CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAM STUDENTS 2017/2018

Things to Do Essential Information

Graduation Preparation / Apply to graduate at the beginning of the Final semester: / Login to PAWS, “Student Center”
Click on ”Advising Tools
Praxis Tests / Take the correct State required test. The New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE) changes tests periodically so please check with the Certification Office if you are unsure which test to take for your subject area.
Include your SSN when registering for a Praxis test.
Submit a hard copy of your Official Test Score Report to the TCNJ Certification Office with your certification application. / New Jersey Department of Education test info:
Registration and test prep info:
Test Dates:
Registration deadlines are approximately 1 month before test date.
NOTE: DOWNLOAD, SAVE, & PRINT test score reports emailed from ETS. Fees are charged for retrieval after 1 year.
NJ State Teacher Certification Application
Process
PINK
FORM / Undergraduates: Please pick up certification application in the TCNJ Certification Office
M.A.T. Students: Application Forms are mailed following coordinators’ recommendation to confirm completion of pre-requisites.
ALL CANDIDATES must return pink form & NJ State Fee to TCNJ Certification Office. TCNJ compiles & submits certification documents to the NJ State Licensing Office in the area of each candidate’s enrollment. / BEFORE candidates can be submitted to the NJDOE for licensure:
1)Application packets must be complete
2)All grades AND degree conferrals must be posted
Processing takes approximately 4-6 weeks from the date of degree conferral /program completion for graduates who have submitted complete applications on time. TCNJ cannot expedite requests for certification.
NJ Health/Physiology Requirement:
Acceptable: Any college course in biology, health/wellness,
anatomy/physiology, & BIO 104. Contact the TCNJ
Certification Office if you have not taken an
appropriate course. A test is offered in our office; a study
guide is available.
HIB requirement (harassment, intimidation, bullying)
NJ 2011 State Legislative Bill 3466: Section C.18A:37
Identifies candidates entering the profession.Check the certification website for instruction on how to access the training.
All college teacher candidates (and other licensure-program candidates) seeking certification to work in NJ schools must have had HIB training.

TCNJ Certification OfficeEmail:

Phone: 609.771.2396 or 609.771.2318 Suite 108 Education

To teach in a public or charter school K-12 in New Jersey and in most other states, or to teach in American International schools around the world, you must obtain a teaching license issued by a state agency in the subject specialization you plan to teach.

  • Elementary Education authorizes all subjects K-6 in a self-contained setting.
  • All subject area specializations are “all grades” P-12
  • Special Education is (TOSD) is not standalone and must be combined with a primary instructional certificate if you wish to be “the primary teacher delivering direct instruction to all general and special education students. Otherwise, the TOSD will be used to authorize the special education teacher (to meet the students IEP) to work in partnership with the subject matter teacher.
  • Holding a license in the subject area and passing the Praxis II (all parts) or having a major in a teachable subject makes you highly qualified in that subject.
  • Employment in a middle school requires either middle school or “all grades” cert in the subject area according to the NJDOE regulations.

TCNJ MIDDLE SCHOOL CONTENT COURSES

Accepted by the NJ Department of Education for middle grades certification

English
Course Pre-Fix: LIT, any type of Literature including,
WRI any type of writing
ENG
RAL 225 Childrens’ Literature
WGS Courses, Cross-listed as LIT or ENG Courses:
WGS 211 British & Amer. Women Writers
WGS 225 Gender & Childr. Lit
WGS 314 Women’s Autob, Diaries & Letters
WGS 317 The Witch in Literature
WGS 320 Men & Masculin.: Liter. Perspectives
WGS 341 Gay & Lesbian Lit.
WGS 360 Lit by Latinas & Latin-Amer. Women
WGS 376 Global Women Writers / Math
MAT 111/Number Theory & Systems for Middle
School Teachers
MAT112/Data Analysis & Probability for Middle
School Teachers
MAT 114/Patterns, Functions & Algorithms for Middle
School Teachers
MAT 115/Geometry for Middle School Teachers
MAT 117/ Discrete Math for Middle School Teachers
MAT118/Concepts of Calculus for Middle School
Teachers
ETE 131/Engineering Math
MAT 101, 105 & 106
Any “MATH” class such as calculus, linear algebra etc.
Any statistics course: “STAT”
Social Studies
Course Pre-Fix: History Economics Geography
Gov’t/Political Science Sociology/Anthropology
AAS 205/African-American History to 1865
AAS 206/ African-American History since 1865
AAS 280/Africana Women in Historical Perspective
AAS 282/History of Race Relations in the US
AAS 351/ Ancient & Medieval Africa
AAS 352/ Colonial & Modern Africa
AAS 375/ Womanist Thought
AAS 378/African-American Women’s History
INT 200/International Studies: Processes, Themes, &
Issues
INT 300/Human Rights in International Relations
INT 350/International Trade in the Caribbean
INT 352/ History of the Caribbean
INT 355/Political Economy of Natural Resources
INT 360/Comparative Political Economy of Development
WGS 240/Introduction to Gay & Lesbian Studies
WGS 250/Politics of Sexuality
WGS 260/Africana Women in Historical Perspective
WGS 301/Women in America
WGS 310/women in Eastern Europe: 1848-Present
WGS 318/Women & the legislative Process Part 1 / Science
Course Pre-Fix: Biology Chemistry
Astronomy Physics
Geology
MST 203: Environmental Science is approved
By the State DOE for Middle School
Science Certification.
ETE 341/Biotechnology & Environmental Systems

