Committee Advances Turner-Greenstein Legislation to Eradicate edTPA Certification Exam

Trenton – In an effort to address teacher shortages, the Senate Education Committee advanced legislation sponsored by Senators Shirley Turner and Linda Greenstein that would prohibit the State Board of Education from requiring completion of performance-based assessment as condition of eligibility for certificate of eligibility with advanced standing.

The bill, S-896, would also prohibit an education preparation program from considering whether a candidate for a Certificate of Eligibility with Advanced Standing (CEAS) certificated has completed a Commissioner of Education approved performance-based assessment when deciding whether to recommend a candidate for a CEAS certification.

“For current and prospective educators, the edTPA assessment hinders the progression of teaching candidates. It is a costly, unnecessary, and unreliable exam that has complicated the accreditation process for teaching candidates. Standardized testing should not be the deciding factor in a person’s ability to teach students in a classroom,” said Senator Turner (D-Mercer/Hunterdon). “If we want to make New Jersey a more equitable state, eradicating this burdensome assessment is a step in the right direction. In the midst of a teacher shortage, we should assist teaching candidates rather than further obstruct their opportunity to teach in a classroom.”

“A person’s ability to impact their students’ education cannot effectively be measured in a standardized test. Teaching candidates are spending all their time working to pass the edTPA rather than fostering a true passion for teaching,” said Senator Greenstein (D-Middlesex/Mercer). “This legislation will help candidates and New Jersey educators in the longterm.”

Under current State Board of Education regulations, in order to be eligible for a CCEAS, a candidate must pass a Commissioner of Education approved teacher performance-based assessment (edTPA). The edTPA requires CEAS teacher candidates and Certificate of Eligibility provisional teachers to plan lessons, assess student work, and submit a video recording of themselves teaching students. The edTPA is administered and reviewed by Pearson Education, Inc.

The bill was unanimously voted out of committee.