-Jennie Lamon, NJPSA Assistant Director of Government Relations
On Wednesday, April 2, 2025, the New Jersey State Board of Education met for its regularly scheduled monthly meeting at the Riverview Executive Plaza in Trenton. This month, the State Board members heard an update on the newly released School Performance Reports, revisions to Chapter 8 resulting from public comment received so far, as well as updates to Professional Standards, in order to align the chapter with new laws regarding New Jersey Educator Preparation Programs and State Board of Examiners and Certification.
School Performance Reports
During their meeting, the State Board members received a report from the NJDOE on the latest School Performance Reports. Education Commissioner Kevin Dehmer noted that School Performance Reports provide valuable information for families and the community as a whole, but cautioned that they are to serve as a starting point for dialogue between the community and local school leaders. This year’s reports provide new data in response to requests from the community and stakeholders. Because they couldn’t cover every datapoint covered during the meeting, the 2023-2024 School Performance Reports and Graduation Data Presentation to the State Board Members included a small subset of the data included in the reports, including high level summaries of data that is new, has changed over the last several years, or is aligned with state initiatives. While some data has returned to pre-pandemic levels, there are areas where we continue to see impacts. Highlights included that New Jersey is second in the nation for the highest percentage of schools offering at least one AP course; the graduation rate for students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, and those who are multilingual learners increased; rates of chronic absenteeism decreased, but it is still higher than before the pandemic; and disciplinary action for vandalism, bullying and weapons offices also declined from the previous school year, but still remain higher than pre-COVID.Generally, in most cases, the trends we see in New Jersey align to what has been reported nationally. The trajectory is in the right direction. All of the reports, resources, databases and translated version of the report are included here. Questions about School Performance Reports may be directed to: reportcard@doe.nj.gov.
Standards and Assessment
Also on their agenda was consideration of readoption with amendments to Chapter 8, at proposal level. The chapter is scheduled to expire on May 3, 2025. The NJDOE, Division of Teaching and Learning, presented the public comments they have received so far, as well as what responsive revisions they have made as a result of those comments. The public comment period began in February and the comments received to date have generally focused on a few key themes: clarification of definitions, specificity of curriculum elements, and clarification of newly proposed regulations. The overarching goals of the changes made to Chapter 8 seek to align the chapter with federal and state laws and regulations, streamline and modernize terminology, align instruction to student needs, prepare students for the modern workplace, and support continuous improvement. The NJDOE is still accepting comments. You can weigh in on any of these new proposed changes by emailing: chapter8@doe.nj.gov.
Student Transportation
The NJDOE, Division of Finance and Business Services, presented at Second Discussion, amendments to Chapter 6, Student Transportation, to align the chapter with recent changes to State law. Specifically, the Department is proposing amendments that clarify the calculation of adjustments made to the payment amounts for nonpublic school student aid-in-lieu of transportation, to allow district boards of education to designate school personnel who are not licensed as school bus drivers to transport students between home and school in a private or district-owned vehicle with a capacity of eight or fewer passengers, (excluding the driver), and to add new Subchapter 14 to codify a process for the implementation of the nonpublic consortium transportation program. To date, no public comments have been received on these proposed changes.
Professional Standards; New Jersey Educator Preparation Programs; and State Board of Examiners and Certification
The NJDOE presented at first discussion proposed amendments and new rules that align the chapter with new laws addressing teacher shortages and certification. Specifically:
- P.L. 2024, c. 26 eliminated the requirement to complete a Commissioner-approved test of basic reading, writing, and mathematics skills to obtain an instructional certificate;
- N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2.32 created a paraprofessional educator preparation pathway to expedite the process for paraprofessionals and instructional assistants to obtain certificates of eligibility with advanced standing (CEAS) in specific endorsement areas;
- N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2.26 established the computer science endorsement and requires the endorsement for educators teaching computer science in grades nine through 12;
- N.J.S.A. 18A:26-35 eliminated the requirement to complete a Commissioner-approved performance-based assessment to obtain a CEAS, a certificate of eligibility (CE), or a standard certificate, and requires educator preparation programs to establish their own performance-based assessment;
- N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2.23 requires all educator preparation programs for an instructional certificate to include six credits of classroom instruction, clinical experience (including student internships), or a combination of both, in special education;
- N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2.31 requires all teaching certification candidates who have completed a commissioner-approved educator preparation program to complete a course or training on culturally responsive teaching, which recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning and uses researched-based teaching strategies to meaningfully connect school lessons with students’ cultures, languages, and experiences;
- N.J.S.A. 18A:26-2.24 requires educator preparation programs that train educators specifically for the teacher of students with disabilities endorsement to the instructional certificate to include coursework on autism spectrum disorder and comprehensive, evidence-based instructional practices to address the educational strengths and needs of students with autism; and
- N.J.S.A. 18A: 26-36 permits educator preparation programs to accept any number of credit hours from accredited county colleges toward meeting requirements for teacher certification.
President’s Reports
Also during this month’s meeting, State Board of Education Permanent Student Representative, Anna Paszkiewicz, reported on a survey she took to gauge how prepared students felt for postsecondary education and/or the workforce.
The Board adopted a Resolution in Recognition of the Month of the Military Child in New Jersey. The month of April 2025 has been designated nationally as the Month of the Military Child by the Department of Defense to underscore the important role military children play in the armed forces community. The Resolution will be presented by State board member Mary Beth Barry on April 4th at the McGuire AFB for the singing of the Proclamation.
The Board also adopted a Resolution in Recognition of School Library Month in New Jersey, in celebration of the role of school libraries and librarians in fostering a love of reading and learning among New Jersey’s students.
Finally, the Board approved a Resolution in Recognition of Autism Acceptance Month in New Jersey, recognizing that the month of April is globally acknowledged as Autism Acceptance Month,dedicated to increasing awareness, understanding, and acceptance of autism spectrum disorder.
The State Board of Education will meet again on May 7, 2025. Following the May meeting, State Board Members will conduct an “open topic” public testimony session, where members of the public may testify on any education related topic, including the most recent revisions to Chapter 8.
For more information about the NJ State Board of Education or its Rulemaking, please visit https://www.nj.gov/education/sboe/ or contact a member of the NJPSA Government Relations team at any time.