Teacher Candidate Performance Assessment Moves Forward in New Jersey

by Drew Gitomer, Emily Hodge, and Rachel Garver

Students in classroom raising their hands to the teacher.

In June 2022, New Jersey enacted a significant change in how educator preparation programs (EPPs) would assess the quality and readiness of their teacher candidates through performance assessment.  We have discussed the evolution of this policy change in blog posts in February, August, and October of last year.  In brief, the new law eliminates the use of the edTPA assessment as a mandated component of teacher licensure in New Jersey and, instead, requires each EPP to develop their own performance assessment.  Approval and administration of the performance assessment is now left to the EPP, rather than the state Department of Education. EPPs were required to submit their plans to the state this past December; however,  the state could not approve or disapprove of the plans as long as the performance assessment meets the definition used in the legislation:  “a multi-measure assessment process where candidates demonstrate the pedagogical knowledge and skills identified in the New Jersey Professional Standards for Teachers and their content knowledge and skill in teaching to the New Jersey Learning Standards in the grade band and subject area of a certificate sought.”

Read the full article on Rutgers New Jersey State Policy Lab.