PRAXIS TESTING

The Educational Testing Service () is the agency that handles all testing for teacher and preparation programs. Information, registration, and available testing dates for the Praxis Core dates are available on their website.

There are 2basic types of Praxis tests (take the correct test)

Praxis: Core Academic Skills for Educators– we call this the Basic Skills test, if you started your Education program Fall 2015, you may need this test.

The Praxis: Core Academic Skills for Educatorsallows a new student to demonstrate basic skills competency and eligibility to enter a formal teacher preparation program.

Note: The Praxis CORE exams do not substitute for the Praxis II Content area tests that are required. All tests are required before JFE or Student Teaching assignments can be made.

PRAXIS II Content Knowledge Tests INFORMATION and PREPARATION – YOU MUST TAKE THIS TEST BEFORE STUDENT TEACHING

The PRAXIS II Content Knowledge Test allows a student to prove the essential subject area knowledge for the program area they are enrolled in. (Elementary, P3, Secondary Education)

It is recommended that you take the test when you are academically ready. This varies by person. You must take the test before being eligible to student teach. Please take time to review the test description and prepare yourself through adequate study and review.

ETS offers a free study companion for each content test. It will give you an idea of what types of questions are on the exam and help you assess areas where you are strong, and where you need additional study.

The current test for Elementary Education K-6 is a multi-subject test 5001. The current test for Early Childhood is 5025. There is a handout outside the STEP/Certification for all other test codes.

To pass the Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects test you must receive a passing score on each subtest. If you wish to take all four subtests (5002, 5003, 5004, 5005) at the same time, select Elementary Education: Multiple Subjects (5001) when registering.
If you wish to take or retake an individual subtest, you may register to take just that subtest.

QUESTIONS

  1. Are you highly qualified?

You can be highly qualified in accordance with federal regulations based on holding a NJ issued teaching license and passing the Praxis II, or having a subject area major in your certificate area.

  1. What is reciprocity and how does it work?

Reciprocity is when one state recognizes a credential from another state and issues a compatible credential with courtesy conditions. All states have their own conditions. If you are seeking reciprocity it is important for you to reach out to the “receiving” state Department of Education and find out what they require. Many will ask that you take additional tests or obtain an advanced degree but will have some type of certificate that you can work under while completing the requirements.

  1. What is a Performance Assessment?

This is a new requirement in New Jersey and many other states are adding that will require you to submit evidence of your teaching performance. You will be measured on how you handle a question, how you conduct a classroom discussion, how you manage classroom behavior, and how you introduce a lesson and how you handle a manipulative. TCNJ will choose a provider and build this into the program for the 2017-2018 academic year. Many states have already started using tools on the market. EdTPA and PPAT are the most common if you want to research on YouTube.

  1. I want to start my job search before I graduate. Can you help?

Yes. Once you are cleared to graduate in PAWS and you have passed the Praxis II in your subject area, email pironej@tcnj and request a letter of certification eligibility. My office will prepare a letter stating that you have met the certification requirements for your program and that your license is expected to be issued within a specified time frame. This is usually enough to let a school district proceed with a hiring plan if they like you. If school is scheduled to start before it is reasonable to expect a license to be issues, get a substitute credential to cover you for a short period.

  1. Substitute credentials – issued by the County Office of Education- you can apply in a school district office or contact the county directly for information
  1. What do I have to do to apply for an additional license on my own after I complete my TCNJ certificate program?
  1. Go to to register with the NJDOE online system, TCIS. After successfully completing the registration, they will send you a password to start the application for certification online. NEW USERS MUST REGISTER FIRST. Submit your registration and wait for a password to be sen to you to login and start your online application.

  1. Go to (Forms) to download the Oath of Allegiance. Complete it and have it notarized.
  2. Order your official transcript from TCNJ and all other institutions where you have coursework.
  3. Assemble the Oath and transcripts and send to the NJDOE to be added to your online application for processing. Processing takes 6-8 weeks on average once all documents are on file at the NJDOE.