Bill > S4515

Introduced Session

This bill limits certain requirements for certification of career and technical education teachers. The bill prohibits the State Board of Education from requiring a candidate for a certificate of eligibility in a career and technical education endorsement to complete an educator preparation program which exceeds 200-hours of instruction or one academic year. Currently, an individual may become certified with a career and technical education endorsement by going through the Career and Technical Education (CTE) Alternate Route program. The program is designed for those who have not completed a formal teacher preparation program at an accredited institution of higher education, but wish to become a State certified teacher. Alternate route teachers earn a Certificate of Eligibility (CE). The individual is required to first complete a minimum of 50 hours of pre-professional experience in an approved educator preparation program. After completing the 50 hours of formal instruction, the individual is to enroll in a two-year, 350-hour CTE Certificate of Eligibility educator preparation program at Brookdale Community College or William Paterson University. There is currently a shortage of qualified CTE educators. The two-year, 350-hour program has been criticized as having a detrimental effect on the recruitment of CTE teachers as it is viewed as expensive, time-consuming, and lacking in the practical experience currently offered by county vocational-technical school districts. It is the sponsor's intent to address the shortage of CTE teachers by requiring the educator preparation programs to limit the approved CTE alternate route programs to 200-hours of instruction or one academic year.

Committee Categories

Vin Gopal (D)*,  Shirley Turner (D)*,  Patrick Diegnan (D), 

Reported from Senate Committee, 2nd Reading (on 06/05/2025)

Official Document