to maintain employment as a teaching staff member in the State for four years following completion of the program. A program participant who is unable to obtain employment as a teaching staff member in the State following completion of the program may seek a waiver from the department from this requirement.
Under the bill, a program participant will receive stipend awards, which will be distributed in such manner as determined by the Commissioner of Education and Secretary of Higher Education. The stipends will be awarded as follows: (1) $2,000 during stage one of the program; (2) $10,000 during stage two of the program; and (3) $15,000 during stage three of the program. In order to receive the full stipend award during stages two and three, the program participant must be enrolled full-time in an institution of higher education and complete all required hours of field experience. The bill permits the commissioner and secretary to provide additional stipend awards to a program participant whose course of study while enrolled in the program may lead to a subject area endorsement in any subject area in which there is a shortage of teachers in the State as determined by the commissioner.
The bill requires program participants to adhere to certain performance standards as a condition of participation in the program.
